The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent a letter on Saturday to SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk demanding that U.S. troops stationed in Taiwan get access to SpaceX’s Starshield, a satellite communication network designed specifically for the military.

The letter, obtained by CNBC and first reported by Forbes, claimed that by not making Starshield available to U.S. military forces in Taiwan, SpaceX could violate its Pentagon contract, which requires “global access” to Starshield technology.

  • cole@lemdro.id
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    8 months ago

    that doesn’t seem to support your assertion. blocking terminals in a specific geographic location (crimea) doesn’t explain how to tell apart two sides using terminals in the same geographic area

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Blocking terminals in the same geographic location- such as Russian-controlled territory? Something he isn’t doing?

      • cole@lemdro.id
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        8 months ago

        On an active battlefront these territories aren’t strictly defined or are changing quickly. With that methodology if Ukrainian advanced too quickly into what was previously Russian territory, bam - Starlink stops working. That seems undesirable

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Sorry… you’re saying that SpaceX can’t just turn access on and off whenever they feel like it? Like my ISP can if I don’t pay my bill?

          Coordinating with the Ukrainian military would be enough to tell them what to turn on and off.

          • cole@lemdro.id
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            8 months ago

            Starlink terminals in Ukraine didn’t come from one source. some have been donated by orgs in the US and other countries, some the government, some SpaceX themselves. Ukraine almost certainly doesn’t have full knowledge of all the Starlink terminals it possesses. This isn’t an ideal environment

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              So you are again saying that Elon can’t do what he already did- not allow access in certain locations.

              • cole@lemdro.id
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                8 months ago

                No. What I’m saying is that due to the fast-shifting geographic nature of a battlefront, and the lack of organization in where the user terminals have come from: (A) Starlink would have a hard time keeping up with a precise map (and would be prone to errors, and would need exact operational data) (B) Ukraine doesn’t completely KNOW what terminals are theirs

                So a geographic location block would be a hindrance for Ukrainian troops when trying to advance, and potentially dangerous when Russians advance into Ukrainian territory. Boundaries would constantly need to be redrawn, requiring exact knowledge of what is happening. Which for obvious reasons should not be shared

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  A) The Ukrainian military says where the Russians are. Starlink access is turned off there.

                  B) The Ukrainian military says where the Russians are. Starlink access is turned off there.

                  Yet again, this is something Elon already did to the Ukrainians. So all you are doing is saying is that somehow it’s impossible for Elon to stop Starlink from being used in a certain geographic area when, yet again, that already happened.

                  Honestly, it sounds like you think somehow the Russian military is just superior somehow.

                  • cole@lemdro.id
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                    8 months ago

                    I feel like you are fundamentally misunderstanding me. Battle lines are not static or cut and dry. Neither militaries KNOW exactly where the enemy is. It isn’t that simple