Hughes to Represent Satellite Industry Association on Broadband Stimulus Panel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hughes to Represent Satellite Industry Association on Broadband Stimulus Panel

U.S. Dept. of Commerce NTIA Hosts Series of Public Meetings to Explore Implementation of Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Germantown, Md., March 19, 2009 — Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the global leader in broadband satellite network solutions and services and a board member of SIA, today announced that Dean Manson, senior vice president and general counsel at Hughes, will represent the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) on a panel at the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) public meeting being held today at the U.S. Department of Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C. BTOP was established by the recently-enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The program commences at 10:00 a.m. and concludes at 4:15 p.m. EDT. The panel on which Mr. Manson is participating is entitled “Roundtable on Rural and Unserved Areas” at 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., with a public comment period from 3:45 to 4:15 p.m. Mr. Manson will be joined by representatives from the Rural Cellular Association (RCA), National Rural Electric Cooperatives (NRECA), Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies (OPASTCO), and a representative from the Chickasaw Nation.

Bringing broadband to consumers and small businesses that are not adequately served has been the core mission of the broadband satellite industry since its inception. Today there are over 800,000 subscribers to satellite broadband Internet access services across the 50 states. Recognizing that the cost of end-user equipment is a limiting factor in the rate of broadband adoption, the satellite industry hopes to immediately accelerate that rate by significantly defraying this cost to consumers.

“The satellite industry wholeheartedly supports the goals of the broadband stimulus program including providing and improving Internet access in unserved and underserved areas,” said SIA President Patricia Cooper. “Satellite companies stand ready to delivery broadband to remote and rural communities, promoting economic growth and job creation.”

Attendance at each meeting is limited to space available and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. All meetings are streamed live on the Web at www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants. For participation via teleconferencing, use the dial-in number: 888-566-0969 and passcode: 1234.

About the Satellite Industry Association

SIA is a U.S.-based trade association providing worldwide representation of the leading satellite operators, service providers, manufacturers, launch services providers, and ground equipment suppliers. SIA is the unified voice of the U.S. satellite industry on policy, regulatory, and legislative issues affecting the satellite business.

SIA Executive Members include: Arrowhead Global Solutions Inc.; Artel Inc.; The Boeing Company; DataPath, Inc.; The DIRECTV Group; Hughes Network Systems, LLC; ICO Global Communications; Integral Systems, Inc.; Intelsat, Ltd.; Iridium Satellite, LLC; Lockheed Martin Corp.; Loral Space & Communications Inc.; Northrop Grumman Corporation; SES Americom, Inc.; SkyTerra; and TerreStar Networks, Inc. Associate Members include: ATK Inc.; Comtech EF Data Corp.; Constellation Networks Corp.; DRS Technical Services, Inc.; EchoStar Satellite, LLC; EMC, Inc.; Eutelsat Inc.; iDirect Government Technologies; Inmarsat Inc.; Marshall Communications Corp.; Panasonic Avionics Corporation; Spacecom Ltd.; Stratos Global Corp; SWE-DISH Space Corp; Telesat; and WildBlue Communications, Inc.

Additional information about SIA can be found at www.sia.org.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet^® encompasses all broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 1.9 million systems to customers in over 100 countries.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: HUGH). For additional information, please visit www.hughes.com.