Is HughesNet going out of business?

Where the Chapter 11 case stands

Chapter 11 is the part of US bankruptcy law that lets a company keep operating while it reorganizes its debts under a court’s supervision. It isn’t a shutdown. The key facts, from the court record:

• Who filed: Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation and certain U.S. subsidiaries, including Hughes Network Systems, LLC, the company that runs Hughesnet. Filed Aug 2, 2026, announced Aug 3, 2026.
• Where: the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, before Judge Alfredo R. Pérez, Case No. 26-90739 (jointly administered).
• Customer programs: The court let Hughes keep honoring its customer programs (promotions, bill credits, returns, refunds) during the case.
• Who gets to propose a plan: On Oct 21, 2026 the court denied, for now, the noteholders' bid to end Hughes' exclusive right to propose a plan and set a further hearing for Dec 1, 2026.
• Examiner: The court approved Steven A. Engel as an independent examiner on Oct 27, 2026, with a hearing on his scope and budget on Dec 1, 2026. An examiner is an independent investigator; here the court asked for a look at deals Hughes made with its parent company, EchoStar, before the filing.
• Latest: On Nov 2, 2026 the court set Dec 9, 2026 (5 p.m. Central) as the general deadline for filing claims against the Hughes debtors.
• Overall: The Chapter 11 case is still open with no reorganization plan filed; on Oct 21, 2026 the court let Hughes keep, for now, the sole right to propose one, with a further hearing set for Dec 1, 2026, and Hughes says Hughesnet service carries on as usual.

Anyone can read the filings for free on the claims agent’s case website. We re-read the docket and Hughes’ customer page at least once a month and update this page when anything changes for customers.

What Hughes tells HughesNet customers

Hughes runs a page about the case for customers. Its answers, read Nov 3, 2026:

• Service: Hughes says there is no impact to customers and it expects no disruption to service.
• Billing: Hughes says billing does not change.
• Support: Hughes tells customers to keep contacting it the same way as before.

HughesNet is still selling, too: hughesnet.com still takes new orders, with $25 off a month for 12 months on most plans. These are Hughes’ statements about today, not promises about the future.

What the court filings say about home internet

The filings are more direct about where the home business is heading:

• Hughes told the court it is pivoting to enterprise and government customers while continuing to serve its existing Hughesnet home customers.
• A June 2026 management plan shown to creditors labels the consumer business “Managed Decline”. That means a plan to let the home business shrink while it still brings in cash, not a notice that service will end.
• Hughes told the court it does not expect its subscriber decline to reverse.

No filing we read sets a date for ending HughesNet home service, and none proposes selling the home internet business. Hughes also told the court why customers are leaving: its satellites add a round-trip delay of about 600 ms. Hughes told the court that low-orbit satellites deliver latency typically in the range of 20 to 40 milliseconds.

How many customers HughesNet has left

Down about 59,000 in the second quarter of 2026. EchoStar had published no newer count by Nov 3, 2026.

Is HughesNet sending customers to Starlink?

Not yet, as far as anyone can see. EchoStar agreed in 2025 to a fee-based program for referring Hughesnet customers to Starlink, but when we checked on Nov 3, 2026, none of Hughes, EchoStar or Starlink had published a launch date, an offer or any terms. In the bankruptcy, the noteholders have flagged the referral of Hughes' consumer subscribers to SpaceX as a transaction that may give rise to claims against EchoStar.

If Hughes does launch an offer, it will come from Hughes itself, with its own terms; follow Hughes’ instructions for it. This site isn’t part of any Hughes or Starlink program.

The claims deadline

The general deadline for filing claims against the Hughes companies is Dec 9, 2026; the exact time and the rules are in the court’s order. For customers: consumer customers with a claim that arose before Aug 2, 2026 may file a proof of claim with personal details redacted. A claim is a request to be paid money the company owed you before the filing; it isn’t needed to keep your service.

What it means for you

• Your service and bill carry on. Hughes says there is no impact to customers and it expects no disruption to service, and Hughes says billing does not change.
• Your contract still counts. The early termination fee (up to $400) and the equipment return (within 45 days) still apply. Nothing in the case waives them. Your fee this month
• You don’t have to do anything to keep your service.
• If you were already thinking of leaving, do it in the right order: check your fee, check your options, set up the new service, and cancel HughesNet last. Switching to Starlink, step by step · How to cancel HughesNet · Starlink vs HughesNet

Checking method: each price, fee and rule here links to the provider’s or regulator’s own page, dated the day we read it. No internet provider pays for a place on this site; the only income is the Starlink referral explained on our money page. Our fact-checking · How we make money · Corrections