I have a different take.
NORAD today tracks about 20000 objects. Musk wants to increase that by almost 2000 more. I think musks lowest orbit shell is around 500 km. This mass space trash exercise will consume more than 10 percent of trackable space hazards by a single company, be a space navigation hazard for decades at least, and for what? Faster internet? Give me a break. That business model was busted by the globalstar and iridium follies 20 years ago. I honestly don’t see how musk got approval for this, except he paid off Obama folks and now legally it can’t be stopped.
Snippet from the LOA SpaceX filed with the FCC for their system. Here is the link for the PDF if you want to read the whole document:
https://licensing.fcc.gov/myibfs/download.do?attachment_key=1252848
Post-Mission Disposal:
Each satellite in the SpaceX System is designed for a useful lifetime of five to seven years. SpaceX intends to dispose of satellites through atmospheric re-entry at end of life. As suggested by the Commission, SpaceX intends to comply with Section 4.6 and 4.7 of NASA Technical Standard 8719.14A with respect to this re-entry process. In particular, SpaceX
anticipates that its satellites will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere within approximately one year after completion of their mission – much sooner than the international standard of 25 years. After the mission is complete, the spacecraft (regardless of operational altitude) will be moved to a 1,075 km circular orbit in its operational inclination, then gradually lower perigee until the propellant is exhausted, achieving a perigee of at most 300 km. After all propellant is consumed, the spacecraft will be reoriented to maximize the vehicle’s total cross-sectional area, a configuration also stable in the direction of aerodynamic drag. Finally, the spacecraft will begin to passivate itself by de-spinning reaction wheels and drawing batteries down to a safe level and powering down. Over the months, the denser atmosphere will gradually lower the satellite’s perigee until its eventual atmospheric demise.
Personally, I hate being tied to a cable or cell phone tower, but high-speed internet access is a must have in today's world. Corporate income is expected to increase 5 times from this venture alone.
That business model was busted by the globalstar and iridium follies 20 years ago.
This business model has put global communications in reach of the average US citizen - albeit somewhat limited and expensive now. It has saved thousands of lives, millions of dollars, and allows for tracking and communicating with with planes, boats, scientific research parties, devices, allows others to survive and thrive in very remote areas of our planet.
Just one family I follow of on a daily basis, who are living their dream:
http://www.forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Zatara
The DoD will no doubt have preferential access to the network. With Space-X taking the lead though, there will be no complaints about “How dare the US military launch 2,000 communications and surveillance satellites into orbit.”