Satellite Internet Access Helps Build Community; Keeps Rural Americans Connected to the World

Survey finds that Americans living in rural areas who have high-speed satellite Internet access feel more in touch with the global community

News provided by

Hughes Network Systems, LLC

Apr 28, 2010, 10:21 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent Hughes survey of more than 23,000 HughesNet® high-speed satellite Internet access subscribers, the Internet plays a vital role in helping them achieve a sense of camaraderie and maintain a connection to the global community. From sending and receiving email to reading news and shopping online, rural satellite broadband subscribers rely heavily on the Internet to stay connected.

The survey discovered that nearly 43 percent of respondents feel that having access to a high-speed Internet connection has improved their lives and enabled them to stay better connected to friends, family, and the global community, at large. When asked how their lives have changed since acquiring a high-speed Internet connection, the majority of HughesNet customers indicated that a positive change had taken place in their lives.

30% of HughesNet subscribers communicate more frequently with their families and friends
36% consume more news online
42% indicated that they feel better connected to the world because of their high-speed Internet connection

Take the residents of Wilmore, Kansas, for example. Wilmore is located 100 miles from the nearest city. Hughes donated its HughesNet Internet service to the local library and almost six months after installation, the service has had a profound effect on the community.

According to Rita Nielsen, the local librarian, "There is a couple who comes in to use the Internet every Friday to send and receive online correspondence from their son who is in the armed service and stationed abroad. Before HughesNet, they could correspond with their son only by postal mail."

The local farmers are also finding good use for the service. According to Nielsen, "Many families who sell livestock and grain use the Internet to check market prices so they know how much to charge. Prior to obtaining a high-speed Internet connection, local farmers had to use dial-up and couldn't get current market prices quickly which impacted their decisions on what to charge."

Ms. Nielson also indicated that the residents of Wilmore have found other uses for their high-speed connection, as well. For one of Wilmore's older residents, the Internet has truly opened up a world of possibilities. The woman, who before HughesNet rarely left her house, comes to the library regularly with her niece to shop online for clothes. And, the youth of Wilmore now have a place to get help with their schoolwork through homework help Websites, conduct research for term papers, and connect with peers through social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace.

According to Peter Gulla, Hughes vice president of marketing, "There are towns like Wilmore, Kansas all across the country and in each of them, HughesNet is changing lives. There are still more than 10 million households that are overlooked by DSL and cable which can be served by HughesNet, which brings high-speed connections to rural areas."

With more than 500,000 subscribers and growing, HughesNet is the leading high-speed satellite Internet service in the United States. For more information about HughesNet and the range of available plans, please visit www.hughesnet.com or call 1-866-859-2268.

The HughesNet customer usage survey was conducted by Hughes and emailed to over 500,000 HughesNet subscribers. More than 23,000 HughesNet subscribers responded.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet encompasses all broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 2.2 million systems to customers in over 100 countries.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH). For additional information, please visit www.hughes.com.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC