Legal Node

How does the Fair Access Policy work? 
 
Hughesnet Gen4 service plans allow unlimited downloading and uploading. However, to ensure consistent performance for all users, a Fair Access Policy provides for a limit, based on your service plan as described above, on the amount of data which can be used before your service performance is reduced. The policy is implemented automatically by monitoring your usage, including data which is sent from or to your Hughesnet terminal. Each Hughesnet Gen4 service plan is assigned an Anytime Allowance. The Anytime Allowance is the amount of data, in bytes, which can be uploaded or downloaded within the month at full speed. If your data usage exceeds the allowance for your plan, the throughput (speed) of your service will be reduced. 

When is my Data Allowance refilled? 
 
Each Hughesnet Gen4 terminal is assigned a Data Allowance cycle, based upon the date of activation. The refill cycles are based upon a 28-day month (1-28), and the cycle day matches your activation day. If your service is activated on the 29th, 30th, or 31st day of a month, your cycle will be set to the first day of the month. As an example, if you activate service on October 3, your cycle day is 3, and your Data Allowance will be refilled overnight on the third day of each month. If you activate your service on October 30, your cycle day is 1, and your Data Allowance will be refilled overnight on the first day of each month. 

How is my usage calculated? 
 
Hughesnet counts each byte of data sent from, or to, your terminal. This includes packet headers, re-transmissions, and other standard overhead which is part of any IP communications. However, when Hughesnet is able to apply compression and reduce the size of the data you send or receive, only the compressed (smaller) data is counted against your usage. 

What happens if I don’t use all of my Data Allowance? 
 
Any unused Data Allowance at the end of your cycle is lost, and your Data Allowance is reset to the normal monthly amount assigned to your service plan. 

How do Bonus Bytes or the Business Period work? 
 
Many Hughesnet Gen4 service plans are assigned a separate allocation of Bonus Bytes (for consumers) or Business Period (for business), and a corresponding Bonus Period. The Bonus Period is a time of day during which you have access to your Bonus Bytes. During the Bonus Period, your usage is first deducted from your Bonus Bytes allowance, if available, for full-speed service. If your Bonus Bytes allowance is empty, then your usage is deducted from your Anytime Allowance, if available, for full-speed service. In other words, your Bonus Bytes provide a special pool which is used automatically during the Bonus Period, giving you access to more usage at full speed. The Bonus Period for Consumer plans is 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., local time; for Business plans it is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., local time. 

If I exceed my Data Allowance, when will my speeds be reduced? 
 
During the Bonus Period, your service will operate without restrictions if you have Data Allowance available in either your Bonus Bytes or Anytime Allowance. Outside the Bonus Period, your service will operate without restrictions if you have Data Allowance available in your Anytime Allowance. If you do not have bytes available in the period, your speed will be reduced to approximately 150kbps. As an example, consider the following scenarios: 
 
1. Your plan provides a 10 GB Anytime Allowance, a 10 GB Bonus Data Allowance, and a Bonus Period of 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., local time. You have used all 10 GB of your Anytime Allowance by sending and receiving data outside of 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., so you have 0 bytes remaining. Outside the Bonus Period, from 8 a.m. to 1:59 a.m. local time, your service performance is reduced. During the Bonus Period, your service performance is not restricted and your usage will be deducted from your Bonus Bytes. 
 
2. Your plan provides a 10 GB Anytime Allowance, a 10GB Bonus Data Allowance, and a Bonus Period of 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., local time. You have used all 10 GB of your Bonus Data Allowance by sending and receiving data overnight from the hours of 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., so you have 0 Bonus Bytes remaining, but you still have 5GB of Anytime Allowance remaining. Outside the Bonus Period, from 8 a.m. to 1:59 a.m., local time, your service performance is not reduced, and your usage is deducted from your Anytime Allowance. During the Bonus Period, your service performance is not restricted, because your usage will be deducted from your Anytime Allowance. 

Who is affected by the Fair Access Policy? 
 
Some users consume much more bandwidth than the average user, and they will experience reduced download speeds as a result of exceeding their Download Allowance. You may be surprised to find that the top one percent (1%) of users download 9 times more the average user. By providing a Data Allowance, more of the shared bandwidth is made available for everyone to use. Most users will have a better experience as a result of the Fair Access Policy. 
Online activities such as viewing Websites, checking email, watching video clips or similar short streaming media, and automatic software updates are unlikely to cause you to exceed your monthly Data Allowance. 

Typically, on the Prime or Prime Plus plan, to reach your Data Allowance in a one-month period, you would have to download any of the following: 

What will my Internet access be like if I exceed my Data Allowance? 

When your Data Allowance has been exceeded, you will experience reduced download speeds throughout the balance of the month. During this period, your Hughesnet service can still be used for activities such as Web browsing and viewing emails, but speeds will be significantly slower than your standard plan rate. 

If I exceed my Data Allowance, what should I do? 

You might consider upgrading your service plan. 

How do I verify whether I have exceeded my Data Allowance? 

You can track your past usage and Fair Access Policy status by going to www.myHughesnet.com, clicking on Customer Care, then clicking on the Check My Usage link in the Resources section. 

What do you recommend I do during the Bonus Bytes period (2 a.m. to 8 a.m., local time for consumer; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., local time for business)? 

We recommend that you automatically schedule your system updates during this period. If you install Hughesnet Tools, your Windows Updates will automatically be scheduled for this period. You can also use a download manager software application to automatically schedule large file downloads to occur during these hours. 

How do Restore Tokens work? 
 
Restore Tokens allow you to purchase additional Data Allowance to use during your current cycle. Tokens are a great way to restore your service performance until your next monthly refill. Note that once you apply a Restore Token to your account, any speed restrictions are immediately removed, and your Token Bandwidth balance will be shown on your Status Meter, System Control Center, and Support Center usage displays. If you have both Bonus Allowance and Token Bandwidth available, then your Bonus Bandwidth will be used first during the Bonus Period. Your Token Bandwidth balance carries forward from month to month, so any leftover capacity will not be lost or forfeited.