Following criticism, the company issued a new offer that extends the free service through the end of the year for victims of both hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Musk declared on X that all Starlink terminals would work automatically “without [the] need for payment in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene.”

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

Elon Musk recently offered victims of Hurricane Helene a free month of internet service via his Starlink company. As it turns out, the offer wasn’t as generous as it seemed, it’s really more of a new customer promotion.

Elon Musk's Starlink aims to enter the Indian telecom market, competing with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. India's government will allocate spectrum for satellite internet without auctions, which favor Starlink.

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.

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,