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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

x       ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015

OR

o          TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM                TO                 .

Commission file number: 333-179121

Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:  (303) 706-4000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:  None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:  None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes o No x*

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter)  is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes o No x

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting interests held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2015 was $0.

As of February 16, 2016, the registrant’s outstanding common stock consisted of 1,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share.

The Registrant meets the conditions set forth in General Instructions (I)(1)(a) and (b) of Form 10-K and is therefore filing this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the reduced disclosure format.

* The Registrant currently is not subject to the filing requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is filing this Annual Report on Form 10-K on a voluntary basis. The Registrant has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months as if it were subject to such filing requirements during such period.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None

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*     This item has been omitted pursuant to the reduced disclosure format as set forth in General Instructions (I) (2) (a) and (c) of Form 10-K.

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DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including but not limited to statements about our estimates, expectations, plans, objectives, strategies, and financial condition, expected impact of regulatory developments and legal proceedings, opportunities in our industries and businesses and other trends and projections for the next fiscal quarter and beyond. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may also be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “seek,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “predict,” “continue,” “future,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “can,” “may” and similar terms.  These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this Form 10-K and represent management’s current views and assumptions.  Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve potential known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which may be beyond our control and may pose a risk to our operating and financial condition.  Accordingly, actual performance, events or results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors including, but not limited to:

·                  our reliance on our primary customer, DISH Network Corporation and its subsidiaries (“DISH Network”), for a significant portion of our revenue;

·                  our ability to implement our strategic initiatives;

·                  our ability to bring advanced technologies to market to keep pace with our customers and competitors;

·                  risk related to our foreign operations and other uncertainties associated with doing business internationally, including changes in foreign exchange rates between foreign currencies and the United States dollar;

·                  significant risks related to the construction, launch and operation of our satellites, such as the risk of material malfunction on one or more of our satellites, changes in the space weather environment that could interfere with the operation of our satellites, and our general lack of commercial insurance coverage on our satellites;

·                  our failure to adequately anticipate the need for satellite capacity or the inability to obtain satellite capacity for our Hughes segment; and

·                  the failure of third-party providers of components, manufacturing, installation services and customer support services to appropriately deliver the contracted goods or services.

Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Part I, Item 1A. — Risk Factors and Item 7. — Management’s Narrative Analysis of Results of Operations of this Form 10-K and those discussed in other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

All cautionary statements made herein should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear. Investors should consider the risks and uncertainties described herein and should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We do not undertake, and specifically disclaim, any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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PART I

Item 1.         BUSINESS

OVERVIEW

Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation (which, together with its subsidiaries, is referred to as “HSS,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and/or “our”) is a holding company and a direct subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (“EchoStar”).  We are a global provider of satellite operations, video delivery solutions, and broadband satellite technologies and services for home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for enterprises and governments.

We currently operate in the following two business segments:

·                  Hughes — which provides satellite broadband internet access to North American consumers and broadband network services and equipment to domestic and international enterprise markets.  The Hughes segment also provides managed services to large enterprises and solutions to customers for mobile satellite systems.

·                  EchoStar Satellite Services (“ESS”)— which uses certain of our owned and leased in-orbit satellites and related licenses to provide satellite services on a full-time and occasional-use basis primarily to DISH Network Corporation and its subsidiaries (“DISH Network”), Dish Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. (“Dish Mexico”), a joint venture that EchoStar entered into in 2008, United States (“U.S.”) government service providers, internet service providers, broadcast news organizations, programmers, and private enterprise customers.

We were formed as a Colorado corporation in March 2011 to facilitate the acquisition (the “Hughes Acquisition”) of Hughes Communications, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Hughes Communications”) and related financing transactions.  In connection with our formation, EchoStar contributed the assets and liabilities of its satellite services business, including the principal operating subsidiary of its satellite services business, EchoStar Satellite Services L.L.C., to us.  In addition, as a result of the Satellite and Tracking Stock Transaction described in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements under Part IV, Item 15, DISH Network owns shares of our preferred tracking stock representing a 28.11% economic interest in the residential retail satellite broadband business of our Hughes segment.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file an annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  The public may read and copy any materials filed with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549.  Please call the SEC at (800) SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room.  As an electronic filer, our public filings are also maintained on the SEC’s internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.  The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

WEBSITE ACCESS

Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, may also be accessed free of charge through the website of our parent company, EchoStar, as soon as reasonably practicable after we have electronically filed such material with, or furnished it to, the SEC.  The address of that website is http://www.echostar.com.

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Item 1A.      RISK FACTORS

The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us.  If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition, results of operation, prospects or ability to invest capital in our business could be materially and adversely affected.

GENERAL RISKS AFFECTING OUR BUSINESS

We currently derive a significant portion of our revenue from our primary customer, DISH Network.  The loss of, or a significant reduction in, orders from, or a decrease in selling prices of broadband equipment and services, provision of satellite services and digital broadcast services, and/or other products or services to DISH Network would significantly reduce our revenue and materially adversely impact our results of operations.

DISH Network accounted for 28.8%, 28.8% and 23.4% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.  Our EchoStar Satellite Services segment provides satellite services to DISH Network and DISH Network is also a wholesale distributor of the Hughes satellite internet service, and in connection with such wholesale distribution, purchases certain broadband equipment from us to support the sale of the Hughes service.  Any material reduction in or termination of  our sales to DISH Network or reduction in the prices it pays for the products and services it purchases from us could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial position.

DISH Network has only certain obligations to continue to purchase certain of our services from our EchoStar Satellite Services segment.  Therefore, our relationship with DISH Network could be terminated or substantially curtailed with little or no advance notice.  In addition, because a significant portion of the revenue of our EchoStar Satellite Services segment is derived from DISH Network, the success of our EchoStar Satellite Services segment also depends to a significant degree on the continued success of DISH Network in attracting new subscribers and marketing programming packages and other services.

