Russian Government To Fine Users Of Starlink’s Satellite Internet Service

Russia’s legislature, the State Duma, is considering fines for individuals and companies in the country that use Western satellite Internet services. The proposed law aims to prevent Internet access using the Starlink service of SpaceX, OneWeb, or other space satellite systems not developed by Russia.

According to a recent report in Popular Mechanics magazine, the suggested penalty ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 rubles (around $135 to $405) for an average user and from 500,000 to 1 million rubles (around $6,750 to $13,500) for legal entities that use Western satellite services.

The article also states that the members of the Duma affirmed that independent Internet access would bypass the government’s surveillance system for Internet usage and mobile communications.

As part of the tight control over media and communications, all Russian Internet traffic must go through a government media provider.

In fact, it isn’t surprising that Russia will take action to block the service of Starlink as the director of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Dmitry Rogozin has always viewed SpaceX as a major rival in the space sector.

Rogozin has criticized both NASA and the US Department of Defense for subsidizing SpaceX through government contracts. Although it is true that SpaceX has signed missile launch contracts with the US government that are worth several billion dollars, it is clear that the company offers launch services at significantly low prices compared to other providers.

Recently, Rogozin said that Starlink would provide an uninterrupted communication system to US Special Forces. He called SpaceX’s claim that Starlink would provide Internet service to 4% of the Earth’s surface that wasn’t able to access the Internet “nonsense.”

Meanwhile, the OneWeb ban is more interesting since the company is using Russia’s Soyuz rockets to launch nearly all of the original satellites into orbit. The satellite launches of OneWeb are scheduled for each month this year, mainly from the aerospace airports in Baikonur, Kazahkstan, and Vostochny in Russia.

OneWeb is also the partner that has provided great support to the Russian rocket industry.

To compete with Western rivals, Russia is planning to launch its own satellite Internet system called “Sphere.” However, there are still many unanswered questions about this project which could start rolling out in 2024.

The budget of the program hasn’t been confirmed. But some reports suggested that it could reach $20 billion. This figure far exceeds the amount of money Russia spends on civil space. Roscosmos, a Russian space corporation led by Rogozin, receives a mere budget of $2.4 billion a year.