A California driver received a ticket Friday for driving with what appears to be a Starlink satellite dish fastened to the front of their Toyota Prius.
“Sir, I stopped you today for that visual obstruction on your hood,” a California Highway Patrol officer wrote in a Facebook account of the incident. “Does it not block your view while driving?”
To which the motorist replied: “Only when I make right turns.”
Unsurprisingly, it’s illegal to mount a satellite dish to the hood of a car in California (and, presumably, most other states)—even, as the driver told CHP (as reported by CNBC), if you’re using it to access Wi-Fi for the business you operate out of the vehicle.
“You may also not hang things from your rear view mirror, mount a GPS or cell phone in an unapproved location on your windshield, or display a handicap placard while the vehicle is in motion,” the Antelope Valley CHP reminded readers on Facebook. “It’s about safety, folks.”
It’s not yet confirmed whether the Prius’s DIY hood ornament is, in fact, a Starlink antenna, or another similar piece of equipment. Photos shared by CHP Officer T. Caton suggest it is a SpaceX-branded terminal. The aerospace firm did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment.
The Starlink constellation, which will eventually consist of thousands of satellites, offers a high-performance solution to fast internet access. Aimed at rural, remote, and airborne customers who have limited access to broadband service, Starlink is capable of delivering 150Mbps speeds to theoretically any location on the planet.
Since its beta debut last fall, the pricey program—$99 per month, plus a one-time fee of $499 for a “phased-arrayed” satellite dish and Wi-Fi router—has received high praise from users. Currently operational in 12 countries, Starlink has deployed more than 1,500 satellites, and recently topped 69,000 users. Company CEO Elon Musk expects global coverage (save for the North and South Poles) by August.
