Key digital inclusion initiatives from Viasat’s 2023 ESG Report:
Tribal Connect
Created in collaboration with tribal leaders, Viasat’s Tribal Connect program brings affordable, high-speed internet to people living on tribal lands while also creating installation jobs for local community members, offering significant savings on plans via the Affordable Connectivity Program, and donating back to tribal funds for each successful subscription.
Affordable Connectivity Program
Viasat is a participant in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), helping eligible customers save up to $30 per month on home internet.
Connect America Fund Phase II.
Viasat works with the Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF II) to bring discounted satellite internet and phone service to millions across America who wouldn’t have internet otherwise, with discounted pricing available through Lifeline federal funding.
“At first, I didn’t know what it meant to be an ambassador, but I was inspired by the opportunity to help people become aware of how this service works. I wanted to show them that we have other internet options and that we can grow as a community. I also appreciate the experience that this job gives me.”
Viasat prepaid internet services
Viasat prepaid internet services bring fast, reliable internet to unserved and underserved homes and communities around the world through multiple different technology approaches and business models that enable us to provide internet to the home for as little as $15 per month. Key initiatives from FY23 include:
Working with CFE Telecommunications and Internet for All (CFE-TEIT), Viasat is connecting 850 schools and public locations with public access to free Wi-Fi in areas where it wouldn’t have been economically feasible to connect otherwise.
Viasat’s ambassador program helps foster diversity and inclusion in more than 40 communities we serve by providing part-time customer service jobs for women who live there.
In some remote communities, connectivity isn’t the only thing lacking — many also don’t have a reliable or consistent source of electricity. Viasat is working with partners in Guatemala to bring solar power to these communities to power public Wi-Fi and homes.
Partnerships
Viasat partners with a wide-ranging variety of businesses and institutions to bring connectivity to unserved or underserved communities around the world and provide value-added services and resources for the people who live there.
This includes:
Microsoft. Viasat is the first satellite partner working with Microsoft’s Airband Initiative to bring internet access to more than 10 million people around the globe by 2025 — including 5 million across Africa.
19Labs. Viasat and telehealth specialist 19Labs are working together to bring remote healthcare to rural communities, providing everything from pregnancy healthcare to oncology support for areas that don’t have easy access to specialists — while also creating jobs for local residents, who have been hired as technicians to work at the clinics.
Intercorp. Viasat is a partner with Intercorp Peru Ltd. and international beverage bottler CBC to bring centralized satellite-enabled hotspots to service communities that previously had little or no internet connectivity.
Telebras. Viasat has partnered with Telebras to connect government agencies and students through the Wi-Fi Brasil program. The result is more than 20,000 internet access points, including 10,000 points located in rural and indigenous schools, health posts, public service facilities, and non-profit organizations — which means more than five million students who previously lacked internet in these rural schools and indigenous communities can now benefit from online access. Viasat, Telebras, and the Wi-Fi Brasil program have boosted the social and digital inclusion of more than 9 million Brazilians through internet access points installed in 3,055 cities.
Disaster recovery services
When natural disaster or human conflict occur, cellular and terrestrial connectivity are often disrupted — sometimes for months. Satellite-based connectivity can be quickly deployed to assist with critical rapid-response, ongoing recovery operations, and to help restore necessary infrastructure. Learn more about how satellites play a role in disaster relief.
Ukraine
Viasat partnered with officials from the Košice region of Slovakia to provide refugees from the Ukrainian conflict with free high-speed internet, leveraging Viasat Community Internet hotspots to keep displaced Ukrainians connected with friends, family, and the latest news.
Turkey
When Turkey and Syria were devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, Viasat set up satellite internet service and Viasat Community Internet hotspots to aid with recovery and restoration efforts — and to help those impacted by the disaster remain connected with online information and resources.
Global Enterprise & Mobility and Government Systems business segments
Digital inclusion is part of nearly every aspect of our business. For our Global Enterprise & Mobility segment, that means providing everything from best-in-class Wi-Fi to our domestic and international air carriers to connecting maritime vessels and hard-to-reach energy industry locations with high-speed connectivity to help improve safety and drive business. Our Government Systems group supports the U.S. government and its allies with assured communications that enable safe, successful tactical missions on land, in the air, and at sea.
Read the full 2023 environmental, social, & governance report