Should satellite availability wane, the demand for services would simply shift to terrestrial alternatives (e.g. direct TV). Nonetheless, the existing space-reliant markets are not the remote space environment of old, they hit home for every member of our modern information society: space-based broadband data relay (Internet), narrowband data relay (pagers/messaging), satellite communications (mobile phones), satellite TV, GPS-based car navigation systems, and perhaps even commercial imagery applications (agricultural support, city-mapping, etc.). Hundreds of billions of dollars in resources are invested in globally exposed assets orbiting the earth that directly support national economies and militaries, and in general, the twenty-first century civilized way of life. The total economic impact resulting from the destruction of space-based resources would be far greater than the loss of revenues from these assets, as many other sectors rely critically on satellite-related services. As such, any exposed and valuable asset is a target for adversaries – a target warranting protection.

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Deblois, Bruce M. "The Advent of Space Weapons." Astropolitics. Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer 2003). [ 15 quotes ]