alt Hacker NewsOh, I agree that alternatives can cost more money, but they are still there.
Roads go out or are down for maintenance. People use alternate routes. Happens all the time.
And yes, the last time the power went out at my house I connected to the internet via cell phone. Google says that Starlink provides internet access.
P.S. I also have a generator, as do my neighbors, because the power grid here is unreliable. Alternatives exist.
It's not just that they may cost more, but constraints on the alternatives may render them unsuitable.Maybe your fruit will rot, maybe your hotspot use consume your data allocation, maybe your generator only produces enough power to keep the refrigerator/freezer running and the house heat on, or maybe the ambulance can't get you to the hospital in time.
There's a saying in real-time systems out a late answer is the same as a wrong answer. In this situation, a solution that does not satisfy all the constraints is the same as no solution.