As Elon Musk likes to do whenever disaster hits somewhere in the world, Hurricane Helene was another opportunity to show off his generosity and make himself part of the news. This time, Musk made headlines with a promise that SpaceX Starlink would be free for 30 days to help in places where fiber and cellular infrastructure might have been knocked offline. More than 200 people have been identified as dead in the disaster.
But the catch is that it’s really not free at all. It really looks like not much more than a glorified new-customer promotion.
For one, anyone interested in taking up the offer still has to pay approximately $400 for the dish itself (including shipping and tax) and they’re getting automatically rolled into a $120 per-month contract when the free month ends.
Is any other company doing literally anything? Hughesnet? Viasat?
I love to hate on Musk but this might be a stretch.
Starlink isn’t “doing literally anything” either. Giving victims a coupon code that requires them to commit to paying for a service they never wanted isn’t helping.
The point isn’t that musk is the only one doing anything, the point is musk is one of the people trying to sneakily profit off the disaster.
Isnt the actual cost of the Starlink equipment well over the hardware cost? If people buy it and then return it when services come back up it’s not much of a profit.
What would be an acceptable donation? 2 free months? 4 months?
your questions are a clue about why other companies are not offering subscription discounts in response to a hurricane.
how many hello fresh boxes would be good for a hurricane? how many months subscription to chess.com? how many free sessions at a planet fitness of your choosing?
How about provide it free of charge, and without a monthly contract in place. Charge them for the hardware if they don’t return it after the free month.
Doing nothing would be better than trying to scam victims into a $120/mth subscription.
Go fuck yourself. Muskrat doesn’t need his boots polished.
There isn’t anything in the world he needs more. Every second of every day.
Yes there’s a lot of other companies doing. Literally anything stupid question idiot
How many of those companies have hundreds of dollars in up front hardware costs that they don’t normally discount or just give away as a course of regular business (where that is already calculated into operating costs)?
I dunno, do you? Also who fucking cares? It’s not charity if you’re charging