The FCC decided it wouldn’t be the “best” use of limited funds.

Starlink loses out on $886 million in rural broadband subsidies::The FCC reaffirmed a decision not to award Starlink a nearly $900 million subsidy for offering 100Mbps/20Mbps low-latency internet service in 35 states.

  • Troy@lemmy.caEnglish
    299·
    3 years ago

    In this thread. A bunch of people who’ve never had to use the prior remote internet solutions that existed prior to Starlink. For a good chunk of the world, Starlink is actually game changing.

    I spent the better part of the last decade working in remote locations, including the high arctic and and rural indigenous communities. Starlink is both fast and affordable compared to the prior solutions. Hell, I even personally worked on hundred million dollar fibre optic line projects, that were hundreds of millions over budget, trying to get these communities connected. Starlink is hands down the better choice, unless you really wanted to put your data centre in Fort Good Hope for some unknown reason.

    If Elon wasn’t attached to this project, I’d bet the ratio of negative comments would be lower.

      • Ilovethebomb@lemm.eeEnglish
        94·
        3 years ago

        There’s also a bunch who have never left the city, and have no comprehension of just how remote some communities are.

        • Patches@sh.itjust.worksdeleted by creatorEnglish
          6·
          3 years ago

          I’m 15 miles away from a major city of 150,000 people and they don’t run anything out “this far”. I can use Starlink, 4G internet, or pound sand.

          I am hardly ‘remote’. Cable companies suck dick.

          My last apartment was within the city but for whatever reason we didn’t have any companies run cable to the building. The neighbor complex got it but we didn’t for years. That was a city of 200,000.

          • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            3 years ago

            Wow! Been there, done that, in BOTH scenarios. Starlink came along well after my ISP days, no idea what it’s like, but it’s gotta beat hell out of 56K and old-school satellite.

            • Patches@sh.itjust.worksdeleted by creatorEnglish
              1·
              3 years ago

              Anything beats out old-school satellites. I don’t understand how they have not evolved even a little bit.

              50GB Data Cap and that’s it. You might as well not have any Internet after that because it will be so slow.

              That’s not even enough for me to work from home for 30 days. No streaming, no Netflix, no gaming.

          • anlumo@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            3 years ago

            4G Internet implies that there’s a fiber connection to that tower, and that tower can’t be far away. This is more like an intentional decision by the providers.

            • Patches@sh.itjust.worksdeleted by creatorEnglish
              1·
              3 years ago

              The tower is less than half a mile away. I can see the FAA light at night from my front porch.

              That’s great to hear 😭

        • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
          35·
          3 years ago

          who have never left the city

          Weird seeing this as a country-fried liberal. City people seem to have no comprehension of the issues facing us. And when confronting them about it, “Fuck all you conservative rednecks! You get what you deserve!”

          And yet they have no idea why the countryside hates them and votes Trump. Self-defeating to say the least. Which is what they say of us! Rinse and repeat.

          • Patches@sh.itjust.worksdeleted by creatorEnglish
            41·
            3 years ago

            Yep. You’ll see it here on Lemmy all the time. I’ve been told I should sell my car and bike to work 15miles down a road that has no sidewalk, no shoulder, and a speed limit of 60mph. If I don’t like that then I can walk the 17miles and take a bus inside the city - doesn’t matter where - none of them go to or from where I’m going.

            Fuck FuckCars

            • Ilovethebomb@lemm.eeEnglish
              42·
              3 years ago

              I mean, fuckcars aren’t representative of the average liberal by any means, so I don’t think that’s entirely fair.

            • anlumo@lemmy.worldEnglish
              14·
              3 years ago

              You have no God-given obligation to live in bumfuck nowhere. Don’t be surprised if you’re inconvenienced by your choice of location.

              • Patches@sh.itjust.worksdeleted by creatorEnglish
                4·
                3 years ago

                The people that live in buttfuck Egypt are the ones who make city life possible.

                You think they make your veggies within the city limits?

                I’m not complaining bout living out here. I’m complaining that most of them can’t seem to fathom that the entire world cannot live in New York City working an office job right off a subway renting an apartment, and owning zero personal modes of transportation.

          • Ilovethebomb@lemm.eeEnglish
            24·
            3 years ago

            Hillary was a classic example of that effect actually, no attempt to empathise, understand, or try to gain the support of half the country.

            Nope, better to just insult them.

    • crazyCat@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      74·
      3 years ago

      I own property in a very rural place and I don’t want it messing up our night sky view.

      Guess what, we also have great internet in this very rural place already, too, because they ran cable and put cell towers out there. That’s all it takes.

      • ipkpjersi@lemmy.mlEnglish
        31·
        3 years ago

        Sure, but there are many places where this is the only option, and that’s not likely to change any time soon.

      • Troy@lemmy.caEnglish
        47·
        3 years ago

        You are the very definition of privileged, compared to most remote users. And your comment is as close to textbook NIMBY as I’ve ever seen. Plus a healthy dose of “fuck em, I got mine”.

        • crazyCat@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          31·
          3 years ago

          What I’m saying is the most cost effective way to get internet to rural folks is to run cables, it works. You don’t have to put thousands of satellites up, it isn’t easier or better.

          • Troy@lemmy.caEnglish
            3·
            3 years ago

            You sound like you’ve never been anywhere truly remote. For a lot of people in the world, it would be cheaper for the governmet to buy their rural property, bulldoze it, and then buy them a house in a town with internet service – than it is to run a line to their property.

          • Ilovethebomb@lemm.eeEnglish
            11·
            3 years ago

            You’re coming off as something of an out of touch asshole, to be honest. I know people for who getting mains power out to their house would cost them more than the property was worth. And there was mains available at the boundary. THAT’S what remote means, not what you’re describing.

        • Ben Hur Horse Race@lemm.eeEnglish
          12·
          3 years ago

          well when your backyard is the night sky for the entire globe you can call me a NIMBY when it comes to starlink’s glowing sattelite trains

  • Shadywack@lemmy.worlddeleted by creatorEnglish
    57·
    3 years ago

    Another dumbass fucking hunk of shit radio system doesn’t deliver on its promises? Oh my god, what a gigantic fucking surprise! People are gonna have a stroke when they see that shit!