Latest news with #ResidentialLite
CNET
5 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Starlink Offers a $40 Discount in 30 States. But There's a Catch
Starlink just got a lot more affordable for customers in 30 states. The internet service provider now offers a cheaper alternative to its $120 monthly Residential plan. This new plan -- dubbed Residential Lite -- brings the cost down to $80 per month. However, that means slower speeds and some other compromises. According to the Starlink FAQ section, the Residential Lite plan offers download speeds of 45 to 130 megabits per second with no data caps. The satellite internet service initially rolled out to 15 US states in March, but has since added another 15. Read more: Ontario Contract With Starlink Is Canceled Even if Tariffs Are Lifted The Residential Lite plan at $80 a month is now available in 30 states. Starlink The less expensive plan has some caveats. It's half the speed of the Residential plan, which boasts download speeds of 100 to 270Mbps. In addition, Starlink acknowledges that Residential Lite plans will be the first to be deprioritized, which may result in lower speeds during peak hours. "This service plan will be deprioritized compared to Residential service during peak hours," Starlink says. "This means speeds may be slower for Residential Lite service relative to Residential service when our network has the most users online." Locating local internet providers Peak hours are generally between 6 to 11 p.m. on weekdays. That's right around when everyone finishes work and school and sits down to eat dinner, play video games or watch some Netflix before bed. Starlink says its network is a "finite resource" until the company can reach a peak number of Starlink satellites. Thus, Residential Lite subscribers may experience slow internet speeds if enough people are online. The big picture for low-income households The Affordable Connectivity Program ended last year, due to funds running out. Before the ACP ended, the government subsidized low-income households from $30 to $75 per month to help them get internet in their homes. The end of the program saw around 23 million households lose their internet connection. While Congress has not yet passed a similar bill or found a way to revive the ACP, other low-cost internet options exist. At $80 per month, the Residential Lite plan from Starlink is quite affordable for satellite internet service, but it's still not quite as good a deal as faster broadband plans from major ISP providers. For instance, I pay $80 per month to Spectrum for much faster, 600Mbps download speeds. For around the same price, Cox offers 250Mbps. AT&T Fiber's 300Mbps plan is $55 monthly, and Xfinity is even cheaper with a 400Mbps plan at a starting price of $40. People looking for cheap internet have more affordable broadband options than Starlink's Residential Lite tier. But this less expensive, albeit slower, plan could appeal to those in rural areas without many ISP options.
CNET
20-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
Starlink Is Now Offering a $40 Discount in 30 States. But There Is a Catch
Starlink just got a lot more affordable for customers in 30 states. The internet provider is now offering a cheaper alternative to its $120 per month Residential plan. This new plan — dubbed Residential Lite — brings the cost down to $80 per month. However, that means slower speeds and some other compromises. According to the Starlink FAQ section, the Residential Lite plan offers a range of 50 to 100 Mbps with no data caps or speed caps. The satellite internet service initially rolled out to 15 US states in March, but added another 15 this week. Read more: Ontario Contract With Starlink Is Canceled Even if Tariffs Are Lifted The Residential Lite plan at $80 a month is now available in 30 states. Starlink There are some caveats to the less expensive plan. It's less than half of the speed of the Residential plan, with download speeds of 50 to 100Mbps. In addition, Starlink refers to these plans as getting deprioritized data, which may result in lower speeds during peak hours. "This service plan will be deprioritized compared to Residential service during peak hours," Starlink says. "This means speeds may be slower for Residential Lite service relative to Residential service when our network has the most users online." Locating local internet providers Peak hours are generally considered to be any time between 6 to 11 p.m. on weekdays. That's right around when everyone gets done with work or school and sits down to eat dinner, play some video games, or watch some Netflix before bed. Starlink says its network is a "finite resource" until the company can launch more satellites. Thus, Residential Lite users may see slow Internet if enough people are online. The big picture for low-income households The FCC ended its Affordable Connectivity Program last year, citing a lack of funding. Before the shutdown, the government was subsidizing low-income households anywhere from $30 to $75 per month to help them get internet in their homes. The end of the program saw around 23 million households lose their internet connection. While Congress has not yet passed a similar bill, other programs exist to assist. At $80 per month, the Residential Lite plan from Starlink competes with much faster broadband plans from major ISP providers. For instance, I pay $80 per month to Spectrum for 600 Mbps of Internet. For around the same price, Cox offers 250 Mbps. Xfinity does 200 Mbps for around $45 per month. People looking for more affordable internet have plenty of other options to choose from. But this less expensive, albeit slower, plan from Starlink could appeal to those in rural America without access to many options.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Starlink Is Rolling Out Its Residential Lite Plan to 15 States, With More Coming
Starlink is looking to become a little more competitive in the lower-cost Internet space. The company is doing this by offering a lower-cost alternative to its $120 per month Residential plan. This new plan — dubbed Residential Lite — brings the cost down to $80 per month but also includes slower speeds and some other compromises. According to Starlink's FAQ, the Residential Lite plan offers a range of 50 to 100 Mbps with no data caps or speed caps. The service is rolling out to 15 US states, including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, and New Mexico. Most parts of Montana, Utah, and Nevada are also getting service. Read more: Ontario's Contract with Starlink is Canceled, Even if US Tariffs are Lifted There are some caveats to the less expensive plan. It's less than half of the speed of Starlnk's Residential plan, which promises speeds of 150 to 250 Mbps. In addition, Starlink refers to these plans as getting deprioritized data, which may result in lower speeds during peak hours. "This service plan will be deprioritized compared to Residential service during peak hours," Starlink says. "This means speeds may be slower for Residential Lite service relative to Residential service when our network has the most users online." Peak hours are generally considered to be any time between 6-11 p.m. on weekdays. That's right around when everyone gets done with work or school and sits down to eat dinner, play some video games, or watch some Netflix before bed. Starlink says that their network is a "finite resource" until the company can launch more satellites. Thus, Residential Lite users may see slow Internet if enough people are online. The FCC ended its Affordable Connectivity Program last year, citing a lack of funding. Before the shutdown, the government was subsidizing low-income households anywhere from $30 to $75 per month to assist them in getting Internet in their homes. The end of the program saw an estimated 23 million households lose their Internet connection. Congress hasn't passed a similar bill yet, but other programs exist to assist. At $80 per month, Starlink's Residential Lite plan competes with much faster broadband plans from major ISP providers. For example, I pay $80 per month to Spectrum for 600 Mbps of Internet. For around the same price, Cox offers 250 Mbps. Xfinity does 200 Mbps for around $45 per month. People looking for more affordable Internet have plenty of other options to choose from. But this less expensive - albeit slower - option from Starlink could appeal to those in rural America without accesss to many options.
