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Comment by m4jor | Hacker News Reader

> Last I remember, the cost was ~500 USD + the monthly fee, I wonder how many in a rural environment are ready to pony that up for a measly connection. Maybe not difficult for live-on-a-farm-software-developers, but what about the rest of the spare population?

If you think $500 setup cost + the ~$90 monthly fee is bad, I got news for you.

The same people using Starlink out in the middle of nowhere now were paying way more than that before switching. Like ~$250/m for subpar speeds and had very small data limit caps + data usage overage costs with crap ISPs.

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Can't speak for $250/mo, but I've definitely lived in places where ISP's weren't required to expand in, meaning a big chunk of residents had zero internet options. This wasn't too far out of SEATAC, actually.

Not a fan of Musk, but the calculus becomes pretty simple at that point for someone who wants a home internet connection.

> ~$90 monthly fee is bad

~$120 in California

Comcast is over $120/mo in California.

> Comcast is over $120/mo in California.

Starlink does not really compete with Comcast in areas Comcast already serves(at least when it comes to speed/price/reliability), it just doesn't make sense to use Starlink when Comcast is available other than maybe as a secondary backup connection. Starlink is significantly faster and cheaper however than other providers like Viasat which serve areas without economical terrestrial based internet options.

Comcast installation costs would be roughly $250,000 to my property and is the only hardline broadband provider in my area.

Good points.

What I was responding to was the assertion that starlink is ‘too expensive’ at $120/mo, when the normal offering from everyone else is about the same price.

As you note, depending on the area, one will provide better actual service or not. But the pricing isn’t the deciding factor IMO, just service quality.

> $250,000

That’s insane!

Do they give you an option to draw your own lines? Any chance you can apply for some subsidy?

I really don’t know why in 2023 fiber internet is not treated the same as water or electricity..

It’s the ‘go away’ price quote. If someone was desperate enough they were willing to pay it, they’d figure out how to do it (probably), but really don’t want to.

I got a similar quote from PG&E to run power to a remote lot once, with the caveat that ‘maybe’ they could do it.

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