[Hidden-tech] Does anybody have HughesNet or DirecTV satellite web access?

[B. Melville]

Out here in dial-up country, these services look very attractive. 
However, I wonder if they are as fast as they say. HughesNet has 6 
levels of service, and the cheapest level doesn't look that much 
faster than dial-up. I don't know how the speed of their cheapest 2 
levels compares to the speed of cable (which stopped 3 houses before 
us).

Another concern is reliability. Our DirecTV service sometimes cuts 
out in bad weather. I assume that the same would be true for 
satellite web access.

Does anybody have experience with either of these services?