HughesNet®  Fair Access Policy To ensure equal Internet access for all HughesNet®® subscribers, Hughes Network Systems maintains a running average fair access policy. Fair access establishes an equitable balance in Internet access across Satellite broadband services by service plan for all HughesNet® customers regardless of their frequency of use or volume of traffic. To ensure this equity, customers may experience some temporary throughput limitations. HughesNet® Internet access is not guaranteed. This policy applies to all service plans including "Unlimited" plans where customers' use of the Service is not limited to a specific number of hours per month. HughesNet®® system usage data indicates that approximately 5% of subscribers are responsible for a disproportionate share - often as much as half - of the total HughesNet® service traffic. Unfortunately, many of those subscribers are not using HughesNet® for its intended purpose. To ensure that all HughesNet® subscribers have fair and equal access to the benefits of the Satellite broadband service, HughesNet® has enacted a Fair Access Policy (FAP) to prevent abusive consumption of bandwidth by a handful of users. FAP is straightforward: based on an analysis of usage data, Hughes Network Systems has established a HughesNet® usage threshold well above the maximum typical usage rates. When a customer exhibits patterns of system usage which exceed that threshold for an extended period of time, the FAP may temporarily limit that subscriber's throughput to ensure the integrity of the system for all HughesNet® subscribers. Typically, the restrictions will be lifted within 8-12 hours of the original application of the FAP if the customer's usage in this period stays below the FAP threshold. For example, you may experience FAP if the cumulative requested downloads in a relatively short time period (1-4 hours) exceeds  200 MB on the Home Plan (megabytes), 300 MB  on the Pro Plan, 425 MB  on the ProPlus Plan and 500 MB on the Elite,ElitePlus or ElitePremium Plans.  An example of what can be downloaded within 200 MB* would be a software application such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Adobe Acrobat. Normal Internet surfing, on the other hand, generates small downloads for each Web page viewed. For example, an hour of surfing can generate 1-10 MB of download activity depending on the content being surfed - well below the amount required to trigger FAP. Subscribers are likely to avoid the limitations imposed by the FAP if their use is typical of the majority of Internet users and consists of Web surfing and a reasonable amount of downloading.   Fair Access Policy FAQs Why are you making these changes? Hughes is increasing the download threshold and changing the recovery rate system to enable most subscribers to download more and enjoy improved network performance. HughesNet service usage data indicates that a small percentage of subscribers are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the total HughesNet service traffic. The changes we are implementing support our ongoing goal of delivering fair and equitable access to all HughesNet subscribers. Who is affected? Only a small percentage of subscribers will experience reduced download speeds as a result of exceeding the download threshold.   Online activities such as viewing Websites, checking email, watching short streaming media presentations, or automatic software and anti-virus updates are unlikely to exceed the download threshold. What activities may cause a subscriber to exceed their download threshold? Some activities are more likely to exceed the download threshold and trigger the application of the Fair Access Policy. Several examples are listed below: Full-length movie downloads Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing programs such as Napster, Kazaa or LimeWire Continuous downloading or viewing streaming media content such as audio or video programming Hosting of server devices such as email, FTP or Web servers Hosting computer applications such as Web camera feeds Automated computer to computer connections used for archiving of local computer content Extensive downloading of Usenet Newsgroups (NNTP) Use of BitTorrent applications Simultaneous file downloads  Downloading large files (i.e., file sizes that are close in size to the download threshold of your service plan) Excessive downloading or use of the services described above may cause subscribers to be affected by the Fair Access Policy, or in severe cases, to be terminated from the service. What will my Internet access be like if I exceed the download threshold? When the download threshold is exceeded, you will experience reduced download speeds for approximately 24 hours. During this recovery period, the HughesNet service can still be used for activities such viewing emails and Web surfing, but speeds will be significantly slower than your normal browsing experience. If I exceed the new download threshold, what should I do? Minimize your bandwidth-intensive activities in order to return to normal download speeds after the recovery period. If you continue these activities during the recovery period, you may experience reduced download speeds beyond the 24-hour recovery period. If you find that your download threshold is too small for your needs, you should consider upgrading your service to a plan that offers a greater download threshold. How do I verify that I have exceeded my download threshold? Go to myHughesNet.com, click on Customer Care, then click on the Check My Usage link in the Resources section. How is the Fair Access Policy applied during the 2:00–7:00 a.m. period? Currently, you can use your HughesNet service daily between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time without the restrictions of the Fair Access Policy. Why was the 2:00–7:00 a.m. period implemented? This period has been provided for HughesNet subscribers to schedule the downloading of automated updates or other large files. Are there any limitations to what I can do during the 2:00–7:00 a.m. period ? Yes: 1) this period is subject to available capacity; 2) download speeds are not guaranteed during these hours; and 3) the HughesNet Acceptable Use Policy is still in effect. What do you recommend I do during the 2:00–7:00 a.m. period? We recommend that you automatically schedule your system updates between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Eastern time. We also suggest the use of a download manager software application to assist in the scheduling of large file downloads. Do you recommend a particular download manager? While we cannot recommend any at this time, we are currently in the process of testing several download managers for this purpose. Will my standard FAP-reduced throughput period of 24 hours be extended by 3 hours? No, the reduced throughput period will end 24 hours after the hour in which the Fair Access Policy was triggered. What will happen if I’m in the middle of a large download at 2:00 a.m.? During a large download, if you are subject to FAP and the download is not interrupted up until 2:00 a.m., the balance of the download will complete FAP-free and at normal speeds, subject to available capacity. What will happen if I’m in the middle of download at 7:00 a.m.? If you were subject to the FAP-reduced throughput period just prior to 2:00 a.m. and you started the download of a file which does not complete by 7:00 a.m., your download will continue under the FAP restrictions. If you were not subject to FAP prior to 2:00 a.m. and you started the download of a file which does not complete by 7:00 a.m., your download will continue and the portion of the download occurring after 7:00 a.m. will be counted toward the download threshold for FAP.   About Us   Contact Us Copyright © HughesNet is a registered trademark of Hughes Network Services, LLC.