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FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

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Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

#51

Post by wongarsu »

nradov wrote: post #28
neo4sure wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would like to know how this technology will affect the great firewall of China, does anyone have any ideas?

Not much effect. The Chinese government will prohibit import and possession of the ground terminals. Smugglers will bring in a few but not enough to really bypass the Great Firewall for many people.

And those people who would be interested in smuggled ground terminals will already be using VPNs. Maybe this will be more convienient and possibly somewhat safer, but not it won't be a game-changer for even a minority (at least not in the firewall problem, general internet connectivity in rural China is another issue)

Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

#52

Post by cft »

tyingq wrote: post #20
cft wrote: post #12

Will it work inside cars without a special antenna?

From one of their early FAQ docs: https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/7zqm2c/starlink_f... "What kind of antenna does it use? It will use a flat Phased Array antenna about the size of a pizza box or laptop computer and expected to cost between $100 and $300. You will need line of sight to the open sky, mounted on your roof or anywhere outside. The antenna handles both upload and download and is capable of giga…

So this is for stationary internet only, not for mobile.

Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

#53

Post by wallace_f »

kakarot wrote: post #33
wallace_f wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People aren't perfect, and some are terrible, so it makes sense to have government. However, it is reasonable to be critical of government removing your rights to work. Actually, it is a civil duty. I am not sure where the line should be drawn, but it has certainly gone too far. Should you need gov approval to download an IDE, or sell an app? What about to braid hair?[1] I would bet that as soon as government begins…

What does any of that have to do with launching satellites and distributing radio bandwidth, both of which need regulation in order to provide safety for the masses?

I'm sorry, but it's completely self evident. The point was that the natural right to perform/produce a service/product should be the null hypothesis (as opposed to government removing that right and granting it at their discretion) in any such case; and while on the extremes the answers may seem obvious (launching communication satellites vs braiding hair), it's often not always so. Finally, I concluded that people should ideally care about this before it adversely affects them. In other words, the OP's post was not without reason.

Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

#55

Post by drcross »

nradov wrote: post #28
neo4sure wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would like to know how this technology will affect the great firewall of China, does anyone have any ideas?

Not much effect. The Chinese government will prohibit import and possession of the ground terminals. Smugglers will bring in a few but not enough to really bypass the Great Firewall for many people.

>bring in a few

Bring in a few from where? Where do you think these devices will be manufactured anyway? ;)

Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

#57

Post by jacquesm »

tspike wrote: post #22
sneak wrote: post #9

The last fifteen years I have been lamenting the fact that we happen to be living in that tiny slice of history between the internet being invented and the internet being everywhere, having to deal with things like “long distance” and “no service” and underhanded last mile monopolies. I could not be more excited about this.

Conversely, I am happy to have existed during the tiny slice of history between the internet being invented and governments and corporations figuring out how useful it is and controlling it for their own purposes.

And that period, alas, was all too brief.

Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

#58

Post by unepipe »

neo4sure wrote: post #25
bpd1069 wrote: post #4

This is monumental - I claim every major advance in communication technology immediately precedes a major progress for society. This will make the 'Internet' truly global and ubiquitous. So excited for the developing world.

I would like to know how this technology will affect the great firewall of China, does anyone have any ideas?

It will not affect it in any way. They have released their plans for Starlink and there will be a "blackout" zone over China, so China doesn't shoot down their satellites. In 2007, China shot down FY-1C as a test of a kinetic kill vehicle (leaving tons of high speed space debris). Unless they receive approval from China to broadcast, they won't over China.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-internet-satellite-con...

Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services

#60

Post by wongarsu »

clay_the_ripper wrote: post #34

Please tell me that this means Comcast will go out of business. Oh man. The excitement I would feel at watching them go down...

There is only so much spectrum to go around. Even with tight beams, providing high speed to everyone in a densely populated area is much easier to do with fiber than with any radio-based system.

In many regions this will be serious competition to comcast, but in cities traditional ISPs won't go away in the next 30 years.

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