By the tone of Gwalk900's response, it sounds as if he thinks hughesnet customers should be kissing its boots and jumping for joy that someone, anyone would invest in the satellite internet business to bring the rural customers the internet service the big guys won't. However, regardless of the cost of the satellite business, you are no different than the big guys in that you are going to charge your customers 3 times (if not more) the amount it costs you. Like the other companies, you are going to nickle and dime your customers and try to squeeze the most revenue out of them while you can for as long as you can. You're going to make your service look and sound attractive, make it relatively cheap and easy to obtain, and then, like a bad marriage, if you want out before "death do us part" you're going to make it very expensive to get out of in hopes that some folks will simply rationalize that "it's cheaper to keep them". Satellite companies like Hughesnet charge a ETF because they know that once the honeymoon is over and the dissatisfaction and disillusionment sets in, it's all over accept the cussing and the fussing because they know they can't deliver what they promised, and everything they have hyped themselves up to be is as worthless as a wooden nickle. It's all smoke and mirrors. The big guys charge EFT's because of all the competition they have by other competing companies who are always vying with each other for the most customers and the best service. However, the difference between them and Hughesnet is that at least what they are selling is worth the price of buying. Hughesnet knows it can never win in the numbers game so instead it relies on inflated prices, outsourcing to foreign companies, EFT's, and little value for the amount you are forced to pay for the little that you get. It's a racket and Hughesnet is a scam artist who preys and capitalizes off of rural customers caught between a rock (crappy internet) and a hard place (no internet at all).
