Starlink didn’t respond to a request for comment. The White House said Musk has nothing to do with deals involving Starlink and Trump does not tolerate conflicts of interest.
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It won't. It's a bad service with bad economics; it doesn't really make much money which is why they have to force subscribers. It only exists to use up excess launch capacity, because spacex built more launch capacity than the commercial market can support
I'm particularly worried when I hear they're trying to use this to replace hardwired telecom links for the FAA installations. I seem to recall satellite connections still are susceptible to inclement weather where buried fiber is more robust
Speaking as a patriotic American, I would very much like Starlink, Purdue Pharma, and OpenAI to go down in flames. Also the guy who's been upping thalidomide prices every year so that it now costs thousands of dollars a pill. (It's essential for certain cancers.)
Billionaires want to take over the World. It’s becoming kind of obvious. It’s like they watched every bad movie and morphed MUSK into a supervillain. He’s definitely easy to HATE!
If you can control the means of communication you can always use the threat of turning it off if you don't get what you want.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 is why monopolies are frowned upon.
I watched whole 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 switch off the internet and even phone networks during the Arab Spring.
Then he started selling modified Starlink satellites as 'Starshield' satellites so the DoD could decide for themselves.
I've seen recent images of Starlink terminals mounted to Ukraine's sea drones so they're still using them it seems.
I was more on the digital end of things but I knew ham radio was getting the news out.
I almost got my ham license in my teens but had to spend the summer working instead to earn enough to escape my hometown before its economy collapsed.
I never picked it back up but always have a short wave radio!
Some of the men (yes, mostly men then) who helped relay these important messages are getting on in age and I hope there are some young ones taking it up. We will certainly need it..!
It’s so weird to think that mine (and probably other’s) theory for why elon wants Starlink everywhere is so that he can turn it off whenever & wherever he wants…. might be true.
So let me get this straight. If I hate an American CEO or company, it means I'm not a patriot? Hating Elon is hating America? Hating the extortion of other countries, the limiting of their choices to benefit the richest known man in the universe, makes me un-American?
We’ll soon find out more about what US aid to Gambia is threatened and what damage Trump might do there. My son will be serving 15 months there in the Peace Corps. And as a computer engineer, he would know a thing or two about making the internet more accessible.
idk but it prob won't be the people who will live there, they're trying to bring 'up to 400,000' people to Norcal to the one they're building up there. I'm sure they'll all be republicans
The conflicts of interest here are stunning and unprecedented. This is un-American, especially coming from a naturalized US citizen. How did Elon ever pass his US naturalization test? He should be de-naturalized based on his conduct.
Not entirely unprecedented. We need some history buffs to drop threads about United Fruit Company's antics in central and South America, and the US govts actions on their behalf. The term "banana republic" didnt invent itself, it was our fault
BTW there's a Canadian petition underway to strip him of his Canadian citizenship in response to his advocacy of Trump's annexion plans towards Canada.
I support your work, but at this point, are tips necessary? Every day it seems like some federal official announces, "Behold my amazing bribe! Don't you wish you were me?"
A few Republican senators started to speak up, but Republican Congress is complacent. We know we have to take Congress but Trump knows how important it is for him to hold on and to avoid impeachment and they have Musk’s war chest. We MUST win midterms.
I’m not really buying that the goal was to get Starlink more business. From Gambia? It’s such small potatoes. And to get the state department involved? It has to be something else. Spying? Access to resources? Leverage of some kind? This is not the whole story.
It is kind of like Facebook and Twitter. Get enough people using Star link you can buy out any competition then start screwing over your users once you saturate the market
OK, but it’s Gambia! Population 2.5 million. GDP is $800 per person per YEAR. Per year! Income is $300 per YEAR! These are not people who will be paying Starlink subscriptions at any kind of scale. There’s maybe a couple thousand subscriptions there max.
You really don't see why Musk - a man we just saw clumsily try to manipulate his AI so it spewed answers to support his own racist ideology, and a man for whom no amount of money and control over populations is enough - would use Trump to force countries into Starlink contracts? Seems kind obvious.
Of course. But The Gambia? It’s one of the poorest countries in the world. How much actual Starlink business will he be able to get there once approved? It doesn’t add up as a business case. They’re in it for the money, right? Well, there’s no money there. It has to be something else.
Starlink isn't an American company, though. It is owned and operated by an illegal immigrant, but the taxpayers' are the real owners. If we had trustworthy leaders, Starlink could be nationalized and truly owned be an American company. So, screw the State Dept's appeal to nationalism.
Great reporting as always. I do have to say that I fell off my chair laughing when the Trump administration said they don't tolerate conflicts of interest.
They have to use that defence though, because the only thing allowing any of this is Trump's use of Emergency Powers legislation (emergency powers that are meant to be used only when America is under threat).
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Pull the other one lad.
Bwahahahahagaha (gasp) hahahahahahaha!
Can you imagine the insider trading info they can gather?
1 all propaganda
2 with message to turn back to channel 1
yes, based on its merits, not on extortion. that’s the American way.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 is why monopolies are frowned upon.
I watched whole 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 switch off the internet and even phone networks during the Arab Spring.
I've seen recent images of Starlink terminals mounted to Ukraine's sea drones so they're still using them it seems.
I almost got my ham license in my teens but had to spend the summer working instead to earn enough to escape my hometown before its economy collapsed.
I never picked it back up but always have a short wave radio!
He wants to be emperor of the world 😬
Unroll please
Powered by @skywriter.blue
This man makes friends everywhere he goes.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-5353
It’s corruption at its worst and both Trump and Musk need to he absolutely buried.
Keep up the amazing work PP. Your investigative journalism is a breath of fresh air in todays world.
I can see donating Starlink receivers to communities, but only allowing access to Xitter
Evil finds a way.
Musk owns you.
-Trump, et al's M.O.
The oligarchs are forcing backdoors into every country on the planet (except China I guess)
He's just some broke-dick parasite.
I guess ICE are trying? Certainly once they start deporting US citizens they'd probably qualify.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA[gasp]HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
ahahahaha