Happy to have the support of @SpaceX’s Starlink internet as emergency responders look to help residents rebuild the town of Malden, WA that was overcome by wildfires earlier this month. #wawildfire
Glad SpaceX could help! We are prioritizing emergency responders & locations with no Internet connectivity at all.
The Washington State Commerce Department recently introduced SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet team to the Hoh Tribe, which lives on the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula."Almost overnight, the Tribe went from almost no connectivity to high-speed internet."
WA Gov. Jay Inslee: "I just want to give a shout out to these efforts to extend broadband to the Hoh Tribe, with SpaceX and everybody working on this effort."
So where does this leave the Starlink beta test? The internet connectivity constellation is expected to start offering service to users in the northern United States and Canada this year. Following the most recent launch, Musk declared that SpaceX will start a “fairly wide” public beta once the latest satellites “reach their target position.” If previous launches are anything to go by, it should take around four months for the batch to reach that stage.
Looks like a delay for the public beta (from previous information, I was expecting public beta in the next month or so):QuoteSo where does this leave the Starlink beta test? The internet connectivity constellation is expected to start offering service to users in the northern United States and Canada this year. Following the most recent launch, Musk declared that SpaceX will start a “fairly wide” public beta once the latest satellites “reach their target position.” If previous launches are anything to go by, it should take around four months for the batch to reach that stage.https://www.inverse.com/innovation/musk-reads-spacex-starlink-public-beta-timeline4 months from October 6th would be February 6th. Previously, he suggested 6 months from a tweet posted on April 22nd which would suggest October 22nd. Delay of 3-4 months.
Ector County ISD on Tuesday became the first school district in the nation to partner with SpaceX to provide broadband service to families with poor or no internet access.
Starting in January 2021, 45 families will be served by Starlink. Assuming that goes well, another 90 families will be added, Muri said. The service won’t cost the families anything for a year.The venture is the result of a partnership of ECISD, Chiefs for Change, a national philanthropic organization, PSP and SpaceX. The cost is $300,000 and Chiefs for Change provided $150,000.
Found by reddit: ECISD to pilot SpaceX internetQuoteEctor County ISD on Tuesday became the first school district in the nation to partner with SpaceX to provide broadband service to families with poor or no internet access.QuoteStarting in January 2021, 45 families will be served by Starlink. Assuming that goes well, another 90 families will be added, Muri said. The service won’t cost the families anything for a year.The venture is the result of a partnership of ECISD, Chiefs for Change, a national philanthropic organization, PSP and SpaceX. The cost is $300,000 and Chiefs for Change provided $150,000.
Quote from: su27k on 10/21/2020 07:26 amFound by reddit: ECISD to pilot SpaceX internetQuoteEctor County ISD on Tuesday became the first school district in the nation to partner with SpaceX to provide broadband service to families with poor or no internet access.QuoteStarting in January 2021, 45 families will be served by Starlink. Assuming that goes well, another 90 families will be added, Muri said. The service won’t cost the families anything for a year.The venture is the result of a partnership of ECISD, Chiefs for Change, a national philanthropic organization, PSP and SpaceX. The cost is $300,000 and Chiefs for Change provided $150,000.90 + 45 = 135 families.... cost $300,000 so $2.2K each...... Is this one connection each? Sounds expensive for roll out... but we don't know how the cost is arrived at. Is it all Starlink, or is there physical infrastructure? Is it 3 x Starlink, with costs for 3 towers to spread wifi over a settlement.... or is it 135 Starlink sets with zero other costs? Did the concrete slab mentioned have any relevance?
SpaceX partnered with Ector County Independent School District in Texas for a pilot program that will use Starlink starting in 2021 to connect up to 45 households, where students are studying from home due to COVID-19 in areas with limited connectivity.
"Ector County ISD is the first school district in the United States to work with SpaceX in harnessing its Starlink satellite constellation to deliver high-speed, low latency Internet access for ECISD students."
The FCC is currently conducting mock RDOF auctions for up to $16 billion in subsidies in preparation for start of bidding on Thursday. Will be interesting to watch how this unfolds.https://www.fcc.gov/auction/904/factsheet#time
Finally, back on-topic: SpaceX will be first and foremost a BIAS, i.e., they'll be in the same club as the companies we love to hate. We don't hate them now because they're doing cool stuff, enabling new markets, bringing fire to the benighted masses--and of course we're space geeks, so they're magnificent.I can guarantee you that in fifteen years, we'll hate Starlink just as much as we hate Comcast. It's just the nature of the beast. Starlink will get spun off, they'll put bean-counters in charge, and the grumbling will begin.
Actually people hate Comcast and the like because they provide crappy service, use their regulatory capture to jack up prices and stifle competition, not just because they service the end user... They currently really are really bad with predatory management, bad labor relations and a government granted control of the market. It is not good. That is why people pine for something like Starlink to break this situation (whether they will or will not be able or want to).I don't want to have this conversion leave with the wrong impression of the large end service internet/cable companies...
I can *guarantee we won't*, unless Starlink is a monopoly and has no competitors. People hate Comcast because their customer service sucks and their prices are high. And their customer service sucks and their prices are high *because* they are a monopoly. With competition they will improve.Starlink will always have Comcast (and other land based ISPs) there to keep them honest. And probably Kuiper too. Customers will no longer be locked into one land based ISP because their local government wants high franchise fees.So that part of your analysis is flawed.
I suspect that Starlink and Comcast are in disjoint markets. Starlink is unlikely to be very competitive in urban/suburban markets, and Comcast is never going to run cable out into the boonies.
