Will Starlink Set the Internet Free?
Dictators are throttling the Internet and there’s nothing we can do. Until now, because an Internet in space is on the way
The Internet is under attack everywhere because paranoid governments are increasingly blocking the flow of information.
It’s a disturbing trend for such a liberating technology. But just as the control freaks appear to be gaining the upper hand, there may be a savior on the horizon.
I’m talking about Starlink and its plan for an Internet based in space. Once complete, Starlink’s 12,000 satellites will be able to beam the Internet directly to a person anywhere on the planet. It won’t matter if they’re behind China’s firewall, miles from the nearest road in Africa, on a plane or even on a boat in the middle of the ocean — an Internet that encircles the Earth can reach everyone.
It would be the biggest push-back in years against government oppression that’s spreading like cancer on the Internet. But a lot still needs to happen before it becomes reality.
The Internet now
Before digging further into Starlink, let’s take a quick look at the state of access to the Internet today. The first thing to realize is how dependent Internet traffic is on a relatively…
