Congress recently started investigating FCC boss Kevin Martin, sending him a letter (pdf) last month demanding a wide variety of documentation from the agency. Martin’s tendency to rush meetings, leak information, pick on the cable industry and his support for the elimination of media consolidation laws have put the FCC boss under fire from all fronts, and both parties, for various reasons. The Washington Post has obtained a memo saying Martin will soon be forced to defend himself before a hearing, which suggests the inquiry may have dug up dirt:

The memo to Dingell and Stupak said the investigation is ongoing and proposed holding hearings on the findings in June. According to the memo, more than 30 current and former FCC employees were interviewed, along with telecommunications industry representatives and private citizens. The memo was the first indication that the investigation, launched in December, has turned up material to support complaints against Martin.

Of course this could also just be a lot of smoke and little fire. Martin’s in a tough popularity spot, having annoyed Democrats, Republicans, FCC employees, consumer advocates and companies like Comcast — all for various reasons. About the only group he hasn’t fully annoyed are the lobbyists at AT&T and Verizon, who’ve seen good fortune under his watch.

Keen followers of BT’s 21CN project will know that today is the day that Wholesale Broadband Connect launches. The new service from BT Wholesale aims to bring their range of ADSL products up to speed with the LLU services of their competitors. It also introduces a range of QoS (Quality of Service) options that could be utilised for new broadband products (such as streaming video). We’ve covered the technical features of the new service extensively already.

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HughesNet, the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and solutions, today announced that Orion Satellite Systems of Australia has purchased and commissioned a state-of-the-art DVB-S2/IPoS with Adaptive Coding Modulation (ACM) satellite system from Hughes to provide broadband Internet access service to remote areas in Australia. Orion Satellite Systems is one of the registered providers of broadband satellite services under the Australian Broadband Guarantee (ABG) program.

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Hughes Network Systems (HughesNet), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services and wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: HUGH), today announced that it successfully activated the first HughesNet® consumer subscriber for broadband Internet service utilizing its SPACEWAY™ 3 satellite on April 3rd, 2008.

“With this significant milestone, our SPACEWAY 3 satellite has officially commenced carrying revenue-bearing traffic, making Hughes a fully integrated service provider,” said Pradman Kaul, president and CEO of Hughes. “We are excited to begin delivering HughesNet broadband services over the world’s first commercial satellite with on-board switching to our rapidly growing base of consumer, SMB, enterprise, and government customers throughout North America .”

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Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite network solutions and services, today announced that it has now shipped cumulatively over 1.5 million broadband satellite VSAT terminals worldwide, demonstrating its continuing market leadership in the global VSAT market. More than 400,000 units shipped are compliant with DVB-S2/IPoS, the world’s leading broadband satellite standard approved by TIA, ETSI and ITU, which yields higher throughputs and more efficient bandwidth utilization.

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Living in the US countryside can give you a respite from the maddening crowds of New York. This is where the ‘Sage of Omaha’, Warren Buffet retreated and went on to become one of the legends of the stock markets.  The rural areas of America have their own advantages provided that you are well connected with the rest of the world. Internet connectivity is slowly reaching the people of rural areas. Unfortunately, cable and DSL connections are not an option in the rural areas. This is due to the fact that cable companies would not get a return on their investments if they lay cables to far-off areas. Satellite Internet is definitely an option.

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The experience with HughesNet high-speed Internet is astonishing. When comparing typical activities with a dial-up service, the difference in the amount of time you’ll be waiting for what you want is night and day.

You can download software upgrades in just minutes, versus up to an hour. There’s no more waiting for Web pages to fully finish loading; they are typically done within a couple of seconds. Getting your favorite song can be done in less than the song’s length rather than three times as long.

Currently, HughesNet offers three residential service packages to meet your needs and budget - Home, Pro, and Pro Plus. The download speed for HughesNet Home satellite internet service typically averages between 600 and 800 kbps with an upload speed of 120 kbps.(speeds approximate) Broadband by satellite is the only high-speed Internet technology that’s available everywhere in the continental US, Canada, and Puerto Rico! (as long as there is a clear view of the Southern sky)

For those in need of faster service, HughesNet offers Pro and Pro Plus service packages with download/upload speeds of 1 Mbps/200 kbps and 1.5 Mbps/200 kbps respectively. In addition, Hughesnet offers two levels of business class satellite internet service - Small Office and Business Internet. Small Office delivers service speeds of 1.5 Mbps down/ 200kbps up, and Business Internet provides 2.0 Mbps downloads and 500 kbps uploads.

Today we live in a wired world. Communication between different countries has become easier thanks to improved telecommunication networks and Internet connectivity. Large companies have laid under sea cables and have their own satellites so that they can offer television, telephone and Internet connectivity under one umbrella. Hughes is one of the largest providers of satellite telecommunications and Internet connections in North America. HughesNet, which is brought to you by Hughes, is a full service internet provider which offers services across North America. This service is offered over satellite and hence there is virtually no downtime. HughesNet’s High speed satellite internet connection offers faster upload and download speeds making your browsing experience smooth.

Let us see some of the benefits that HughesNet has to offer. For starters it offers high-storage email, web utilities and a Web Portal. The portal can be customized by the user to display important information such as the weather, news, sports and financial information. The portal can also be used by subscribers to check their account details. With HughesNet there is no dialing-in or the need for a phone connection which can slow your Internet speeds. HughesNet is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh systems. The service is offered through the HN7000s modem and which is designed to offer high speed services to customers regardless of the plan that they opt for. Data is transmitted from your location to the HughesNet satellite network at the speed of light. You will be able to access the internet and download new updates for your application when new releases are available. The HughesNet HN7000s modem provides you with an Ethernet connection for simple home networking allowing you to connect multiple computers to the internet simultaneously.

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HughesNet satellite internet is a solution for all users, which provides high speed connection to users in the U.S. The technology is based on satellite internet and requires a clear view to the southern sky. It is totally wireless and keeps you online at any time or any place. 

The breakthrough technology of HughesNet is provided by Hughes Network Systems LLC, which has more than 30 years of experience in the field of satellite communication. The technology is beneficial for government agencies, small and large businesses and also individual users. The market for satellite internet is not limited only to the United States, but serves worldwide to over 100 countries. HughesNet satellite internet has now become synonymous with rural wireless internet communication.

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