Totalitarianism...or just internet

I've made no secret of the fact I don't have much time for Elon Musk; it's not about his emerging political views and alliances I just don't like how he goes about business. Here in Australia the average punter doesn't have much to do with him other than most people thinking he's a wanker - I don't know if it's most but certainly some - but we have his ridiculous and poor quality vehicles here and a handful of people use his satellite internet service, Starlink.

Starlink uses over 7,000 low-orbit (LEOSat) satellite's at about 550 kilometres above the planet to provide the internet service and there's about 200,000 Starlink connections in Australia currently. This, in comparison to the Australian Government's Skymuster internet service (NBN) that uses only two satellites that orbit at about 35,000 kilometres above the Earth which provides internet to over 9 million connections. So, what's the big deal?

Starlink is a good service for those in remote areas of the country and those who want to be mobile like caravaners, I'll grant that. It's also something I've looked into as an option down the track but with a chap as fickle and peevish as Elon Musk is I get the impression any using his service are subject to his whim; he can simply turn it off any time he likes and for any reason he likes. Admittedly, internet service in this country is regulated and legislated but I don't know if I'm keen on being subject to a petulant chap like Musk.

A consumer can have Starlink internet service up and running in a very short time and isn't overly costly to buy with an initial outlay of under $600 and monthly charges starting at about $140/m for residential homes (AUD). That's reasonable and with the coverage extending to literally anywhere in the country it's probably quite attractive...but I'm still reluctant and somewhat dubious.

With more reliance on the internet for so many aspects of our lives it's something most people can't do without, myself included. Wars run on the internet now and don't worry, Elon Musk has that stitched up nicely too, he (allegedly) provides Starlink to the Russians and Ukraine and has selectively switched it off and on apparently. Hmm, are the alarm bells ringing yet?

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say I guess. Maybe I'm thinking out loud about my concern that a single individual has so much power, that there's no competition to keep that person honest, and that his emerging political agendas may not lead to a good place ultimately - Elon Musk for President of the world? I don't think I'd like a world in which there was no competitiveness between companies be it communications or otherwise; it opens up the risk of totalitarianism (for lack of a better word), where consumers have no choice but to use just one particular companies' service or product and are subject to the whims of whomever heads it up.

I don't think Starlink is for me at this stage although won't rule it out in the future; I guess I just don't like to see individuals or governments monopolise a service or product be it China, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk or any other fucker that comes along; it takes away freedom of choice and a little more power out of the hands of the individual, the little people like you and I, and it leaves us vulnerable.