Elon Musk — who has $260 billion — will be charging Helene victims $400 for internet service

08 October 2024

Billionaire Elon Musk – the richest man in the world — recently announced Hurricane Helene victims would get free internet service through his company Starlink. But there's one major catch: Come November, they'll have to pay.

Tech publication the Register reported Tuesday that Starlink's offer of free satellite-powered internet service to areas impacted by Helene has a hefty price tag. While the normal residential subscription of $120/month has been waived for the first 30 days of service, anyone in the affected area hoping to use Starlink to get online and connect with resources will still have to pay for the hardware to actually set up an internet connection. When taking into account the cost of shipping along with taxes, hurricane victims can expect to pay roughly $400.

"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," the Register's Brandon Vigliarolo wrote.

The site posted a YouTube video showing what the Starlink sign-up page looks like for residents in the areas Musk singled out for "free" internet service. While there is a second "Helene relief" subscription option for $0 next to the $120/month "Residential" subscription, the final total comes out to $393.91 when factoring in the $349 hardware, the $20 shipping and handling fee and a tax of $24.91.

Boone, North Carolina resident Kinney Baughman — described by the Register as a local philosophy professor and IT pro — wrote in a Facebook group that Musk's offer of a 30-day free Starlink trial is "a crafty, bait and switch wolf in sheep's clothing scam meant to take advantage of people instead of helping them." He wryly noted that "once our [internet] service is restored, Starlink will be irrelevant, the device becoming a $400 door-stop."

Baughman told the Register that the offer of free Starlink service is even less appealing when considering that the hardware takes two to three weeks to deliver, and that delivery assumes roads will be clear. He also pointed out that the device is still useless if residents still don't have electricity.

"Assuming someone can get over the one or two, if not more, bridges that are down and physically get their hands on the device, you still need electricity to run the thing," Baughman said. "Thousands of people are out of power still and hundreds if not thousands of those don't have a generator."

A North Carolina resident coping with the devastation of Hurricane Helene paying roughly $400 to set up internet service is likely too large of a cost for many victims, who have lost their homes, businesses, vehicles and livelihoods in the wake of the storm. Musk's apparent refusal to provide the hardware free of charge is even more noteworthy given his massive net worth of $260 billion, according to Forbes.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO may not be providing free internet to Helene victims, but he is freely donating tens of millions of dollars to far-right politicians and causes. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Musk has given massive amounts of money to organizations like America First Legal, which is led by former President Donald Trump's top immigration, advisor Stephen Miller (who is also an outed white nationalist).

Musk also donated $45 million to a pro-Trump super PAC aimed at turning out voters in battleground states for the November election. While initial reports claimed the billionaire was making a monthly commitment of $45 million to fund the PAC's efforts, he denied that report and called it "fiction." Earlier this year, Musk tweeted that he would not be backing any candidate in the 2024 presidential election, though he recently appeared alongside Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Click here to read the Register's report in full.

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