Elon Musk's Starlink, a satellite internet service provided by SpaceX, has been highlighted for its cost-effectiveness and rapid deployment compared to government-funded broadband initiatives. Starlink has 3 million paying subscribers and aims to provide fast internet in remote areas, including Indonesia, where it faces opposition from the local telecom sector. Critics argue that the $42.5 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, intended to expand broadband access, has yet to connect any homes or businesses, while Starlink could have provided internet to millions at a fraction of the cost. The law's inefficiency is underscored by comparisons, such as the ability to buy Starlink terminals for millions of people or fund other significant projects with the same amount of money.
$42.5B is 3 nuclear aircraft carriers or over 100 Japanese Mogami-class frigates https://t.co/Bj05OAK0Uh
This is not a good deal for U.S. taxpayers. SpaceX's Starlink could provide fast and reliable internet to millions for a fraction of the cost, and years earlier than the $42.5B plan listed below. https://t.co/5lAelBkq5N
Starlink changes lives & this is all it takes to get access to the world’s best internet https://t.co/YW4Jm9njxp
This is providing internet for all the guest staying at this Airbnb, it’s no wonder Starlink has 3M paying subscribers today https://t.co/zPxIfsFFU9
Starlink, is available today, could provide better internet, with far less cost. We are wasting capital and indebting future generations. https://t.co/DLicBpwgA0
for $42.5B you could send 10 Starlink terminals at full retail price ($500) to every family below the poverty line in the USA (7.4M) and still have $5.5B leftover for san francisco to spend on corrupt nonprofits https://t.co/KIFIvWS8k3
Three years. $42.5 billion. And not a single home or business has been connected to new broadband networks (and no project will break ground until next year). Why didn’t we just mail people Starlink terminals? https://t.co/wL0ceMiGq8
At TED in 2018, Gwynne Shotwell estimated Starlink would cost ~$10B. Within 36 months of first deployment, there were 2.2M subscribers. In 2021, the government authorized $42.5B for rural high speed internet. 36 months in, ZERO homes are connected. Let that sink in. https://t.co/0Ny5vXr4gg
That's enough to put Starlink on 21 million homes for a year without a volume discount https://t.co/JzJu33Pnve
🌐🚀 Elon Musk Launches Starlink in Indonesia. Starlink aims to provide fast internet in remote areas, but will it challenge local ISPs? https://t.co/HB9SoZOrj3
For $42 billion they could have bought Starlink dishes for 140 million people (US population is 333 million) https://t.co/HFuatMhBwO
That would buy a lot of Starlinks. https://t.co/zffiUFNkbf
Good morning, Asia. This was our most read story while you were sleeping. Elon Musk's Starlink under fire from Indonesian telecoms sector. https://t.co/7Rab5MT0Xp
Not only did privately-funded @SpaceX obliterate taxpayer-funded @NASA in rockets and space, but as a side-hustle also brought affordable high speed internet to the entire planet. Meanwhile the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law spent roughly $65 billion of taxpayer money (ie debt… https://t.co/1ZdA7FY8ba
“You don’t need pipes because all of a sudden there are these mini Starlinks all over the sky and with a couple hundred dollars you can buy the hardware that you need to carry around with you," says @bradleytusk on @elonmusk’s @Starlink compared to other internet providers. https://t.co/dy50TrYr9P