Furthermore, if we lose DISH Network as a customer, it may be difficult for us to replace, in whole or in part, our historical revenue from DISH Network because there are a relatively small number of potential customers for our products and services, and we have had limited success in attracting such potential new customers in the past.  Historically, many potential customers of our EchoStar Satellite Services segment have perceived us as a competitor due to our affiliation with DISH Network.  There can be no assurance that we will be successful in entering into any commercial relationships with potential new customers who are competitors of DISH Network (particularly if we continue to be perceived as affiliated with DISH Network as a result of common ownership and certain shared services).  If we do not develop relationships with new customers, we may not be able to expand our customer base or maintain or increase our revenue.

Our strategic initiatives may not be successfully implemented, may not elicit the expected customer response in the market and may result in competitive reactions.

The successful implementation of our strategic initiatives requires an investment of time, talent and money and is dependent upon a number of factors some of which are not within our control.  Those factors include the ability to execute such initiatives in the market, the response of existing and potential new customers, and the actions or reactions of competitors.  We may allocate significant resources for long-term initiatives that may not have a short or medium term or any positive impact on our revenue, results of operations, or cash flow.  If we fail to properly execute or deliver products or services that address customers’ expectations, it may have an adverse effect on our ability to retain and attract customers and may increase our costs and reduce our revenue.  Similarly, competitive actions or reactions to our initiatives or advancements in technology or competitive products or services could impair our ability to execute those strategic initiatives or advancements.  In addition, new strategic initiatives may face barriers to entering existing markets with established competitors.  There can be no assurance that we will successfully implement these strategic initiatives or that, if successfully pursued, they will have the desired effect on our business or results of operations.

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We could face decreased demand and increased pricing pressure to our products and services due to competition.

Our business operates in an intensely competitive, consumer driven and rapidly changing environment and competes with a growing number of companies that provide products and services to consumers.  Risks to our business from competition include, but are not limited to, the following:

·                  Our EchoStar Satellite Services segment competes against larger, well-established satellite service companies, such as Intelsat S.A., SES S.A., Telesat Canada, and Eutelsat Communications S.A.  Because the satellite services industry is relatively mature, our growth strategy depends largely on our ability to displace current incumbent providers, which often have the benefit of long-term contracts with customers.  These long-term contracts and other factors result in relatively high costs for customers to change service providers, making it more difficult for us to displace customers from their current relationships with our competitors.  In addition, the supply of satellite capacity available in the market has increased in recent years, which makes it more difficult for us to sell our services in certain markets and to price our capacity at acceptable levels.  Competition may cause downward pressure on prices and further reduce the utilization of our capacity, both of which could have an adverse effect on our financial performance.  Our EchoStar Satellite Services segment also competes with both fiber optic cable and terrestrial delivery systems which may have a cost advantage, particularly in point-to-point applications where such delivery systems have been installed and with new delivery systems being developed, which may have lower latency and other advantages.

·                  In our consumer market, we face competition primarily from digital subscriber line (“DSL”), fiber and cable internet service providers.  Also, other telecommunications, satellite and wireless broadband companies have launched or are planning the launch of consumer internet access services in competition with our service offerings in North America.  Some of these competitors offer consumer services and hardware at lower prices than ours.  In addition, terrestrial alternatives do not require our external dish, which may limit customer acceptance of our products.  We may be unsuccessful in competing effectively against DSL, fiber and cable internet service providers and other satellite broadband providers, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

·                  In our enterprise network communications market, we face competition from providers of terrestrial-based networks, such as fiber, DSL, cable modem service, multiprotocol label switching and internet protocol-based virtual private networks, which may have advantages over satellite networks for certain customer applications.  Although we also sell terrestrial services to this market, we may not be as cost competitive and it may become more difficult for us to compete.  The network communications industry is characterized by competitive pressures to provide enhanced functionality for the same or lower price with each new generation of technology.  Terrestrial-based networks are offered by telecommunications carriers and other large companies, many of which have substantially greater financial resources and greater name recognition than us.  As the prices of our products decrease, we will need to sell more products and/ or reduce the per-unit costs to improve or maintain our results of operations. The costs of a satellite network may exceed those of a terrestrial-based network or other networks, especially in areas that have experienced significant DSL and cable internet build-out.  It may become more difficult for us to compete with terrestrial and other providers as the number of these areas increases and the cost of their network and hardware services declines.  Terrestrial networks also have a competitive edge because of lower latency for data transmission.

We may have available satellite capacity in our EchoStar Satellite Services segment, and our results of operations may be materially adversely affected if we are not able to lease this capacity to third parties, including DISH Network.

We have available satellite capacity in our EchoStar Satellite Services segment.  While we are currently evaluating various opportunities to make profitable use of our available satellite capacity (including, but not limited to, supplying satellite capacity for new international ventures), there can be no assurance that we can successfully develop these business opportunities.  If we are unable to lease our available satellite capacity to third parties,

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including DISH Network, our margins could be negatively impacted, and we may be required to record impairments related to our satellites.

The failure to adequately anticipate the need for satellite capacity or the inability to obtain satellite capacity for our Hughes segment could harm our results of operations.

Our Hughes segment has made substantial contractual commitments for satellite capacity based on our existing customer contracts and backlog.  If our existing customer contracts were to be terminated prior to their respective expiration dates, we may be committed to maintaining excess satellite capacity for which we will have insufficient revenue to cover our costs, which would have a negative impact on our margins and results of operations.  Alternatively, we may not have sufficient satellite capacity to meet demand.  We have satellite capacity commitments, generally for two to five year terms, with third parties to cover different geographical areas or support different applications and features; therefore, we may not be able to quickly or easily adjust our capacity to changes in demand.  We generally only purchase satellite capacity based on existing contracts and bookings.  Therefore, capacity for certain types of coverage in the future may not be readily available to us, and we may not be able to satisfy certain needs of our customers, which could result in a loss of possible new business and could negatively impact the margins for those services.  At present, until the launch and operation of additional satellites, there is limited availability of capacity on the frequencies we use in North America, including within our own fleet of satellites.  In addition, the fixed satellite service (“FSS”) industry has seen consolidation in the past decade, and today, the main FSS providers in North America and a number of smaller regional providers own and operate the current satellites that are available for our capacity needs.  The failure of any of these FSS providers to replace existing satellite assets at the end of their useful lives or a downturn in their industry as a whole could reduce or interrupt the satellite capacity available to us.  If we are not able to renew our capacity leases at economically viable rates, or if capacity is not available due to problems experienced by these FSS providers, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We are dependent upon third-party providers for components, manufacturing, installation services, and customer support services, and our results of operations may be materially adversely affected if any of these third-party providers fail to appropriately deliver the contracted goods or services.

