Elon Musk pledged to give victims of Hurricane Helene 30 days worth of free access to his satellite-based Starlink internet service — but the billionaire failed to mention that survivors of the disastrous storm that has claimed the lives of more than 200 people will need to fork over $400 ($595 AUD) for the system’s hardware.
Elon Musk has pledged to give victims of Hurricane Helene 30 days worth of free access to his Starlink internet service - but the billionaire failed to mention a $595 snag.Elon Musk pledged to give victims of Hurricane Helene 30 days worth of free access to his satellite-based Starlink internet service — but the billionaire failed to mention that survivors of the disastrous storm that has claimed the lives of more than 200 people will need to fork over $400 for the system’s hardware.
But an experiment run by the online publication The Register showed that anyone who tried to sign up for the service from the disaster-hit area still needed to pay the $400 for the dish as well as shipping, handling and taxes.According to the company, anyone in the disaster-hit area who signs up for free internet service will then automatically be moved to a $120-a-month residential subscription after the 30-day grace period.
Kinney Baughman, a resident of Boone, NC, told The Register that the Starlink offer was a “craft bait and switch…meant to take advantage of people instead of helping them.” Baughman said it wasn’t worth it for residents to take up Musk on his offer given that it would take “months before you get service” — by which time normal internet access will likely have been restored.
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