Quote from: TheRadicalModerate on 12/31/2020 10:06 pmI can guarantee you that in fifteen years, we'll hate Starlink just as much as we hate Comcast. It's just the nature of the beast. Starlink will get spun off, they'll put bean-counters in charge, and the grumbling will begin.I can *guarantee we won't*, unless Starlink is a monopoly and has no competitors. People hate Comcast because their customer service sucks and their prices are high. And their customer service sucks and their prices are high *because* they are a monopoly. With competition they will improve.
I can guarantee you that in fifteen years, we'll hate Starlink just as much as we hate Comcast. It's just the nature of the beast. Starlink will get spun off, they'll put bean-counters in charge, and the grumbling will begin.
Quote from: TheRadicalModerate on 01/11/2021 04:58 amI suspect that Starlink and Comcast are in disjoint markets. Starlink is unlikely to be very competitive in urban/suburban markets, and Comcast is never going to run cable out into the boonies. >There is enough overlap. I am out in the boonies and I am a Comcast customer right now. AND I am in the target market for Starlink. I will be dumping Comcast as soon as I can. Grand Rapids (the closest population cluster) is far enough away that I will get great speeds. There are millions of people just like me.
Further, the market is so big (essentially, unlimited) that I expect that Kuiper will do fine once it actually has enough birds. >
Russia may fine citizens who use SpaceX’s Starlink Internet serviceRussia is planning its own Internet from space plan, called Sphere.by Eric Berger - Jan 12, 2021 2:11pm GMTRussia's legislative body, the State Duma, is considering fines for individuals and companies in the country that use Western-based satellite Internet services. The proposed law seeks to prevent accessing the Internet by means of SpaceX's Starlink service, OneWeb, or other non-Russian satellite constellations under development.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/russia-may-fine-citizens-who-use-spacexs-starlink-internet-service/QuoteRussia may fine citizens who use SpaceX’s Starlink Internet serviceRussia is planning its own Internet from space plan, called Sphere.by Eric Berger - Jan 12, 2021 2:11pm GMTRussia's legislative body, the State Duma, is considering fines for individuals and companies in the country that use Western-based satellite Internet services. The proposed law seeks to prevent accessing the Internet by means of SpaceX's Starlink service, OneWeb, or other non-Russian satellite constellations under development.
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 01/12/2021 03:39 pmhttps://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/russia-may-fine-citizens-who-use-spacexs-starlink-internet-service/QuoteRussia may fine citizens who use SpaceX’s Starlink Internet serviceRussia is planning its own Internet from space plan, called Sphere.by Eric Berger - Jan 12, 2021 2:11pm GMTRussia's legislative body, the State Duma, is considering fines for individuals and companies in the country that use Western-based satellite Internet services. The proposed law seeks to prevent accessing the Internet by means of SpaceX's Starlink service, OneWeb, or other non-Russian satellite constellations under development.By itself this is a piece of news and an update. But it invites a discussion of possible response by western nations policy/laws to ban Russian Satellite Internet Services. Which would be only allowed as a L2 policy discussion.If there is interest in discussing such, make a new L2 Policy Discussion thread to cover it.Although the pure economic impact to Starlink of no Russia customers business revenues is still appropriate for discussion here.Russia has a hugh rural area that would benefit from a Starlink like Internet service. So far Starlink is only allowing UT's use in countries that have allowed it. So it is only a future revenue loss and not a loss/reduction from current revenue. Later after the Russia equivalent systems are well established or fail completely there may be a possible licencing of limited UT use in Russia where the Russia system just cannot handle/support the "customers". This is not an unexpected event I believe from SpaceX plans for Starlink.
Quote from: oldAtlas_Eguy on 01/12/2021 03:58 pmQuote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 01/12/2021 03:39 pmhttps://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/russia-may-fine-citizens-who-use-spacexs-starlink-internet-service/QuoteRussia may fine citizens who use SpaceX’s Starlink Internet serviceRussia is planning its own Internet from space plan, called Sphere.by Eric Berger - Jan 12, 2021 2:11pm GMTRussia's legislative body, the State Duma, is considering fines for individuals and companies in the country that use Western-based satellite Internet services. The proposed law seeks to prevent accessing the Internet by means of SpaceX's Starlink service, OneWeb, or other non-Russian satellite constellations under development.By itself this is a piece of news and an update. But it invites a discussion of possible response by western nations policy/laws to ban Russian Satellite Internet Services. Which would be only allowed as a L2 policy discussion.If there is interest in discussing such, make a new L2 Policy Discussion thread to cover it.Although the pure economic impact to Starlink of no Russia customers business revenues is still appropriate for discussion here.Russia has a hugh rural area that would benefit from a Starlink like Internet service. So far Starlink is only allowing UT's use in countries that have allowed it. So it is only a future revenue loss and not a loss/reduction from current revenue. Later after the Russia equivalent systems are well established or fail completely there may be a possible licencing of limited UT use in Russia where the Russia system just cannot handle/support the "customers". This is not an unexpected event I believe from SpaceX plans for Starlink.Samizdat (Russian: самизда́т, lit. "self-publishing") was a form of dissident activity across the socialist Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the documents from reader to reader.I can't get the link to embed properly. It's from wikipedia. Prohibition, in all its legislative forms, only creates dissidents and a black market. Not sure how it would be shaped in this context but them Russian folks have a rich tradition to uphold.Edit: not exactly policy.