We are dependent upon third-party services and products provided to us, including the following:

·                  Components.  A limited number of suppliers manufacture, and in some cases a single supplier manufactures, some of the key components required to build our products.  These key components may not be continually available and we may not be able to forecast our component requirements sufficiently in advance, which may have a detrimental effect on supply.  If we are required to change suppliers for any reason, we would experience a delay in manufacturing our products if another supplier is not able to meet our requirements on a timely basis.  In addition, if we are unable to obtain the necessary volumes of components on favorable terms or prices on a timely basis, we may be unable to produce our products at competitive prices and we may be unable to satisfy demand from our customers.  Our reliance on a single or limited group of suppliers, particularly foreign suppliers, and our reliance on subcontractors, involves several risks.  These risks include a potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of required components, reduced control over pricing, quality, and timely delivery of these components, and the potential bankruptcy, lack of liquidity or operational failure of our suppliers.  We do not generally maintain long-term agreements with any of our suppliers or subcontractors for our products.  An inability to obtain adequate deliveries or any other circumstances requiring us to seek alternative sources of supply could affect our ability to ship our products on a timely basis, which could damage our relationships with current and prospective customers and harm our business, resulting in a loss of market share, and reduced revenue and income.

·                  Commodity Price Risk.  Fluctuations in pricing of raw materials can affect our product costs.  To the extent that component pricing does not decline or increases, whether due to inflation, increased demand, decreased supply or other factors, we may not be able to pass on the impact of increasing raw materials prices, component prices or labor and other costs, to our customers, and we may not be able to operate profitably.  Such changes could have an adverse impact on our product costs.

·                  Manufacturing.  While we develop and manufacture prototypes for certain of our products, we use contract manufacturers to produce a significant portion of our hardware.  If these contract manufacturers fail to provide products that meet our specifications in a timely manner, then our customer relationships and revenue may be harmed.

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·                 Installation and customer support services.  Some of our products and services, such as our North American and international operations, utilize a network of third-party installers to deploy our hardware.  In addition, a portion of our customer support and management is provided by offshore call centers.  A decline in levels of service or attention to the needs of our customers could adversely affect our reputation, renewal rates and ability to win new business.

Our foreign operations expose us to regulatory risks and restrictions not present in our domestic operations.

Our sales outside the U.S. accounted for approximately 17.4%, 18.7% and 20.5% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.  Collectively, we expect our foreign operations to represent a significant portion of our business.  Over the last 10 years, we have sold products in over 100 countries.  Our foreign operations involve varying degrees of risk and uncertainties inherent in doing business abroad.  Such risks include:

·                  Complications in complying with restrictions on foreign ownership and investment and limitations on repatriation.  We may not be permitted to own our operations in some countries and may have to enter into partnership or joint venture relationships.  Many foreign legal regimes restrict our repatriation of earnings to the U.S. from our subsidiaries and joint venture entities.  Applicable law in such foreign countries may also limit our ability to distribute or access our assets in certain circumstances.  In such event, we will not have access to the cash flow and assets of our subsidiaries and joint ventures.

·                  Difficulties in following a variety of laws and regulations related to foreign operations.  Our international operations are subject to the laws of many different jurisdictions that may differ significantly from U.S. law.  For example, local political or intellectual property law may hold us responsible for the data that is transmitted over our network by our customers.  In addition, we are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions that generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments or giving or promising to give anything of value to foreign officials and other individuals for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or gaining a competitive advantage.  Our policies mandate compliance with these laws.  However, we operate in many parts of the world that have experienced corruption to some degree.  Compliance with these laws may lead to increased operations costs or loss of business opportunities.  Violations of these laws could result in fines or other penalties or sanctions, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

·                  Restrictions on space station landing/terrestrial rights.  Satellite market access and landing rights and terrestrial wireless rights are dependent on the national regulations established by foreign governments, including, but not limited to obtaining national authorizations or approvals and meeting other regulatory, coordination and registration requirements for satellites.  Because regulatory schemes vary by country, we may be subject to laws or regulations in foreign countries of which we are not presently aware.  Non-compliance with these requirements may result in the loss of the authorizations and licenses to conduct business in these countries, as well as fines or other financial and non-financial penalties for non-compliance with regulations.  If that were to be the case, we could be subject to sanctions and/or other actions by a foreign government that could materially and adversely affect our ability to operate in that country.  There is no assurance that any current regulatory approvals held by us are, or will remain, sufficient in the view of foreign regulatory authorities, or that any additional necessary approvals will be granted on a timely basis or at all, in all jurisdictions in which we wish to operate new satellites, or that applicable restrictions in those jurisdictions will not be unduly burdensome.  Violations of laws or regulations may result in various sanctions including fines, loss of authorizations and the denial of applications for new authorizations or for the renewal of existing authorizations, and the failure to obtain or comply with the authorizations and regulations governing our international operations could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue and our overall competitive position.

·                  Financial and legal constraints and obligations.  Operating pursuant to foreign licenses subjects us to certain financial constraints and obligations, including, but not limited to: (a) tax liabilities that may or may not be dependent on revenue; (b) the burden of creating and maintaining additional entities, branches, facilities and/or staffing in foreign jurisdictions; and (c) legal regulations requiring that we make certain satellite capacity available for “free,” which may impact our revenue.  In addition, if we need to pursue

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legal remedies against our customers or our business partners located outside of the U.S., it may be difficult for us to enforce our rights against them.

