Starlink, Elon Musk's company, offers a 50% discount after repercussions against Alexandre de Moraes

After friction with the STF minister, Alexandre de Moraes, Elon Musk announces a discount on Starlink, the billionaire's satellite and internet company. The price of services received a 50% discount Valid until April 30th.

Starlink, the satellite internet company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, who also owns companies such as Tesla and X (formerly Twitter), announced again last Monday (April 8) a discount offer on Starlink with its packages internet service for Brazilian customers. The discount takes place after the repercussion against the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes.

Check out all the details behind the Starlink discount

The promotion, which started on April 8, reduces the price of Elon Musk's company kit by half. Starlink's monthly fee, excluding taxes, will be R$184 until April 30th. The company's announcement, as previously mentioned, took place after increased tension between Elon Musk and the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes.

The businessman threatened to breach the blocking of accounts being investigated on the platform. In response, the magistrate ordered the inclusion of Elon Musk as being investigated in the digital militias inquiry.

According to a survey carried out by BBC News Brasil, Starlink is leading in satellite internet in Brazil, especially in more isolated regions, such as the Legal Amazon states. Until July last year, 90% of cities in the region used fixed satellite broadband providers from Elon Musk's company.

In addition to including the billionaire in the digital militia investigation, Alexandre de Moraes also decided to investigate Elon Musk's conduct. The minister wants the crime of obstruction of justice to be investigated, including criminal organizations and incitement to crime.

Understand how the friction between Elon Musk and Alexandre de Moraes began

On Saturday, the 6th, the owner of Starlink questioned “why minister Alexandre de Moraes demands so much censorship in Brazil”. The businessman responded to a publication by the minister in X on January 11th. Elon Musk's comment came following accusations made by American journalist Michael Shellenberger on Wednesday (April 4).

According to the journalist, Moraes has led a case of widespread repression of freedom of expression in Brazil. The critical comments escalated the tone and Musk states that he is thinking about closing Twitter in Brazil and that he will publicize the minister's demands that violate the laws. 

Elon Musk called the minister “tyrannical”, “totalitarian” and “draconian”, stating that he should “resign or be impeached” from his position. On April 3, the American journalist Michael Shellenberger published an alleged exchange of emails between employees of the legal sector of X in Brazil between 2020 and 2022 talking about requests and court orders received regarding content from its users.

The messages would show requests from various instances of the Brazilian Judiciary requesting personal data from users who used hashtags about the electoral process and content moderation.

Will Elon Musk give free internet?

In addition to the discount on Starlink, Elon Musk, stated that he will provide free internet to all schools in Brazil if President Lula breaks contracts with Starlink. The statement was made on Monday night, the 8th, in response to Paulo Pimenta, chief minister of the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom), who stated that the federal government is considering suspending contracts with the company.

Starlink is the only company in the country capable of meeting the requirements of the Ministry of Education (MEC) to take satellite internet access to 40 schools in more remote regions, such as the states of the Legal Amazon. The schools are part of the National Strategy for Connected Schools, whose objective is to bring internet to more than 138 thousand public educational institutions.