This award is part of the US government’s investments in broadband projects to bring jobs and economic opportunity to communities nationwide. The high speed internet infrastructure will help bridge the technological divide in communities that are being left in the twentieth century economy and support improvements in education, healthcare, and public safety.
Pradman Kaul, chief executive officer of Hughes, issued a statement thanking the US government and reaffirming the company’s long term commitment to provide high speed Internet service to rural communities across the country.
“We congratulate USDA’s Rural Utilities Service under the leadership of Jonathan Adelstein in recognising the essential role that satellite plays in bridging the digital divide in America and are proud to be selected as the primary mover to make our high-speed Internet access available to the millions of unserved consumers and small businesses across the country,” said Kaul.
According to a recent report from the FCC, an estimated 14–24 million American households and small businesses do not have access to broadband connectivity via land-based services. Having long ago recognised this disparity, Hughes pioneered the development of affordable high speed satellite internet access and has over 540,000 subscribers on its nationwide HughesNet service. The company will apply this award to accelerate the take up by eligible new HughesNet subscribers.