ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Communities isolated after Helene may be eligible for free satellite Internet service from Starlink.
"Starlink aims to enable anyone impacted by a natural disaster to be able to access internet connectivity," the Elon Musk-owned company says on its website. "For those in areas that were impacted by Hurricane Helene, Starlink is available and temporarily offering free service for the first month."
The free service was expected to be available as early as Wednesday, according to a post Musk made on his social media platform X.
"We are making a system update to allow all Starlinks in the affected areas to work, regardless of payment," Musk wrote on Tuesday.
The privately-owned Starlink service has become vital for communities without cell phone service and the Internet.
Helene, one of the deadliest storms in recent U.S. history, knocked out power and cellular service for millions. More than 1.2 million customers still were in the dark early Wednesday in the Carolinas and Georgia.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced it is providing 40 Starlink satellite systems to the area to help with responder communications. One Starlink will be deployed per each county Emergency Operations Center, according to FEMA.
Additional Starlink satellites have been donated to relief efforts by private citizens.
Shawn Hendrix, the chief of staff for North Carolina-based YouTuber MrBeast, was quote tweeted by Musk showing a delivery of Starlinks to western North Carolina.
To be eligible for free Starlink service, you must reside in the impacted area, according to the company. The service is also eligible for first responders. On its website, the company did not specifically name the eligible regions.
The free service offer is good for 30 days, according to Starlink. After 30 days, the company says they will reevaluate the need for the free service and said they expect to move customers over to paid subscriptions.