Motorist with 'pizza-sized' dish for Elon Musk's Starlink fixed to the HOOD of his car is pulled over and ticketed by stunned officers in California
A Toyota Prius driver who affixed a Starlink dish in the middle of his car's hood was ticketed by the California Highway Patrol on Friday.
'Sir I stopped you today for that visual obstruction on your hood. Does it not block your view while driving?' the officer asked, according to a post on CHP Antelope Valley’s Facebook page.
'Only when I make right turns...' the driver cheekily replied.
The driver's massive antenna is used for SpaceX’s Starlink service, which beams superfast internet from space. The rocket manufacturer and transport services company launched its beta program for select customers for $99 a month in October.
However, SpaceX’s Elon Musk states that Starlink services are not meant to be used in cars.
'This is for aircraft, ships, large trucks & RVs' he wrote in a March tweet.
A CHP officer ticketed a Toyota Prius for a 'visual obstruction' on Friday, after the driver affixed a large Starlink dish right in the middle of his car's hood
The antenna is used for SpaceX’s Starlink service, which beams superfast internet from space, with the beta program having launched in October
The motorist told the officer that he uses the antenna to get WiFi service for a business he operates out of his car, however that didn't stop the highway patrolman from issuing him a moving violation for the Starlink dish.
The CHP Facebook post cited a California state law that prohibits vehicle view-obstructions, such as hanging objects from one's rear-view mirror, displaying a handicap placard while driving, or mounting a GPS or cell phone in an 'unapproved location' on one's windshield.
'Yes, it is in fact illegal to mount a satellite dish to the hood of your vehicle,' CHP’s Facebook post continued.
'It’s about safety folks. These are the real stories of the Highway Patrol. Safe travels everyone.'
California driving laws state that any visual interference with a driver’s control of their vehicle will result in a base fine of $238.
The beta 'Starlink Kit' that is currently on the market includes the user dish, a tripod mount, a WiFi router as well as a power supply source. The company is also offering users a rooftop mounting system at an additional cost, CBNC reports.
SpaceX’s Elon Musk states that Starlink services are not meant to be used in cars. 'This is for aircraft, ships, large trucks & RVs' he wrote in a March tweet
Musk stated that Starlink will not be used in Tesla cars, as the dish is 'much too big' for a personal vehicle
Starlink already has about 70,000 active users, but could see an increase of 'over 500,000 users within 12 months,' according to the CNBC report. SpaceX has been working to gain regulatory approval over the past year to test the technology in-flight.
Meanwhile, Musk states that while one could put a Starlink dish on their car, the amount of bandwidth it provides would be overkill for a personal vehicle.
'The antenna for that high-bandwidth, low-latency thing is sort of about the size of medium pizza, which you could put on a car, but I think is more bandwidth than you would really need,' Musk said back in January 2020.
'Technically, you could buy one and just stick it on the car.'
Musk also noted that the Starlink antenna for large trucks and RVs will look somewhat different from the terminal currently being used at users' homes.
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