- SpaceX is offering half-price Starlink for some users in Memphis
- Reisdents near an xAI data center are eligible for the offer
- The company is being sued for pollution caused by its infrastructure
Here's one way to try and overcome local opposition to your energy-hungry, water-sucking, AI-feeding data centers: offer residents some sweeteners in return for having the infrastructure built in their backyard.
As Bloomberg reports, SpaceX is now giving out half-price Starlink subscriptions to those around the Memphis, Tennessee area, where the company operates existing Colossus data centers and "continues to invest in the Memphis area".
There will be no upfront hardware costs for new customers, and the discounts can be shared with "nearby" friends and family through a referral. However, if you change address and move out of the area, you lose your discount.
While 'appeasing local residents' isn't explicitly mentioned in the SpaceX statement, it doesn't take much reading between the lines. If you live around Memphis or neighboring Southaven, you can see if your address is in an eligible part of the area by looking up the location online.
Pollution problems
He's trying to gain favor but I doubt there's even enough users here for this to work. from r/StarlinkThe data centers in this region are primarily for SpaceX subsidiary xAI, and the company is currently being sued for violating the Clean Air Act: it's claimed that the methane gas turbines powering the Colossus data centers don't have the required permissions.
"As we shared since xAI started operating in Memphis, our homes, churches, and playgrounds will not be sacrifice zones for Big Tech’s convenience," says Abre’ Conner, a director at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
It remains to be seen whether half-price internet changes the mood of those affected: the discount might also be known "as the please don't stop us from running illegal natural gas turbines discount" quips one user on Reddit,
Discounted Starlink packages aren't the only commitment xAI is making though. The company has also said it will resume work on a waste water recycling plant from next year, which will provide clean water for the data centers and local authorities, though it isn't clear why work was halted to begin with.
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