Legal Node

HughesNet Gen5 Fair Access Policy for the Business Service Plans ordered after August 28, 2022

To ensure fair Internet access for all HughesNet^® Gen5 subscribers, Hughes maintains a special Fair Access Policy for these subscribers. This policy establishes an equitable balance in Internet access for all HughesNet subscribers. Hughes assigns a Data Allowance to each service plan that may be downloaded or uploaded within a one-month period. Subscribers who exceed this limit will experience a temporary reduction of speed.

Service Features and Conditions

Assumes DVD-quality video streaming consumes data at a rate of 700 MB/hour, HD-quality video streaming consumes data at a rate of 2 GB/hour, streaming audio/radio consumes data at a rate of 75 MB/hour, an average web page is 2 MB, and social media pages consume data at a rate of 350 MB/hour. Please be advised that the values provided should only be used as a general estimation, as data usage may vary by device, by type and by quality of content.

The HughesNet Gen5 service plans are designed to deliver download speeds of 25 Mbps and upload speeds of 3 Mbps, but individual customers may experience different speeds at different times of the day. Speeds and uninterrupted use are not guaranteed and may vary based on a variety of factors including: the configuration of your computer, the number of concurrent users, network or Internet congestion, the capabilities and content of the websites you are accessing, network management practices as deemed necessary, and other factors. When you connect to the HughesNet service using Wi-Fi, your experience will vary based on your proximity to the Wi-Fi source and the strength of the signal.

How does the Fair Access Policy work?

To ensure fair Internet access for all HughesNet Gen5 subscribers, Hughes maintains a special Fair Access Policy. Similarly to how cell phone providers manage their data plans, Hughes assigns an amount of Data to each service plan that limits the amount of data that may be downloaded or uploaded within a one-month period. It is important to note that there are no hard data limits.  If you use up the data in your service plan, Hughes won’t cut you off or charge you more. You’ll stay connected at reduced speeds until your next billing cycle. If you need more data, you can upgrade your plan at any time, or you can purchase additional bandwidth on an as-needed basis with HughesNet Tokens. Additional data can be purchased for only $3/GB. 

When is my Data Allowance refilled?

Each HughesNet Gen5 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 does the Monthly Daytime Data allowance work?

All HughesNet Gen5 Business Service Plans are assigned a separate allocation of either 25 GB or 50 GB (depending on the Service Plan) for use during the period between 8 a.m. and 6.p.m). During these hours, usage is first deducted from the Daytime Data Allowance, if available, for full-speed service. If the Daytime Data allowance is empty, then usage is deducted from your Service Plan allowance, if available, for full-speed service. In other words, your Daytime Data Allowance provides a special pool which is used automatically during the Daytime hours, giving you access to more usage at full speed.

If I exceed my Data Allowance, when will my speeds be reduced?

During the Daytime hours, your service will operate without restrictions if you have Data available in either your Daytime Hours Allowance or Service Plan allowance. Outside the Daytime hours, your service will operate without restrictions if you have Data available in your Service Plan allowance. If you do not have bytes available in the period, your speed will be reduced to approximately as low as or lower than 1 Mbps. As an example, consider the following scenarios:

1. Your plan provides a 25 GB Service Plan monthly allowance, and a 25 GB Daytime monthly allowance. You have used all 25 GB of your Service Plan allowance by sending and receiving data outside of 8 am to 6 pm. so you have 0 bytes remaining. Outside the Daytime Hours , from 6 pm to 8 am, your service performance is reduced. During the Daytime hours, your service performance is not restricted and your usage will be deducted from your Daytime Hours Allowance.

2. Your plan provides a 25 GB Service Plan allowance, and a 25 GB Daytime hours Allowance. You have used all 25 GB of your Daytime hours Allowance by sending and receiving data from the hours of 8 am to 6 pm, so you have 0 Daytime hours Allowance remaining, but you still have 15 GB of Service Plan allowance remaining. Outside the Daytime hours, from 6 pm to 8 am, your service performance is not reduced, and your usage is deducted from your Service Plan allowance. During the Daytime hours, your service performance is not restricted, because your usage will be deducted from your Service Plan 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.    

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

When your Service Plan Data 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 (as low as 1 Mbps). 

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

You might consider upgrading your service plan, by calling Customer Care at 1-800-347-3272

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 My Account, then clicking on the Usage button


How do Data Tokens work?

Data Tokens allow you to purchase additional Data Allowance to use during your current cycle. Data Tokens are a great way to restore your service performance until your next monthly refill. Note that once you apply a Data 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 Daytime Hours Allowance and Token Bandwidth available, then your Daytime Hours Bandwidth will be used first during the Daytime Hours. Your Data Token Bandwidth balance carries forward from month to month, so any leftover capacity will not be lost or forfeited.