Actually, no, let's not put that aside. This is repulsive behavior.
"After 30 days, we will move you to a paid Residential subscription, tied the location you are using it in at that time. We will reevaluate as necessary based on conditions in the area. Starlink will notify you as the 30 day mark approaches to remind you of the change."
This is an absurd article, the people who need Starlinks in NC and such can't even log on to this page to order one, they by definition do not have internet access at the moment!
And has never been misleading. You can check the source yourself
Sources: Starlink on X, Musk on X, and the Starlink details page on the free service respectively.
https://x.com/Starlink/status/1841503492445176151
https://x.com/Starlink/status/1841567233417576497
You don't need to activate a plan or even make an account. The dish will just work
Go to starlink.com/residential
Enter your address and click “Order Now”
Select the “Helene Relief” service plan and check outI believe this is the organization that asked for this.
Everyone is buying at retail. You can't actually get it online
You still haven't addressed the fact that the article explicitly calls out the hardware costing $400.
So yeah, the service is free for 30 days (like the free trial only worse in some ways from the article), provided you have paid $400. The not auto-renewal is the lowest bar to clear for not being a scummy company. The $400 for the hardware is highway robbery and an opportunistic cash grab.
Even in the world where your correction had a primary source you're missing the point by making this correction.
Cash grab?
You think they make the equipment for free in Shangri LA? Is it more expensive than other phased array antennas? Did SpaceX suddenly jack up the price? Is Apple giving out free phones for their free SOS? Does SpaceX owe people phones so they can use direct to cell since that's also free?
You don't need to activate it to use it. You just plug it in and it works. There's no credit card to renew. Unless you want to activate it(there's a risk a thief would be able to resell it if you don't)
It was always an offer of free service without hardware. Like the mobile providers offering free services in the area, they aren't going to give you free equipment.
This is what was offered
"Starlink is providing free service for 30 days in regions affected by Hurricane Helene"
That's it. You can't extract free equipment from that statement. Even providers that give equipment without charge own it or tie it to a contract. What you pay SpaceX isn't an activation fee. You own your dish in full.
See how the guy who asked for this has several dishes? . https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1841207137420132549
Go to starlink.com/residential
Enter your address and click “Order Now”
Select the “Helene Relief” service plan and check outThere's people on ground using it like that w/o activation
Please forgive me if I request a citation. Especially since the information you've provided so far has all been contradicted by official Starlink sources.
I believe this is the org that asked for it
If you have a dish, you don't have to sign up for anything
These are absolutely tied to accounts, to addresses, to billing information.
You have a dish currently without a plan in the area, you switch it on. It will give you Internet
There's just no point in having this conversation, and I'd like you to understand why from my first comment. You're not having a conversation about facts. Your sources for this information have been:
1. Claiming that what the article says is wrong. 2. Tweets with no primary sources
This kind of stuff is really easy to find meaningful answers to, and you just don't and instead gainsay whatever goes against statements made by Elon. (Elon is not a reliable source for a reason).
"Starlink is providing free service for 30 days in regions affected by Hurricane Helene" <- This is meaningfully false if you have to buy the hardware to access it. $400 is $400 more than free.
Do they have to give out free cars, generators or gas stoves for it to be legit for you? Free Jerry Cans? Gas Cylinders?
I know how starlink works. I don't need to ask people on the Internet or read articles. I know at least two network engineers there from a mailing list I was on before they joined SpaceX . And I contacted one I saw on TV. I also have correspondence with researchers who reveal non public information about it.
Free service is meaningful even if you have to buy a private jet to use it. Apple's SOS is free and Google's SOS is free to the user.
So is Starlink service in hurricane areas.
Having to buy a device doesn't negate anything.
If I give out free WiFi I'm not beholden to give people free devices to connect to it either.
The truth is even if the device was free with one month of free service, it would just change what you complain about. For some people nothing is ever enough.
https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/free-internet-hurricane-h...
Verizon is also offering free service for 30 days. Go get your free iPhone 16 Pro Max from them without a contract to take advantage of the offer .
Until then it's meaningfully true to me
There's an offer here for free service from Verizon. Is it meaningfully false if they aren't giving free phones?
What about Starlink direct to Cell?
Apple's SOS?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/STARLINK-Standard-Kit-High-Speed...
That's 349 at Home Depot as an example
Another thing you've missed is activation isn't required for use.
> 2. Tweets with no primary sources
As opposed to news authors who don't know how the service works?
And it's not only this author
Look at this one
https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/starlinks-h...
Cited someone on Reddit. If he didn't we'd have just taken the claim as fact but when you go and check, you find out that unlike me she's not a starlink user. And when she's called out and admits she knows nothing about it she refuses to retract her claims. Just like in the comment section of the article, several people insist only FEMA rather than SpaceX and several other orgs have delivered free dishes to help. I'm sure you can find an article to buttress that claim but it's not the on ground reality
That person on Twitter is the one that asked for free service. As I pointed out he already had the equipment.
>The $400 for the hardware is highway robbery and an opportunistic cash grab.
The only way this would be true is if they increased the prices just because of this Hurricane. It's exactly around the same price as a Jupiter dish from HughesNet too. And you can sell it too. It's your property.
I don't need articles because I've installed the stuff. When you get a new dish you have one hour unlocked Internet to activate your service. Now that's 30 days. Talk about auto enrollment into some contract is easily avoided nonsense.
Citation needed.
This made me lol, thanks!