·                  Compliance with applicable export control laws and regulations in the U.S. and other countries.  We must comply with all applicable export control laws and regulations of the U.S. and other countries.  U.S. laws and regulations applicable to us include the Arms Export Control Act, ITAR, EAR and the trade sanctions laws and regulations administered by OFAC.  The export of certain hardware, technical data and services relating to satellites is regulated by BIS under EAR.  Other items are controlled for export by the DDTC under ITAR.  We cannot provide services to certain countries subject to U.S. trade sanctions unless we first obtain the necessary authorizations from OFAC.  Violations of these laws or regulations could result in significant sanctions including fines, more onerous compliance requirements, debarments from export privileges, or loss of authorizations needed to conduct aspects of our international business.  A violation of ITAR or the other regulations enumerated above could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

·                  Changes in exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar.  We conduct our business and incur cost in the local currency of a number of the countries in which we operate.  Accordingly, our applicable results of operations are reported in the relevant local currency and then translated to U.S. dollars at the applicable currency exchange rate for inclusion in our financial statements.  In addition, we sell our products and services and acquire supplies and components from countries that historically have been, and may continue to be, susceptible to recessions or currency devaluation.  These fluctuations in currency exchange rates, recessions and currency devaluations have affected, and may in the future affect, revenue, profits and cash earned on international sales.

·                  Greater exposure to the possibility of economic instability, the disruption of operations from labor and political disturbances, expropriation or war.  As we conduct operations throughout the world, we could be subject to regional or national economic downturns or instability, acts of terrorism, labor or political disturbances or conflicts of various sizes, including wars.  Any of these disruptions could detrimentally affect our sales in the affected region or country or lead to damage to, or expropriation of, our property or danger to our personnel.

·                  Competition with large or state-owned enterprises and/or regulations that effectively limit our operations and favor local competitors.  Many of the countries in which we conduct business have traditionally had state owned or state granted monopolies on telecommunications services that favor an incumbent service provider.  We face competition from these favored and entrenched companies in countries that have not deregulated.  The slower pace of deregulation in these countries, particularly in Asia and Latin America, has adversely affected the growth of our business in these regions.

·                  Customer credit risks.  Customer credit risks are exacerbated in foreign operations because there is often little information available about the credit histories of customers in certain of the foreign countries in which we operate.

We may experience loss from some of our customer contracts.

We provide access to our telecommunications networks to customers that use a variety of platforms such as satellite, wireless 3G and 4G, cable, fiber optic and DSL.  These customer contracts may require us to provide services at a fixed price for the term of the contract.  To facilitate the provision of this access, we may enter into contracts with terrestrial platform providers.  Our agreements with these subcontractors may allow for prices to be changed during the term of the contracts.  We assume greater financial risk on these customer contracts than on other types of contracts because if we do not estimate costs accurately and there is an increase in our subcontractors’ prices, our net profit may be significantly reduced or there may be a loss on the contracts.

We may experience significant financial losses on our existing investments.

We have entered into certain strategic transactions and investments.  These investments involve a high degree of risk and could diminish our financial condition or our ability to invest capital in our business.  The overall sustained economic uncertainty, as well as financial, operational and other difficulties encountered by certain companies in which we have invested increases the risk that the actual amounts realized in the future on our debt and equity investments will differ significantly from the fair values currently assigned to them.  In addition, the companies in

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which we invest or with whom we partner may not be able to compete effectively or there may be insufficient demand for the services and products offered by these companies.  These investments could also expose us to significant financial losses and may restrict our ability to make other investments or limit alternative uses of our capital resources.  If our investments suffer losses, our financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

We may pursue acquisitions and other strategic transactions to complement or expand our business, which may not be successful and we may lose a portion or all of our investment in these acquisitions and transactions.

Our future success may depend on the existence of, and our ability to capitalize on, opportunities to acquire other businesses or technologies or partner with other companies that could complement, enhance or expand our current business, services or products or that may otherwise offer us growth opportunities.  We may pursue acquisitions, joint ventures or other business combination activities to complement or expand our business.  Any such acquisitions, transactions or investments that we are able to identify and complete which may become substantial over time, involve a high degree of risk, including, but not limited to, the following:

·                  the diversion of our management’s attention from our existing business to integrate the operations and personnel of the acquired or combined business or joint venture;

·                  the ability and capacity of our management team to carry out all of our business plans, including with respect to our existing businesses and any businesses we acquire or embark on in the future;

·                  possible adverse effects on our and our targets’ and partners’ business, financial condition or operating results during the integration process;

·                  exposure to significant financial losses if the transactions and/or the underlying ventures are not successful; and/or we are unable to achieve the intended objectives of the transaction;

·                  the inability to obtain in the anticipated time frame, or at all, any regulatory approvals required to complete proposed acquisitions, transactions or investments; the risks associated with complying with regulations applicable to the acquired business which may cause us to incur substantial expenses;

·                  the inability to realize anticipated benefits or synergies from an acquisition; and

·                  the disruption of relationships with employees, vendors or customers.

New acquisitions, joint ventures and other transactions may require the commitment of significant capital that may otherwise be directed to investments in our existing businesses.  Commitment of this capital may cause us to defer or suspend any capital expenditures that we otherwise may have made.

We may not be able to generate cash to meet our debt service needs or fund our operations.

We have outstanding $990.0 million of senior secured notes (the “Secured Notes”) and $900.0 million of senior unsecured notes (the “Unsecured Notes” and, together with the Secured Notes, the “Notes”), which are due in 2019 and 2021, respectively.  Our ability to make payments on or to refinance our indebtedness and to fund our operations will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future, which is subject in part to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control.   We may need to raise additional debt in order to fund ongoing operations or to capitalize on business opportunities.  We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow from operations and future borrowings may not be available in amounts sufficient to enable us to service our indebtedness or to fund our operations or other liquidity needs.  If we are unable to generate sufficient cash, we may be forced to take actions such as revising or delaying our strategic plans, reducing or delaying capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our debt or seeking additional equity capital.  We may not be able to implement any of these actions on satisfactory terms, or at all.  The indentures governing the Notes also limit our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from such dispositions.  Therefore, we may not be able to consummate those dispositions on satisfactory terms, or at all, or to use those proceeds in a manner we may otherwise prefer.

