Elon Musk offered to pay for high-speed Internet for 2.4 million South African school students

Can we just please get balanced reporting. Starlink can launch tomorrow without Musk having to give away 30% of Spacex. They just need to do it via a local partner like all the other companies like Amazon Leo. The reason he is not doing so is to make a political point.

And local ownership of license is pretty common worldwide, including for some licenses from the FCC.

So you might not agree with BEE, I think we should stop spreading the lie that Elon has to give away 30% of Spacex.
 
Johand said:
Can we just please get balanced reporting. Starlink can launch tomorrow without Musk having to give away 30% of Spacex. They just need to do it via a local partner like all the other companies like Amazon Leo. The reason he is not doing so is to make a political point.

And local ownership of license is pretty common worldwide, including for some licenses from the FCC.

So you might not agree with BEE, I think we should stop spreading the lie that Elon has to give away 30% of Spacex.
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Well said. It's also completely simpish to expect the government to roll over for someone who spends his whole life knocking the country, and imposing himself on other countries' politics.

The ANC might be wrong on many things, but they're right to keep that cnut at arm's length.
 
warwickw said:
Internet == educated voters == No more sheep == No more corruption

ANC does not want an educated population.
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Nice theory but I guess experience over the past two decades have proved that just because people have access to the internet they won't go and get objective information (this article case and point). People love living in their bubble.
 
vigras rojara said:
Well said. It's also completely simpish to expect the government to roll over for someone who spends his whole life knocking the country, and imposing himself on other countries' politics.

The ANC might be wrong on many things, but they're right to keep that cnut at arm's length.
Click to expand...

Musk says that Starlink is not to supposed to be used to in operations that could kill civilians (seems fair enough), while Starshield can be and is controlled by the White House.
 
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Johand said:
Can we just please get balanced reporting. Starlink can launch tomorrow without Musk having to give away 30% of Spacex. They just need to do it via a local partner like all the other companies like Amazon Leo. The reason he is not doing so is to make a political point.

And local ownership of license is pretty common worldwide, including for some licenses from the FCC.

So you might not agree with BEE, I think we should stop spreading the lie that Elon has to give away 30% of Spacex.
Click to expand...
Rather than giving away a 30% equity stake, Starlink attempted to bypass the rule by proposing an Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP).
Under this proposal, Starlink pledged to invest roughly R500 million ($27+ million) into South Africa’s digital infrastructure.

A major pillar of this pitch was an offer by Musk to provide free high-speed satellite internet to 5,000 rural schools in perpetuity, benefiting roughly 2.4 million students annually. However, the communications regulator, ICASA, and strict government factions initially rejected the deal, insisting that the 30% ownership law must apply uniformly with zero exceptions.

So yeah sure...MUSK is the problem...only to those with TDS and MDS becuase of hysterical political frothing.

The problem is the ANC and ICASA.

South Africa’s Communications Minister, Solly Malatsi, signed a policy directive allowing telecommunications companies to meet their empowerment objectives through equity-equivalent investments (like funding local infrastructure or skills development) rather than direct equity transfer.

While this policy update opens a legal avenue for Starlink to launch without giving up 30% ownership, ICASA must still formally overhaul its structural regulations—a process analysts estimate could delay Starlink's official, legal launch in South Africa.
 
vigras rojara said:
Well said. It's also completely simpish to expect the government to roll over for someone who spends his whole life knocking the country, and imposing himself on other countries' politics.

The ANC might be wrong on many things, but they're right to keep that cnut at arm's length.
Click to expand...
Roll over ???

Oh please.

Starlink pledged to invest roughly R500 million ($27+ million) into South Africa’s digital infrastructure.

A major pillar of this pitch was an offer by Musk to provide free high-speed satellite internet to 5,000 rural schools in perpetuity, benefiting roughly 2.4 million students annually. However, the communications regulator, ICASA, and strict government factions initially rejected the deal, insisting that the 30% ownership law must apply uniformly with zero exceptions.

Is this what you call rolling over?

As usual the ANC would FUK it's own school going youth over, because it cannot get it's mouth to the trough.

Shows you where their loyalty lies....their own pockets.
 
Vorastra said:
Man, the US sure is very adamant on trying to get Starlink in South Africa.

Why is that. It must be because they really care. 🙃
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What?? Where?

Musk is the US now? And where is he "adamant"?

Maybe SA could you use your massive tinfoil hat for a satellite dish to get free WiFi signals from space for everyone.
 
warwickw said:
Internet == educated voters == No more sheep == No more corruption

ANC does not want an educated population.
Click to expand...

That's not how societies work but alright then...

I get your point. I really do hope that people with internet are more educated but most will just use it for YouTube shorts and porn.

Then there are plenty of sheep on this forum that just repeats everything other people said and who can't actually think for themselves.
 
TheMightyQuin said:
What?? Where?

Musk is the US now? And where is he "adamant"?

Maybe SA could you use your massive tinfoil hat for a satellite dish to get free WiFi signals from space for everyone.
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It quite literally is a waste if time reading your comments. 🙃

OutlawJoseyWales said:
Musk says that Starlink is not to supposed to be used to in operations that could kill civilians (seems far enough), while Starshield can be and is controlled by the White House.
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And yet Musk knew for years that Starlink was being used for military purposes. Also this distinction between the two systems... It's baby shït. They're the same system.

warwickw said:
Internet == educated voters == No more sheep == No more corruption

ANC does not want an educated population.
Click to expand...
4G has a much cheaper barrier to entry than Starlink. Who are these magical people who don't have access? Is it the 0.47% that the ANC are depending on?

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Johand said:
Can we just please get balanced reporting. Starlink can launch tomorrow without Musk having to give away 30% of Spacex. They just need to do it via a local partner like all the other companies like Amazon Leo. The reason he is not doing so is to make a political point.

And local ownership of license is pretty common worldwide, including for some licenses from the FCC.

So you might not agree with BEE, I think we should stop spreading the lie that Elon has to give away 30% of Spacex.
Click to expand...
Starlink don't do wholesale anywhere in the world. That would have to change to take on a local distribution partner. They don't need SA.
 
JerryMungo said:
Starlink don't do wholesale anywhere in the world. That would have to change to take on a local distribution partner. They don't need SA.
Click to expand...
Well that is not the same as they are forced to give away 30% of their company and they have no other choice. And do work with local partners around the world including Reliance in India.

And let's not beat around the bush here. It is not if the US don't impose restrictions on foreign ownership and control for some telecom companies via the FCC. E. G. Direct foreign ownership of more than 20% of mobile radio licenses are restricted. The US even ban Tiktok from operating in the US directly.

And even if all this is true Spacex can create a local subsidiary spacex South Africa which it does an empowerment deal which the banks fund. At a maximum they only need to do 30% of the *South African* business even if you decids to do it the most difficult way possible . So this "30% of SpaceX" is true and utter garbage. No law requires 30% of Spacex total shareholding.
 
Johand said:
And even if all this is true Spacex can create a local subsidiary spacex South Africa which it does an empowerment deal which the banks fund. At a maximum they only need to do 30% of the *South African* business even if you decids to do it the most difficult way possible . So this "30% of SpaceX" is true and utter garbage. No law requires 30% of Spacex total shareholding.
Click to expand...
So even if they create SpaceX SA, they still need to give away 30% of the company?
 
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