After Helene, Even Restoring Internet Service Is Political

In the days since Hurricane Helene left a swath of destruction across the Southeastern United States, former President Donald J. Trump has praised the tech billionaire Elon Musk for what he has described as Mr. Musk’s personal efforts and extragovernmental largess to bring internet service back to hard-hit rural areas.

The reality is more complicated. While Starlink, the satellite service operated by Mr. Musk’s company SpaceX, has given hundreds of free devices and a window of free internet service to private citizens in areas hit by the storm, the federal government is also providing Starlink services to recovery efforts.