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In addition, conditions in the financial markets could make it difficult for us to access capital markets at acceptable terms or at all. Instability or other conditions in the equity markets could make it difficult for us to raise equity financing without incurring substantial dilution to our existing shareholders.  In addition, sustained or increased economic weaknesses or pressures or new economic conditions may limit our ability to generate sufficient internal cash to fund investments, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions.  We cannot predict with any certainty whether or not we will be impacted by economic conditions.  As a result, these conditions make it difficult for us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities because we may not have access to funding sources necessary for us to pursue organic and strategic business development opportunities.

Covenants in our indentures restrict our business in many ways.

The indentures governing the Notes contain various covenants, subject to certain exceptions, that limit our ability and/or our restricted subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things:

·                  pay dividends or make distributions on our capital stock or repurchase our capital stock;

·                  incur additional debt;

·                  make certain investments;

·                  create liens or enter into sale and leaseback transactions;

·                  merge or consolidate with another company;

·                  transfer and sell assets;

·                  enter into transactions with affiliates; and

·                  allow to exist certain restrictions on the ability of certain subsidiaries of us to pay dividends, make distributions, make other payments, or transfer assets to us or our subsidiaries.

Failure to comply with these and certain other financial covenants, if not cured or waived, may result in an event of default under the indentures, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.  If an event of default occurs and is continuing under the respective indenture, the trustee under that indenture or the requisite holders of the Notes under that indenture may declare all such Notes to be immediately due and payable and, in the case of the indenture governing the Secured Notes, could proceed against the collateral that secures the Secured Notes.  We and certain of our subsidiaries have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under the indenture governing the Secured Notes.  If we do not have enough cash to service our debt or fund other liquidity needs, we may be required to take actions such as requesting a waiver from the holders of the Notes, reducing or delaying capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing all or part of the existing debt, or seeking additional equity capital.  We cannot assure you that any of these remedies can be implemented on commercially reasonable terms or at all, which could result in the trustee declaring the Notes to be immediately due and payable and/ or foreclosing on the collateral.

We rely on key personnel and the loss of their services may negatively affect our businesses.

We believe that our future success will depend to a significant extent upon the performance of Mr. Charles W. Ergen, our Chairman, and certain other key executives.  The loss of Mr. Ergen or of certain other key executives or of the ability of Mr. Ergen or certain other key executives to devote sufficient time and effort to our business could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Although most of our key executives have agreements limiting their ability to work for or consult with competitors, under certain circumstances, we generally do not have employment agreements with them.  To the extent Mr. Ergen or other officers are performing services to both DISH Network and us, their attention may be diverted away from our business and therefore adversely affect our business.

Pursuant to the terms of our preferred tracking stock and related agreements and policies, we could be required to use assets attributed to one group to pay liabilities attributed to the other group.

Even though we attribute, for financial reporting purposes, all of our consolidated assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and cash flows to either the HSSC Group or the Hughes Retail Group (see Note 3 in the notes to

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consolidated financial statements in Item 15 of this report for definitions and a further discussion of the preferred tracking stock, the HSSC Group and the Hughes Retail Group) and prepare separate attributed financial information for the Hughes Retail Group, we retain legal title to all of our assets and our capitalization will not limit our legal responsibility, or that of our subsidiaries, for the liabilities included in our financial statements and such attributed financial information.  As such, the assets attributed to one group are potentially subject to the liabilities attributed to the other group, even if those liabilities arise from lawsuits, contracts or indebtedness that are attributed to such other group. Although the policy statement (the “Policy Statement”) regarding the relationships between the HSSC Group and the Hughes Retail Group with respect to matters such as the attribution and allocation of costs, tax liabilities and benefits, attribution of assets, corporate opportunities and similar items generally requires that all changes in the attribution of assets from one group to the other group will be made on a fair value basis as determined in accordance with certain guiding principles, these policies and our articles of incorporation generally do not prevent us from satisfying liabilities of one group with assets of the other group, and our creditors are not limited by our tracking stock capitalization from proceeding against any assets they could have proceeded against if we did not have a tracking stock capitalization.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR SATELLITES

Our owned and leased satellites in orbit are subject to significant operational and environmental risks that could limit our ability to utilize these satellites.

Satellites are subject to significant operational risks while in orbit.  These risks include malfunctions, commonly referred to as anomalies, which have occurred and may occur in the future in our satellites and the satellites of other operators as a result of various factors, such as satellite design and manufacturing defects, problems with the power systems or control systems of the satellites and general failures resulting from operating satellites in the harsh environment of space.

Although we work closely with the satellite manufacturers to determine and eliminate the cause of anomalies in new satellites and provide for redundancies of many critical components in the satellites, we may not be able to prevent anomalies from occurring and may experience anomalies in the future, whether of the types described above or arising from the failure of other systems or components.

Any single anomaly or series of anomalies could materially and adversely affect our ability to utilize the satellite, our operations and revenue as well as our relationships with current customers and our ability to attract new customers.  In particular, future anomalies may result in the loss of individual transponders/beams on a satellite, a group of transponders/beams on that satellite or the entire satellite, depending on the nature of the anomaly.  Anomalies may also reduce the expected capacity or useful life of a satellite, thereby reducing the revenue that could be generated by that satellite, or create additional expenses due to the need to provide replacement or back-up satellites or satellite capacity.

The loss of a satellite or other satellite malfunctions or anomalies could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, which we may not be able to mitigate by using available capacity on other satellites.  There can be no assurance that we can recover critical transmission capacity in the event one or more of our in-orbit satellites were to fail.  In addition, the loss of a satellite or other satellite malfunctions or anomalies could affect our ability to comply with FCC and other regulatory obligations and our ability to fund the construction or acquisition of replacement satellites for our in-orbit fleet in a timely fashion, or at all.  There can be no assurance that existing and future anomalies will not further impact the remaining useful life and/or the commercial operation of any of the satellites in our fleet.  In addition, there can be no assurance that we can recover critical transmission capacity in the event one or more of our in-orbit satellites were to fail.

