Starlink ruins the night sky at scale, wastes a massive amount of resources to launch, and requires continuous replacement. In limited usage it is pretty good, but as the intended full replacement of glocbal networks as a whole that it was deaigned to be it is horrible.
Starlink is objectively a fucking terrible thing, possibly worse than data centers.
Rural connectivity is a good thing, but why do we all pretend it’s cheaper to invent a private space company to launch disposable satellites that burn up into toxic byproducts and need to be refilled every few months so that the sky internet can be controlled and monitored by the same people that want machines to automate all the labor so they can let us die because they hate having to deal with us?
I wasn’t thinking of rural connectivity here (I’m not informed enough on that to have an opinion) but more on its uses by Ukraine, in disaster relief and for avoiding censorship in authoritarian states. For example it’s the only way anybody inside Iran not associated with the government can actually get internet.
It has its uses, but that doesn’t mean that the FCC should continue to give Musk’s company rural internet grants. Those should go to local fiber PUDs. Musk can fund it on his own.
It also means that you are supporting Musk when you use it, even if it’s the best option. It’s important to remember that.
Seconding the other person. Musk sucks but Starlink is objectively a good thing.
Starlink ruins the night sky at scale, wastes a massive amount of resources to launch, and requires continuous replacement. In limited usage it is pretty good, but as the intended full replacement of glocbal networks as a whole that it was deaigned to be it is horrible.
Okay that’s fair.
Starlink is objectively a fucking terrible thing, possibly worse than data centers.
Rural connectivity is a good thing, but why do we all pretend it’s cheaper to invent a private space company to launch disposable satellites that burn up into toxic byproducts and need to be refilled every few months so that the sky internet can be controlled and monitored by the same people that want machines to automate all the labor so they can let us die because they hate having to deal with us?
We should run fiber to every home and business.
I wasn’t thinking of rural connectivity here (I’m not informed enough on that to have an opinion) but more on its uses by Ukraine, in disaster relief and for avoiding censorship in authoritarian states. For example it’s the only way anybody inside Iran not associated with the government can actually get internet.
good luck running fiber to any national parks, boats or planes
It has its uses, but that doesn’t mean that the FCC should continue to give Musk’s company rural internet grants. Those should go to local fiber PUDs. Musk can fund it on his own.
It also means that you are supporting Musk when you use it, even if it’s the best option. It’s important to remember that.