The points about antitrust and similar situations like Netflix/Amazon have already been made by others...
So it's interesting to note that other Satellite Internet companies/startups/etc are already using SpaceX to put their gear into orbit including Amazon (Project Kuiper?) and OneWeb.
But you're probably right in that anyone doing so, should consider the theoretical risk. However, a lot of what SpaceX is trying to achieve revolves around reducing the cost to lift mass into orbit. So theoretically, the more demand there is to put mass into orbit and the more SpaceX does it, the cheaper and easier it becomes.
Then again maybe Google or ATT could avoid this risk by just starting their own LEO freight companies? ;P
But seriously, if it is such a concern, perhaps they should look into funding a potential SpaceX competitor. And there are a few startups trying to be just that.
It’s exciting that there finally is demand for lifting things to orbit that outweighs the initial cost to do so, which in turn fuels innovation around the lifting, and ideally starting a virtuous cycle of innovation > cost reduction > increased demand > innovation.
This reminds me of the steam engine, which likely only became viable because its abysmal initial efficiency was outweighed by the need to pump water out of coal mines.
So it's interesting to note that other Satellite Internet companies/startups/etc are already using SpaceX to put their gear into orbit including Amazon (Project Kuiper?) and OneWeb.
But you're probably right in that anyone doing so, should consider the theoretical risk. However, a lot of what SpaceX is trying to achieve revolves around reducing the cost to lift mass into orbit. So theoretically, the more demand there is to put mass into orbit and the more SpaceX does it, the cheaper and easier it becomes.
Then again maybe Google or ATT could avoid this risk by just starting their own LEO freight companies? ;P
But seriously, if it is such a concern, perhaps they should look into funding a potential SpaceX competitor. And there are a few startups trying to be just that.