Starlink says it is making its service temporarily free for residents of Kauai, the Hawaiian island that ended up in the path of Hurricane Lowell. The offer covers current subscribers, new customers and people who cancelled their plans earlier.
Active users do not need to do anything — the company credits their accounts automatically. Customers who cancelled earlier also get a credit and can restart service at no cost until October 11.
New users have to buy a Starlink kit first and then contact support. The free access is switched on for the full length of the program.
Damaged hardware is covered as well. Owners of kits broken by the storm can ask support for a free replacement.
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The hurricane hit the Hawaiian Islands this week and knocked out power across almost all of Kauai. More than 60,000 customers on Kauai and Oahu lost electricity, and on Kauai itself nearly 90% of consumers were left in the dark.
This is not the first emergency program of its kind. Starlink ran the same scheme in August for earthquake-hit areas of Indonesia, crediting accounts and replacing damaged kits free of charge.
In June the operator waived fees for customers in Venezuela after a series of destructive earthquakes, with the credit covering service until July 25. The company is also expanding in the US consumer market, where it recently placed third in a customer satisfaction survey of major providers.
