ViaSat Loosens Data Cap on Satellite Broadband

Satellite broadband provider ViaSat launched a new price plan in 30 states that will provide unlimited e-mail and web page access.

Other types of Internet use -- including music, streaming media and chat -- will be capped, however. And the cap will be lower than for a lower-priced offering that was previously announced and will continue to be available. The new offering, dubbed Exede Evolution, will cost $69.95 monthly and, like ViaSat’s previously announced offerings, will support broadband speeds of up to 12 Mbps downstream and up to 3 Mbps upstream. ViaSat previously announced a $49.99 offering with a 7.5 GB cap for $49.99, as well as a $79.95 offering with a 15 GB cap. “A significant segment of our customer base values unlimited, high-speed access to web pages and email,” said ViaSat Vice President of Satellite Services Lisa Scalpone in the announcement. For a limited time, customers interested in the new plan will not have to pay the $149.99 set-up fee, ViaSat said. In addition an “Early Bird Free Zone” gives customers unmetered access to “everything on the Internet,” including video, from 3:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. daily.