Musk’s ‘Free’ Starlink For Helene Victims Wasn’t Free

Last week I noted how Elon Musk saw fit to inject himself in the middle of the Helene hurricane disaster by falsely claiming that hurricane victims died because the FCC refused to give Starlink a billion dollars in subsidies. I explained at length why that claim was grotesque and incorrect, in part because the subsidies in question weren’t even slated to arrive until next year.

Most of the press didn’t bother to dissect Musk’s gross and false claim about subsidies, instead portraying him in coverage as single-handedly saving Helene victims. One, by shipping some satellite dishes to the region, and two by offering free Starlink service:

To be clear Starlink did wind up helping people by delivering some dishes to the region and by working with the FCC to enable some satellite to cell phone connectivity options (for the limited devices that support the feature). But Musk apparently couldn’t do that without throwing a tantrum and undermining the work of FEMA, which was trying to control air traffic in the region after several near-fatalities.

Another cornerstone of Starlink’s efforts to help locals involved promising “free” Starlink service:

But when locals and some news outlets ran down the claims, they discovered that the free service wasn’t free at all. In reality, users who signed up for service were still required to pay for hardware, resulting in a $400 charge:

“Try to sign up for the ostensibly “free” service in an area Starlink has designated as a Helene disaster zone, and surprise: You still have to pay for the terminal (normally $350, but reportedly discounted to $299 for disaster relief, though that’s not reflected in Starlink’s signup page), plus shipping and tax, bringing the grand total to just shy of $400.”

After 30 days, users are automatically shifted over to the $120 a month option; a steep price tag for folks who may have just lost everything they own. The kicker is this 30-day (not really free) trial was something Starlink already offered, just dressed up as unique disaster altruism.

Numerous other broadband and wireless companies are offering similarly scattered and very temporary discounts to disaster victims, and none of them got the same gushing press treatment Musk’s company seemed to enjoy in the wake of the storm.

Locals impacted by the disaster were… not impressed:

“This smells like a crafty, bait and switch, wolf in sheep’s clothing scam meant to take advantage of people instead of helping them.”

That’s not to say that Starlink can’t be of service to area residents (assuming they have power and can afford it), just not in the scale and scope presented to locals by Starlink, Musk, and adoring press coverage:

“There may be isolated scenarios when what [Musk] is offering will be a service,” [local Kinney] Baughman said. “But we’re talking about cases where someone’s way up a holler, doesn’t have access to cell service, and where the flooding has broken their fiber. You’re looking at months before you get service. In that case you might want to think about [Starlink].” 

But that’s an isolated case, Baughman noted. By the time Starlink arrives for others, general internet service may already be working, and thus someone is roped into paying for a satellite service they don’t actually need.

Again, Musk’s very first instinct wasn’t really to help, it was to exploit the disaster to beg for government subsidies that had been rejected for very good reasons. Then to leverage the disaster for political advantage to Trump, by publicly undermining FEMA rescue efforts. Then to take advantage of the disaster to make him seem like he was being more helpfully altruistic than he actually was.

It’s like the YouTubers who film themselves nobly giving homeless people free tacos, but worse, not free, and at scale… during a major crisis. It’s all once again very demonstrative of who Musk truly is. Or, as the case may be, very clearly isn’t.