Elon Musk Says Starlink Would Cost ‘Less Than Half’ of Ottawa-Backed $2.14 Billion Plan

Elon Musk says his company SpaceX’s satellite internet service Starlink would be able to provide coverage to Canadian households for “less than half” the cost of a recently announced multibillion-dollar government loan to Montreal-based satellite operator Telesat to provide that service. Musk was responding to Conservative MP Michael Barrett, who in a Sept. 14 post on X challenged the government investment. The funding consists of a combined $2.54 billion loan to Telesat, consisting of $2.14 billion from Ottawa and $400 million from the Quebec government. “Less than half that amount” was Musk’s response to Barrett’s post. Barrett had asked, “how much would it cost to provide @Starlink to every Canadian household that doesn’t have high speed? If this $2.14 BILLION plan is the panacea of expanding access, competition, and service – where is the interest from private investors and banks?  ...