Starband Internet Users Out of Service

Due to what is being called a "catastrophic" loss, nearly 20,000 Starband users are without broadband service. The company blamed the loss of the Intelsat Americas-7 (IA-7) satellite on an electrical-distribution problem.

Starband is offering a dialup alternative until Intelsat Americas-8 comes on line sometime next year. But telephone modems may not fill the high-speed service void created by the loss of IA-7.

A few providers are looking to assist users who require high-speed Internet service. Satellite Internet service provider VSAT Systems, a subsidiary of Akron, Ohio-based Skycasters, established a Service Recovery Taskforce in response to the urgent needs of Starband business clients who lost service on Sunday.

Skycasters President Don Jacobs says this crisis knocked out more Internet users than were affected by all the hurricanes this fall. "We've always considered reliable Internet as important as the telephone. In today's competitive market, businesses lose money when their broadband service goes down," he says.

The VSAT taskforce will streamline the deployment of enterprise-class iDirect satellite ground stations to Starband business clients affected by the unexpected demise of IA-7. In addition to the fast response taskforce, VSAT Systems released a three-point assistance program:

• Free shipping anywhere in the continental U.S.
• Free service for the first month
• 30-day money back guarantee