1: Viasat was the first satellite internet provider to bring us a cool triangle shaped modem.
Stephen Rice, Champion
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Posted 2 years ago
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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I will refrain from actually posting such news here, but expect more to come.
And to add to Stephen's facts. Viasat has an operations office in Denver Colorado which handles the satellite internet that we as customers use. And they did a good job restoring service for many of us yesterday. They are good people!
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Here is the Viasat coverage map for VS-2.
So how come so few people can get VS-2?
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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The wildblue forum was rumored to be shuttered due to members using PM's to pad the "likes" and putting the Mods on ignore list.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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There is a few on here I would definitely do the same to!
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I hope Stephen Rice doesn't have "Viasat customer care has really great 'music on hold' to listen to for a few hours while waiting for an agent to answer" on his list.
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Alex, Viasat Corporate Communications
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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GabeU, Champion
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Brad, Viasat Employee
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Bev, Champion
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Bev, Champion
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GabeU, Champion
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Well I am sure you can find other things to grow on that farm that consumers are demanding Bev :)
Watch the series Ozark on Netflix. Excellent series. And will remind you of your area too.... and it features a "farmer".
Bev, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Some of Stephen's points here could construed as "fake news" :).
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Deku (The #1 Hero Data Saver), Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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GabeU, Champion
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Being a tool has to hurt.
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Tres Bien,
Are you suggesting that there are fake people commenting on this forum?
That could be. Of the more than 500,000 residential customers, less than 15 people continually dominate this forum. Most are extremely defensive of any criticism of Viasat. That is a strange statistic.
One particular jerk, who calls himself a Champion, seems to delight in antagonizing people who have legitimate problems. He thinks that he can disrupt the flow of criticism by creating scapegoats.
Stephen Rice, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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Yes, this is a bonus, and, if a person uses the ViaSat Voice the data used for the phone doesn't count against a person's usage. I have it and it works quite well.... always.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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I am glad it works for you. It is also overpriced and the fact the data doesn't count...well the amount of data VOIP uses is minimal.
But it works for you and you don't have a problem overpaying for something you could get cheaper. More power to you. It is your money to spend on how you see fit!
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Andy
Stephen Rice, Champion
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The REAL answer is to have a tool that allows any Viasat customer, no matter which sat they are on or what modem they have, to see a FULL breakdown of usage.....content, daily usage, per device usage, etc. This would dramatically reduce Customer Care calls. Not to mention calls to my store.
Speaking of which, while I appreciate those of you who have sought my business out in an effort to get help or answers, please understand that we can ONLY devote time to OUR customers. We are NOT paid by Viasat.....I only make money if I am selling and installing a system and I can't do that if I am playing Customer Care agent and tying up my phone line.
Andy
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https://superuser.com/questions/11423/how-much-does-a-gigabyte-worth-of-data-physically-weigh-on-a-h...
Length would depend on the diameter of the line ;)
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Deku (The #1 Hero Data Saver), Champion
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the one comment circled in red... MADE ME LAUGH MY BUTT OFF!!! XD ROTFL XD
Stephen Rice, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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17 more days...
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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I never thought he should have lost it for what he did to begin with - he isn't what some accused him of being; some were offended by his posting a well know satirical video/documentary mocking some stereotypes as well as the Ken Burns style of documentaries - I'd venture a guess many of those offended simply couldn't get past the video's title and didn't watch it. The title was a reference to an episode of one of Burns' documentaries. We live in sensitive times... it may have been poorly timed or simply poor taste for this venue, but it wasn't deserving of the card that was played against him IMHO.
GabeU, Champion
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Bev, Champion
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Those easily offended folks wouldn't like the nicknames we southern folk might give them. "Mooch, Biscuit Head, Cracker, Goofy." Or a bit less clean if it fits.
Around home, I'm "The Cooker." There is a story behind that nick name - Daughter in law asked my husband if she could borrow our cooker for a brisket. He said yes, thinking she meant my big electric roaster. Half an hour later, Daughter in law shows up with the brisket for me to cook for her. I was the cooker she wanted to borrow. LOL.
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Andy
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Andy
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Hearing the word cooker makes me think of other things. Are you sure you want to admit to that name :)
Bev, Champion
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LOl Vetran, that's why I explained it and, always do when I tell it. Just food, not that other stuff.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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One never knows on what all is growing on (and going on) that farm patch of yours!
Stephen Rice, Champion
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Forums do tend to be the top hits when people research. I will say, in my experience, ViaSat seems comfortable letting this one run. Most forums are heavily moderated. I don’t use profanity or generally do anything that breaks forum rules, and I’ve been moderated many times on other forums. I just try to speak the truth as I see it. Kudos to ViaSat on this forum.
Stephen Rice, Champion
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https://www.exede.com/documents/master/customer-agreement.pdf
There's always an asterisk... ;)
The "sole discretion" gives me some pause for concern implying it's subject to someone's interpretation.
