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Comment by seibelj | Hacker News Reader

I’m supposed to “think of the astronomers” when billions of people will get cheaper internet and advance humanity? Astronomers can find ways around this, we can’t stop progress for 0.0000000001% of the population.

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The night sky isn't only available to some elite group of people. Although it's certainly difficult to see in cities due to the extremely high levels of light pollution. I recall an anecdote about power going out in a major city and residents calling the police up to report bright lights in the sky they had never seen before.

We should be trying to control our light pollution and space litter instead of increasing it, however. Seeing the galaxy with naked eyes shouldn't be alien to everyday people.

The reality is even quite poor countries are able to secure high quality internet for reasonable cost with appropriate policy. This isn't an otherwise unsolvable problem.

Thinking about space litter is a long term thing for other satellites as well. There comes a point where it starts making harder to guarantee that other satellites won't be affected.

there are already many satellite internet companies. Where are the billions you are talking about?

Are you entitled to clean air when 0.000000000001% of the population can make billions from selling fossil fuels ?

Air pollution results in a higher death rate and is a public health issue. Light pollution is certainly a problem, but probably not on the same scale.

This point I'm making here is that it's really just a matter of perspectives.

Even if one might quibble with the premise, parent's point is that the fortunes of the many outweigh those of the few. Your point is what... the converse? I don't think I can agree.

That is only because it’s the view of some peope this will be of net benefit to the world, flossing over some of the more obvious problems we are seeing the Internet cause today. Surveillance, disinformation, interference in democratic process to name a few.

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