WildBlue Offering Low Price for High-Speed Internet to Rural Unserved Market Under Broadband Initiative Program

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq: VSAT) subsidiary WildBlue, a provider of high-speed satellite Internet service, is bringing very affordable broadband directly to unserved rural households in the West and Midwest through funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). Eligible customers, unserved by other broadband alternatives, can connect with 1 Mbps download speeds for only $39.95 per month. The new service package began selling June 3 and includes lifetime pricing for the customer.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091216/VIASATLOGO)

The Recovery Act funds, administered through the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS), are helping create jobs in the U.S. by using local WildBlue dealers, installers, and U.S.-based customer care, and are stimulating economic activity among rural households that can now efficiently connect to online commerce and other resources. The program includes the following features:

• No charge for activation, equipment, or standard installation
• $39.95 monthly price
• 1 Mbps download speeds
• Free 24/7 tech support

"We believe the RUS program showcases one of the quickest and most cost effective ways to spur broadband adoption in rural areas," said Tom Moore, president of WildBlue. "This is a great opportunity to connect our rural and unserved citizens with the WildBlue service."

The one-time offer to sign up for the low-cost service remains in effect until WildBlue's Recovery Act funding is exhausted. To learn more about eligibility and service startup, call 888-421-0882 or go to www.wildblue.com/usa.

WildBlue is the premier Ka-band satellite broadband service provider in the United States. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of ViaSat, the stage is set for accelerated growth, increased performance, and expansion of the WildBlue broadband service using ViaSat next-generation network technology, featuring the high-capacity satellite ViaSat-1, scheduled to launch this summer.

About ViaSat (www.viasat.com)

ViaSat produces innovative satellite and other digital communication products that enable fast, secure, and efficient communications to virtually any location. The company provides networking products and managed network services for enterprise IP applications; is a key supplier of network-centric military communications and encryption technologies and products to the U.S. and allied governments; is the primary technology partner for gateway and customer-premises equipment for consumer and mobile satellite broadband services; and owns WildBlue, the premier Ka-band satellite broadband service provider. ViaSat also offers design capabilities and a number of complementary products including monolithic microwave integrated circuits and modules, DVB-S2 satellite communication components, video data link systems, data acceleration and compression, and mobile satellite antenna systems. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., ViaSat has established a number of worldwide locations for customer service, network operations, and technology development.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include statements that refer to the ViaSat-1 satellite, its scheduled launch, and expected accelerated subscriber growth, increased performance, and expansion of services. ViaSat wishes to caution you that there are some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to: satellite failures, performance degradation, in-orbit risks and anomalies, construction and launch delays, launch failures or improper orbital placement, and satellite manufacturing errors. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in ViaSat's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including ViaSat's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. ViaSat undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

SOURCE ViaSat