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Andy
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Here's a little educational moment explaining when a Truck Roll WON'T happen: Viasat Customer Care and any retailer worth his salt can pull up a customer's modem in eSVT and look at the "health" of the connection. If everything is in GREEN, then that means the problem is on the customer's end and NOT with the Viasat equipment. In the past I have had the rare occasion where I got a svc call and everything was in green....this is how I handle it. I drive out to the customer's house and show that I can surf via wired and wireless connection with my laptop. When the customer start pointing to their laptop and claims that they can't get on I suggest that they contact the company they bought their laptop from. Now I can imagine some reading this will immediately think "Hey Andy, couldn't you spend a few minutes seeing if you could fitheir laptop?". I used to.....experience has taught me not to anymore. Once you touch that laptop, you OWN it.
Andy
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Honestly, I haven't had a single instance where Viasat tried to "wiggle out" of honoring Easy Care. It even covers lightning strikes.
Andy
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What do DirecTV or Dish do in similar circumstances?
Do they lease the equipment to the customer and maintain ownership?
Do they charge a service fee to correct problems that the customer did not cause?
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I'd quote my laptop and local networking repair rates ;)
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This may sound condescending but it is not meant to be.
How come you have so much time to be on this forum?
I thought you have a company that sells and installs Viasat, DirecTV and Dish.
Is that business slowing up?
Bev, Champion
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Dish and DTV both retain ownership BUT you have to pay monthly for their svc plan....Dish's START at 8.99/mon. and if you don't have it then you are charged about $50 per piece of equipment that has to be swapped out on TOP of a $95 svc call fee. Trust me, Easy Care is the best deal out there in satellite land.
Andy
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Don't these post make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Oh wait, that's just my hemorrhoids flaring up...What's in your Kiester? Wait, I think that's Capital One...
"If I can get comfortable talking about Kiester than you can get comfortable using Preparation H.”
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“The best answer will come from the person who is not angry.”
Arabic proverb
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“The smarter you are, the less you speak.”
Arabic proverb
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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And the 34 people who can get this speed are quite happy.
The other 500,000+ people not so much.
GabeU, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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Brad, Viasat Employee
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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Steve Frederick-VS1/Beam314, Champion
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Stephen Rice, Champion
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Not sure if they market this, but I would think a lot of emergency management departments across the country would have a backup system like this ready to go. Government has money to spend.
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Was that anything like "one giant leap for mankind" or perhaps, more like, "I'm A Big Boy Now"?
I have heard that the amateur short wave operators provided a notable amount of emergency communication during Katrina, but I could be mistaken.
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VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Remember the chaos after 9/11 when the cell service broke down and people didnt know for hours or days of loved ones survived.
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Caution 8.1 MB link follows, burn data at oyur own risk:
https://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/docs/advisory/hkip/public-comments/ACT3052.pdf
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I've been in a couple of week-to-two-week situations with power down. I can testify to the notion that very few people are in possession of a generator. [There just are not many of us with a 15kw Onan hard wired with autostart connected to a 1000 gal propane tank, I fear.] Now add to the dearth of generators the likelihood that many of the existing ones will be under water or otherwise unavailable or inoperable after a major hurricane and satellite internet access starts looking real whimsical, I'ld offer. The "hook up a generator" meme is a heart warming scenario but it doesn't play well in the real world, I suspect.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Incindently, and this won't surprise old labs one bit, I have my generator. Nothing fancy, but enough to keep heat and water going when needed. And of course battery backup for my medical devices too. Redundancy. Lol.
GabeU, Champion
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Hook up a generator, a few computers networked, and people can send emails and video chat to let loved ones know they are safe. Just one example.Yep. My ISP did similar in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Maybe ViaSat, too. That's one area where satellite internet really shines. It can be set up quickly and provide that access much more easily than any other type.
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Now, one can believe or one can disbelieve or one can be uncommitted. On this one I'll go with uncommitted, but it definitely has an odor about it.
Nice talking with y'all but I have a story to write. All done on this one.
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It was all quick deploy portable and temporary. The towas weren't up they were down - it was targeting FEMA, Military, State and Local Government emergency communications not the general public.
But here's a preview:

Stephen never claimed it was so folks could keep up with Facebook.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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When I travel out west in remote country, I carry a sat phone. As long as the satellite is still in space, I know I can get an emergency call through. With cellular, no towers in a lot of areas in remote locations.
Now, if I am in a cave, that is a different story:).
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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Of course but in this case it was for primarily emergency communications between the various agencies involved in the Katrina and Rita recoveries - although undoubtedly some called home. This was probably a military bird to begin with in 2005.
Today and as noted it's evolved for public use:
https://www.exede.com/blog/5-ways-viasat-provides-assistance-disaster-strikes/
VeteranSatUser, Champion
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I think government emergency response teams, Red Cross, forest firefighters etc. would be interested in a Viasat team that could deploy at a moments notice. Sort of like a subscription service. Then go out in the field accordingly.