This came as a huge shock to those who only got the "free Starlink" through word of mouth here on the ground. We were told, "just go to starlink.com/activate" and type in your address. It was complete horseshit. The worst part about it was phones were in SOS mode, there was no internet anywhere, yet we could load that page to activate, which meant THERE WAS INTERNET. Just not to those who didn't pay for hardware and delivery (to places that are impossible to deliver to even today a week out). Infuriating.
Source checked. Sending in free hardware, and we're creating an update to make service free. Oh, and after 30 days, you'll be renewed on a normal retail plan
Sources: Starlink on X, Musk on X, and the Starlink details page on the free service respectively.