Meteoroid events pose a potential threat to all in-orbit satellites.  The probability that meteoroids will damage those satellites increases significantly when the Earth passes through the particulate stream left behind by comets.   Occasionally, increased solar activity also poses a potential threat to all in-orbit satellites.

Some decommissioned spacecraft are in uncontrolled orbits, which pass through the geostationary belt at various points and present hazards to operational spacecraft, including our satellites.  We may be required to perform

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maneuvers to avoid collisions and these maneuvers may prove unsuccessful or could reduce the useful life of the satellite through the expenditure of fuel to perform these maneuvers.  The loss, damage or destruction of any of our satellites as a result of an electrostatic storm, collision with space debris, malfunction or other event could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We generally do not carry in-orbit insurance on any of our satellites and often do not use commercial insurance to mitigate the potential financial impact of launch or in-orbit failures because we believe that the cost of insurance is uneconomical relative to the risk of such failures.  If one or more of our in-orbit uninsured satellites fail, we could be required to record significant impairment charges for the satellite.

Our satellites have minimum design lives ranging from 12 to 15 years, but could fail or suffer reduced capacity before then.

Generally, the minimum design life of each of our satellites ranges from 12 to 15 years.  We can provide no assurance, however, as to the actual operational lives of our satellites, which may be shorter or longer than their design lives.  Our ability to earn revenue depends on the continued operation of our satellites, each of which has a limited useful life.  A number of factors affect the useful lives of the satellites, including, among other things, the quality of their design and construction, the durability of their component parts, the ability to continue to maintain proper orbit and control over the satellite’s functions, the efficiency of the launch vehicle used, and the remaining on-board fuel following orbit insertion.

In the event of a failure or loss of any of our satellites, we may relocate another satellite and use it as a replacement for the failed or lost satellite, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Such relocation would require FCC approval.  We cannot be certain that we could obtain such FCC approval.  In addition, we cannot guarantee that another satellite will be available for use as a replacement for a failed or lost satellite, or that such relocation can be accomplished without a substantial utilization of fuel.  Any such utilization of fuel would reduce the operational life of the replacement satellite.

Our satellites under construction are subject to risks related to construction and launch that could limit our ability to utilize these satellites.

Satellite construction and launch are subject to significant risks, including delays, launch failure and incorrect orbital placement. Certain launch vehicles that may be used by us have either unproven track records or have experienced launch failures in the past.  The risks of launch delay and failure are usually greater when the launch vehicle does not have a track record of previous successful flights.  Launch failures result in significant delays in the deployment of satellites because of the need both to construct replacement satellites, which can take more than three years, and to obtain other launch opportunities.  Such significant delays could materially and adversely affect our operations and our revenue and our ability to provide services to customers as capacity becomes full on existing satellites.  In addition, significant delays could give customers who have purchased or reserved capacity on that satellite a right to terminate their service contracts relating to the satellite. We may not be able to accommodate affected customers on other satellites until a replacement satellite is available.  A customer’s termination of its service contracts with us as a result of a launch failure would reduce our contracted backlog and our ability to generate revenue.  One of our launch services providers is a Russian Federation state-owned company.  Recent ongoing political events, including the imposition of sanctions, have created uncertainty as to the stability of U.S. and Russian Federation relations.  This could add to risks relative to scheduling uncertainties and timing.  Historically, we have not always carried launch insurance for the launch of our satellites; if a launch failure were to occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to fund future satellite procurement and launch opportunities, preclude us from pursuing new business opportunities and undermine our ability to implement our business strategy.  In addition, the occurrence of launch failures, whether on our satellites or those of others, may significantly reduce our ability to place launch insurance for our satellites or make launch insurance uneconomical.

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Our use of certain satellites is often dependent on satellite coordination agreements, which may be difficult to obtain.

Satellite transmissions and the use of frequencies often are dependent on coordination with other satellite systems operated by U.S. or foreign satellite operators, including governments, and it can be difficult to determine the outcome of these coordination agreements with these other entities and governments.  The impact of a coordination agreement may result in the loss of rights to the use of certain frequencies or access to certain markets.  The significance of such a loss would vary and it can therefore be difficult to determine which portion of our revenue will be impacted.

Furthermore, the satellite coordination process is conducted under the guidance of the International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”) radio regulations and the national regulations of the satellites involved in the coordination process.  These rules and regulations could be amended and could therefore materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may face interference from other services sharing satellite spectrum.

The FCC and other regulators have adopted rules or may adopt rules in the future that allow non-geostationary orbit satellite services to operate on a co-primary basis in the same frequency band as direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) and FSS. The FCC has also authorized the use of multichannel video and data distribution service (“MVDDS”) in the DBS band. Several MVDDS systems are now being commercially deployed. Despite regulatory provisions designed to protect DBS and FSS operations from harmful interference, there can be no assurance that operations by other satellites or terrestrial communication services in the DBS and FSS bands will not interfere with our DBS and FSS operations and adversely affect our business.

Our dependence on outside contractors could result in delays related to the design, manufacture and launch of our new satellites, which could in turn adversely affect our operating results.

There are a limited number of manufacturers that are able to design and build satellites according to the technical specifications and standards of quality we require, including Airbus Defence and Space, Boeing Satellite Systems, Lockheed Martin, Space Systems Loral (“SS/L”) and Thales Alenia Space.  There are also a limited number of launch service providers that are able to launch such satellites, including International Launch Services, Arianespace, Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, Space Exploration and Sea Launch Company.  The loss of any of our manufacturers or launch service providers could increase the cost and result in the delay of the design, construction or launch of our satellites.  Even if alternate suppliers for such services are available, we may have difficulty identifying them in a timely manner or we may incur significant additional expense in changing suppliers, and this could result in difficulties or delays in the design, construction or launch of our satellites.  Any delays in the design, construction or launch of our satellites could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGY

If we are unable to properly respond to technological changes, our business could be significantly harmed.

Our business and the markets in which we operate are characterized by rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards and frequent product and service introductions and enhancements.  If we or our suppliers are unable to properly respond to or keep pace with technological developments, fail to develop new technologies, or if our competitors obtain or develop proprietary technologies that are perceived by the market as being superior to ours, our existing products and services may become obsolete and demand for our products and services may decline.  Even if we keep up with technological innovation, we may not meet the demands of the markets we serve.

