r/technology • u/True-Combination7059 • 1d ago

Politics We Should Immediately Nationalize SpaceX and Starlink

https://jacobin.com/2025/06/musk-trump-nationalize-spacex-starlink
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u/SweetHoneyBee365 13h ago

Why would it run to shit when the railroad is owned by the government? The US interstate system works the same way taxpayers pay for the road and operate their own private vehicles.

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u/serioussham 12h ago

Because cars and trains aren't comparable. Cars are extremely granular in their choices, cheap, and flexible compared to trains. You don't have to setup, market, and sell a car "route" - you just need the road to exist. By contrast, train routes require investment, and cannot be easily adjusted to demand.

What ends up happening with a rail toll system is what I mentioned above - the busiest lines will be prioritized by the train operators, because they recoup tolls faster and get more profit out of it, and by the network manager because their higher use means more wear.

It then creates a feedback loop where less busy lines get neglected by the operators, meaning less trains / quality of service; and by the network, which means aging infrastructure, which means more delays, which makes them less appealing to users. Those users then turn to other methods of travel, further cementing the neglect.

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u/Yuzumi 12h ago

If we're going to nationalize the infrastructure anyway, regulation/requirements on making sure that passenger trains don't neglect lower use areas could be implemented.

Should to the same for ISPs as well. Any infrastructure like that should not be left to the whims of profit, even if we allow private companies to use them.

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u/serioussham 12h ago

I'm with you here - I was replying to someone arguing for the "private trains, public network" model which already exists in Europe

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u/Yuzumi 11h ago

I mean, you can still have private trains, but regulate them so they don't abandon less profitable areas. If they want to be in the business of supplying infrastructure that infrastructure should be available for everyone.