Currently, only terrestrial broadband is mandated, leaving many government offices and employees underserved due to geographic limitations.

Conventional terrestrial networks, such as digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem, are often not available in suburban or rural areas, whereas satellite broadband solutions are available virtually continent wide.

"Since broadband technology is a requirement of Networx, all viable alternatives in wide commercial and government use should be included in this procurement vehicle. Satellite broadband should stand side-by-side with DSL and cable and should not be optional, as it is the only solution that can offer ubiquitous broadband coverage," Cook testified.

Agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and Homeland Security use satellite for the delivery of critical enterprise-wide applications, such as remote office connectivity and teleworking for employees who live in areas where terrestrial options are not available.

The value of satellite technology should not be overlooked, nor should choices of technology be limited by a procurement contract in which satellite broadband is not a key component.

In addition to using satellite broadband for their primary communications needs, government agencies also rely on satellite for emergency communications in times of heightened national and homeland security, as well as natural disasters.

Cook noted two examples in which satellite was able to keep communications systems up and running when terrestrial broadband technology failed.

In Hendry County, Florida, which was hard hit by four hurricanes last year, the county director of operations coordinated all county activities for four days from his home using HNS' Direcway broadband satellite service. Terrestrial-based networks were unable to withstand the hurricanes and the land-based communications were completely incapacitated for four days.

Satellite was also instrumental in the recovery mission after the Columbia space shuttle catastrophe. From a platform roughly the size of a large carry-on suitcase, satellite broadband was deployed over a large and sparsely populated geographic area in the search for debris from Columbia after that tragic event.

Satellite technology is similarly and routinely deployed in natural disasters when land- based networks are damaged and inoperable, or where terrestrial infrastructure does not exist.

"Satellite broadband is a proven, reliable and necessary technology for government agencies, today and in the future. Its use and value continues to grow across the nation and globally, whether in daily agency operations, emergency management scenarios, or as we connect families at home to their loved ones abroad," Cook testified.

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