When Starlink's CEO Elon Musk announced on Oct. 1 that all residents in Hurricane Helene's damage path were eligible for 30 days of free service, many people didn't factor in the costs of the $349 equipment purchase.

FEMA said it was providing Starlink devices to help first responders communicate. Residents affected by flooding can use the service, too.

After facing backlash over fees, SpaceX is improving its Starlink offer for hurricane victims by extending free service through the end of 2024 to help with recovery efforts.

Heard about that “free” internet connectivity that Elon Musk was offering to people knocked offline by Hurricane Helene?

Hurricane Helene's damage path were eligible for 30 days of free service, many people didn't factor in the costs of the $349 equipment purchase. On Oct. 1, Musk tweeted that SpaceX is enforcing a system update allowing “all Starlinks in the affected areas to work,

Elon Musk pledged to send Starlink terminals to victims of Hurricane Helene and allow them 30 days' worth of free access to his satellite-based internet service. But the SpaceX CEO failed to mention it will cost users more than $400 for the system's hardware.