Sascha Meinrath

Every interaction with AI-mediated "help" desks will be an interaction with the technological love-child of Rube Goldberg and Franz Kafka.

SpaceX says it has cut Starlink services to Myanmar scam camps Campaigners say Starlink technology has enabled crime syndicates to operate from locations along the Thai-Myanmar border.

And Starlink has been identified as the go-to resource for criminal scam camps in Myanmar:

www.bbc.com/news/article...

I feel like there's a subtle theme here, if only someone could connect the dots.

Elon Musk's race for space Elon Musk's race for space

Starlink has been found to be providing connectivity to paramilitary death squads in Sudan:

news.sky.com/story/elon-m...

The GAO has ruled that NTIA cannot move forward with the entire BEAD program due to the government agency illegally changing their policies (to steer money to Starlink), in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (which exists to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse):

www.gao.gov/assets/890/8...

SpaceX quietly removes its $40 Starlink plan in the US SpaceX has dropped its 'Residential 100Mbps' plan from Starlink's US site. This sudden change likely stems from high demand filling up network capacity in the areas where it was available. However, th...

To end 2025, in the past month, Starlink has increased its lowest cost service by 100%, removing its $40/month plan and only allowing U.S. customers to purchase its $80/month or $120/month plans -- see:

www.notebookcheck.net/SpaceX-quiet...

Elon Musk's race for space Elon Musk's race for space

I've been working with the incredible Data & Forensics team over at Sky News for the last couple months on this analysis of Starlink's activities. Definitely eye-opening, and raises substantial questions over corporate accountability and rule of law:

news.sky.com/story/elon-m...

Analysis | Your internet bill is about to get more confusing Internet service ‘nutrition labels’ can help you spot hidden fees and predict price increases. Here’s how to use them —and why they might get less useful.

My team created the Broadband Nutrition Label in 2009 to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. The FCC botched the rollout. and is now looking to eliminate this modest win: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

New York Times' headline be like: "Mamdani, who cannot possibly win, wins" (followed by an above-the-fold picture of grumpy cat).

WOW -- this was just presented by Netflix research staff at IRTF Montreal -- documents massive rebuffering/variability problems for streaming via Starlink:

datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/124/...

Basically underscores everything we'd been warning about here: thexlab.org/starlinkcapa...

This is a terrifying development, and an obvious end run around the Posse Comitatus Act.

Revealed: Pentagon orders states’ national guards to form ‘quick reaction forces’ for ‘crowd control’ Pentagon memo details plan to train over 20,000 national guard members across the US to carry out Trump’s order on subduing civil unrest

This is one of the most important pieces of journalism this year. Some thoughts on the magnitude of its significance. 1/

This research paper is absolutely bonkers -- "Don’t Look Up: There Are Sensitive Internal Links in the Clear on GEO Satellites": satcom.sysnet.ucsd.edu/docs/dontloo... the amount of sensitive cellular, military, and other intel being leaked is crazy! This needs getting wider coverage.

Billing transparency be damned! When we partnered with Consumer Reports to collect and analyze *actual* broadband bills we found that made-up fees could add upwards of 30% to people's bills.

No Kings As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...

October 18th is No Kings Day! Come out to show your support for Civil Liberty & celebrate our Constitutional Rights! Join the national day of resistance & if you're in State College, PA, we'll be meeting up near Old Main on the Penn State campus. See you there!!! #nokings #1018 www.nokings.org

Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization Section 1.  Antifa as a Terrorist Threat.  Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States

Declaring a *political philosophy* as a *terrorist organization* is equal parts unconstitutional, stupidity, and laughably absurd. The fact that the political philosophy in question is literally "anti-fascism" begs the question: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... Read it for yourself!

is this a bird meme: THE RIGHT, LITERALLY ANYTHING THEY DON'T LIKE, "IS THIS ANTIFA?"

Had a great time talking about the nuances of free spee, the importance of Section 230, and the dangerous path we are on:

ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments After F.C.C. Pressure

So let's be clear -- the US government's official communications agency is actively censoring a comedy show. When we talk about the dangers of government censorship, *this* is what it looks like:

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/b...

Open Technology Institute at 15 Join New America to celebrate the Open Technology Institute’s 15 years of impact and reimagine the next 15 years of tech policy.

Looking forward to celebrating 15 years of the Open Technology Institute this afternoon starting at 1pm ET -- we'll have an all-star cast! Streaming at:

www.newamerica.org/oti/events/o...

I'll be on stage for the directors' panel at 3:45pm ET -- tune in for our take on the past & future of OTI!

A decades-long peace vigil outside the White House is dismantled after Trump's order Officials removed a peace vigil that stood outside the White House for more than four decades after Trump ordered it to be taken down as part of the clearing of homeless encampments.

Trump orders unconstitutional removal of a peace vigil that has operated continuously since 1981 by making up the excuse that it is a "hazard to those visiting the White House and the surrounding areas." apnews.com/article/whit... At what point is it acceptable to talk about traitorous action?

Anyone hearing about a super-secret "Best and Final Offer" procurement process whereby NTIA is over-ruling States and requiring them to lower their costs for various broadband infrastructure builds (all without public disclosure -- which is illegal)... anyone else hearing this?

Starlink Slows Down during Burning Man | Ookla®

Hey look: Starlink slowed down (to the point of not being able to provide broadband speeds) during burning man -- an important and timely cautionary tale for all those states looking to deploy the service without proper capacity analysis and engineering due diligence: www.ookla.com/articles/sta...

Starlink Slows Down during Burning Man | Ookla®

Hey look: Starlink slowed down (to the point of not being able to provide broadband speeds) during burning man -- an important and timely cautionary tale for all those states looking to deploy the service without proper capacity analysis and engineering due diligence: www.ookla.com/articles/sta...

The human rights crisis in ICE detention centers Reports of human rights abuses are piling up as the number of people in immigrant detention reaches all-time highs.

ICE's descent into concentration camp tactics: reason.com/2025/08/15/t... This crisis, metastasizing under Trump, has roots in the Biden admin. Building solidarity across the political spectrum, to hold accountable violators of civil liberty from across the political spectrum, is critical!

A New Broadband Boondoggle:

The Trump Administration's broadband strategy requires us to overlook a fundamental paradox:

1. Starlink is now considered "broadband";
2. Starlink already serves the areas it's requesting funding for;
3. By definition, this is overbuilding an already-served area.

This is happening right now: unknown federal agents are setting up checkpoints in our nation's capital, pulling people from their cars, and arresting them.

I think you're doing a better job representin' than I am! ;)

New Research: Starlink Unlikely to Meet BEAD Speed Needs At Scale | Welcome to Community Networks Four leading broadband deployment scholars release new analysis today that may help state broadband offices evaluate “the capacities and saturation limits of the Starlink satellite infrastructure.” Th...

More follow-up on our analysis of Starlink capacity limits (and their profound implications/warning for NTIA's BEAD program -- Starlink may not be able to meet federal mandated minimum broadband speeds without substantial due diligence):

communitynetworks.org/content/new-...

Great follow-up analysis by @waldo.net