Furthermore, after we have incurred substantial research and development costs, one or more of the technologies under our development, or under development by one or more of our strategic partners, could become obsolete prior to its introduction.  If we are unable to respond to or keep pace with technological advances on a cost-effective and

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timely basis, or if our products, applications or services are not accepted by the market, then our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Our response to technological developments depends, to a significant degree, on the work of technically skilled employees.  Competition for the services of such employees is intense.  Although we strive to attract, retain and motivate these employees, we may not succeed in these respects.

We have made and will continue to make significant investments in research, development, and marketing for new products, services and related technologies, as well as entry into new business areas.  Investments in new technologies and business areas are inherently speculative and commercial success thereof depends on numerous factors including innovativeness, quality of service and support, and effectiveness of sales and marketing. We may not achieve revenue or profitability from such investments for a number of years, if at all.  Moreover, even if such products, services, technologies and business areas become profitable, their operating margins may be minimal.

Our business depends on certain intellectual property rights and on not infringing the intellectual property rights of others.  The loss of our intellectual property rights or our infringement of the intellectual property rights of others could have a significant adverse impact on our business.

We rely on our patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, as well as licenses and other agreements with our vendors and other parties, to use our technologies, conduct our operations and sell our products and services.  Legal challenges to our intellectual property rights and claims by third parties of intellectual property infringement could require that we enter into royalty or licensing agreements on unfavorable terms, incur substantial monetary liability or be enjoined preliminarily or permanently from further use of the intellectual property in question or from the continuation of our businesses as currently conducted, which could require us to change our business practices or limit our ability to compete effectively or could otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.  Even if we believe any such challenges or claims are without merit, they can be time-consuming and costly to defend and may divert management’s attention and resources away from our business.

Moreover, due to the rapid pace of technological change, we rely in part on technologies developed or licensed by third parties, and if we are unable to obtain or continue to obtain licenses or other required intellectual property rights from these third parties on reasonable terms, our business, financial position and results of operations could be adversely affected.  Technology licensed from third parties may have undetected errors that impair the functionality or prevent the successful integration of our products or services.  As a result of any such changes or loss, we may need to incur additional development costs to ensure continued performance of our products or suffer delays until replacement technology, if available, can be obtained and integrated.

In addition, we work with third parties such as vendors, contractors and suppliers for the development and manufacture of components that are integrated into our products and our products may contain technologies provided to us by these third parties.  We may have little or no ability to determine in advance whether any such technology infringes the intellectual property rights of others.  Our vendors, contractors and suppliers may not be required to indemnify us in the event that a claim of infringement is asserted against us, or they may be required to indemnify us only up to a maximum amount, above which we would be responsible for any further costs or damages.  Legal challenges to these intellectual property rights may impair our ability to use the products and technologies that we need in order to operate our business and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are party to various lawsuits which, if adversely decided, could have a significant adverse impact on our business, particularly lawsuits regarding intellectual property.

We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims, which arise in the ordinary course of our business.  Many entities, including some of our competitors, have or may in the future obtain patents and other intellectual property rights that cover or affect products or services related to those that we offer.  In general, if a court determines that one or more of our products or services infringes valid intellectual property rights held by others, we may be required to cease developing or marketing those products or services, to obtain licenses from the holders of the intellectual property at a material cost, or to redesign those products or services in such a way as to avoid

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infringement.  If those intellectual property rights are held by a competitor, we may be unable to license the necessary intellectual property rights at any price, which could adversely affect our competitive position.

We may not be aware of all patents and other intellectual property rights that our products and services may potentially infringe.  In addition, patent applications in the U.S. and foreign countries are confidential until the Patent and Trademark Office either publishes the application or issues a patent (whichever arises first) and, accordingly, our products may infringe claims contained in pending patent applications of which we are not aware.  Further, the process of determining definitively whether a patent claim is valid and whether a particular product infringes a valid patent claim often involves expensive and protracted litigation, even if we are ultimately successful on the merits.  We cannot estimate the extent to which we may be required in the future to obtain licenses with respect to intellectual property rights held by others and the availability and cost of any such licenses.  Those costs, and their impact on our results of operations, could be material.  Damages in patent infringement cases can be substantial, and in certain circumstances, can be trebled.  To the extent that we are required to pay unanticipated royalties to third parties, these increased costs of doing business could negatively affect our liquidity and operating results.  We are currently defending multiple patent infringement actions and may assert our own actions against parties we suspect of infringing our patents and trademarks.  We cannot be certain the courts will conclude these companies do not own the rights they claim, that these rights are not valid, or that our products and services do not infringe on these rights.  We also cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain licenses from these persons on commercially reasonable terms or, if we were unable to obtain such licenses, that we would be able to redesign our products and services to avoid infringement.  The legal costs associated with defending patent suits and pursuing patent claims against others may be borne by us if we are not awarded reimbursement through the legal process.  See further discussion under Item 3. — Legal Proceedings of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Future litigation or governmental proceedings could result in material adverse consequences, including judgments or settlements.

We may become involved in lawsuits, regulatory inquiries, consumer claims and governmental and other legal proceedings arising from of our business, including new products and services that we may offer. Some of these proceedings may raise difficult and complicated factual and legal issues and can be subject to uncertainties and complexities. The timing of the final resolutions to lawsuits, regulatory inquiries, and governmental and other legal proceedings is typically uncertain. Additionally, the possible outcomes of, or resolutions to, these proceedings could include adverse judgments, settlements or liabilities, any of which could require substantial payments or have other adverse impacts on our revenue, results of operations or cash flow.

We rely on network and information systems and other technologies and a disruption, cyber-attack, failure or destruction of such networks, systems or technologies may disrupt or harm our business and damage our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.

