D.C. Memo: Game Changer? Starlink Rolls Out $80 'Residential Lite’ Plan, a 33% Discount

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Starlink: A month ago, Misty Ann Giles, Head of Montana’s ConnectMT broadband office, called Starlink “a luxury option” that “most folks can’t afford.” In a new move that could address Giles’s affordability concerns, Elon Musk’s satellite-delivered Internet service is rolling out a new plan called Residential Lite for $80 a month, a 33% discount on the $120 monthly price for the baseline Residential plan. “Starlink ‘Residential Lite’ Service is a more affordable service plan for personal or household-use at a fixed, land-based location in select areas. Users will have an unlimited amount of deprioritized data each month with no long-term contracts,” Starlink said on its website. “This service plan will be deprioritized compared to Residential service during peak hours.” Lite’s availability is restricted to 14 states, including Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire in New England plus 11 Midwest and Big Sky states (including Montana). “There are no data caps and no speed caps. Speeds should range from 50 - 100 Mbps (as compared to 150 - 250 Mbps for the Residential service plan),” Starlink said. (Continued after paywall.)