Elon Musk recently offered victims of Hurricane Helene a free month of internet service via his Starlink company. As it turns out, the offer wasn’t as generous as it seemed, it’s really more of a new customer promotion.
First spotted by Gizmodo via The Register, Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink was offered to Hurricane Helene victims. A tweet by the company on October 2 announced that the service would be free for the next 30 days “for those impacted by Hurricane Helene, or looking to support response and recovery efforts in affected areas.” Except it’s not that simple.
The Register pointed out that if anyone goes to sign up for the “free” service, there’re hit with a harsh reality: you have to pay for the equipment.
But 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.
None of this was mentioned in Starlink’s original tweet nor can it be found on a support page titled “Hurricane Helene Relief” though The Register mentions that an update was added after their article went up that lets customers know they have to purchase the equipment. What’s worse is that this “hurricane relief” looks more like a new customer promotion than anything as The Register mentions.
Read further into the details on Starlink’s help page for Hurricane Helene, and one might think it’s a ploy to bag new customers in far-flung places.
According to the Starlink Helene page, new customers who qualify for free access will be automatically moved to a paid $120-a-month residential subscription tied to the location the terminal was set up for after 30 days.
Even if you’re a victim that happens to be an existing Starlink customer, if you want those fees waived, you’ll have to file a waiver and then wait for it to be approved. And according to people on the ground, the Starlink service isn’t that great. The Register spoke to one Kinney Baughman — a Helene victim who recently had his power restored — and he’s seen the service first hand. Baughman pointed out the long delivery time for the equipment, which also might be impeded by road infrastructure that’s out because of the storm. Baughman said by the time the Starlink equipment comes, power may already be restored.
Even if the equipment comes before then, you still need power to use it, and thousands are still without power. Baughman called what Musk and Starlink are doing a play on people’s emotions. “When someone comes along and says I’m going to give you free internet, people start going nuts. Starlink is pulling on the heart strings of people overwhelmed by disaster.”