The capacity, reliability and security of our information technology hardware and software infrastructure are important to the operation of our business, which would suffer in the event of system disruptions or failures, such as computer hackings, cyber-attacks, computer viruses or other destructive or disruptive software, process breakdowns, denial of service attacks or other malicious activities.  Security breaches, attacks, unauthorized access and other malicious activities have significantly increased in recent years, and some of them have involved sophisticated and highly targeted attacks on computer networks.  Our networks, systems and technologies and those of our third-party service providers and our customers may also be vulnerable to such security breaches, attacks, malicious activities and unauthorized access, resulting in misappropriation, misuse, leakage, corruption, unscheduled downtime, falsification and accidental or intentional release or loss of information maintained on our and our third party service providers’ information technology systems and networks, including but not limited to customer, personnel and vendor data.  If such risks were to materialize, we could be exposed to significant costs and interruptions, delays or malfunctions in our operations, any of which could damage our reputation and credibility and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  We may also be required to expend significant resources to protect against these threats or to alleviate problems, including reputational harm and litigation, caused by any breaches.  Although we have implemented and intend to continue to implement generally recognized security measures, these measures may prove to be inadequate and we could be subject to regulatory penalties, fines, sanctions, enforcement actions, remediation obligations, and/or private litigation by parties whose information was improperly accessed, disclosed or misused which could have a material adverse effect on our

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business, financial condition and results of operations.  Furthermore, the amount and scope of insurance that we maintain against losses resulting from these events may not be sufficient to compensate us adequately for any disruptions to our business or otherwise cover our losses, including reputational harm and negative publicity as well as any litigation liability.  In addition, our ability to expand and update our information technology infrastructure in response to our growth and changing needs is important to the continued implementation of our new service offering initiatives.  A security breach or attack could impact our ability to expand or upgrade our technology infrastructure which could have adverse consequences, including the delayed implementation of new offerings, product or service interruptions, and the diversion of development resources.

If our products contain defects, we could be subject to significant costs to correct such defects and our product and network service contracts could be delayed or cancelled, which could adversely affect our revenue.

The products and the networks we deploy are highly complex, and some may contain defects when first introduced or when new versions or enhancements are released, despite testing and our quality control procedures.  For example, our products may contain software “bugs” that can unexpectedly interfere with their operation.  Defects may also occur in components and products that we purchase from third parties.  In addition, many of our products and network services are designed to interface with our customers’ existing networks, each of which has different specifications and utilize multiple protocol standards.  Our products and services must interoperate with the other products and services within our customers’ networks, as well as with future products and services that might be added to these networks, to meet our customers’ requirements.  There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix all defects in the products and networks we sell.  The occurrence of any defects, errors or failures in our products or network services could result in: (i) additional costs to correct such defects; (ii) cancellation of orders and lost revenue; (iii) a reduction in revenue backlog; (iv) product returns or recalls; (v) diversion of our resources; (vi) the issuance of credits to customers and other losses to us, our customers or end-users; (vii) liability for harm to persons and property caused by defects in or failures of our products or services; and (viii) harm to our reputation if we fail to detect or effectively address such issues through design, testing or warranty repairs.  Any of these occurrences could also result in the loss of or delay in market acceptance of our products and services and loss of sales, which would harm our reputation and our business and materially adversely affect our revenue and profitability.

RISKS RELATED TO THE REGULATION OF OUR BUSINESS

Our business is subject to risks of adverse government regulation.

Our business is subject to varying degrees of regulation in the U.S. by the FCC, and other federal, state and local entities, and in foreign countries by similar entities and internationally by the ITU.  For instance, under its Spectrum Frontiers proceeding, the FCC is considering enabling the use of one of our frequency bands, the Ka-band, on a shared basis with 5G services, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations.  These regulations are subject to the administrative and political process and do change, for political and other reasons, from time to time.  Moreover, a substantial number of foreign countries in which we have, or may in the future make, an investment, regulate, in varying degrees, the ownership of satellites and other telecommunication facilities/networks and foreign investment in telecommunications companies.  Violations of laws or regulations may result in various sanctions including fines, loss of authorizations and the denial of applications for new authorizations or for the renewal of existing authorizations.  Further material changes in law and regulatory requirements may also occur, and there can be no assurance that our business and the business of our affiliates will not be adversely affected by future legislation, new regulation or deregulation.  The failure to obtain or comply with the authorizations and regulations governing our operations could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue and our overall competitive position and could result in our suffering serious harm to our reputation.

Our business depends on regulatory authorizations issued by the FCC and state and foreign regulators that can expire, be revoked or modified, and applications for licenses and other authorizations that may not be granted.

Generally all satellite, earth stations and other licenses granted by the FCC and most other countries are subject to expiration unless renewed by the regulatory agency.  Our satellite licenses are currently set to expire at various

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times.  In addition, we occasionally receive special temporary authorizations that are granted for limited periods of time (e.g., 180 days or less) and subject to possible renewal.  Generally, our licenses and special temporary authorizations have been renewed on a routine basis, but there can be no assurance that this will continue.  There can be no assurance that the FCC or other regulators will continue granting applications for new licenses or for the renewal of existing ones.  If the FCC or other regulators were to cancel, revoke, suspend, or fail to renew any of our licenses or authorizations, or fail to grant our applications for FCC or other licenses, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Specifically, loss of a frequency authorization would reduce the amount of spectrum available to us, potentially reducing the amount of services we provide to our customers.  The significance of such a loss of authorizations would vary based upon, among other things, the orbital location, the frequency band and the availability of replacement spectrum.  In addition, the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government and foreign governments often consider legislation and regulatory requirements that could affect us, as could the actions that the FCC and foreign regulatory bodies take.  We cannot predict the outcomes of these legislative or regulatory proceedings or their effect on our business.

In addition, third parties have or may oppose some of our license applications and pending and future requests for extensions, modifications, waivers and approvals of our licenses.  Even if we have fully complied with all of the required reporting, filing and other requirements in connection with our authorizations, it is possible a regulator could decline to grant certain of our applications or requests for authority, or could revoke, terminate, condition or decline to modify, extend or renew certain of our authorizations or licenses.

We may face difficulties in accurately assessing and collecting contributions towards the Universal Service Fund.

Because our customer contracts often include both telecommunications services, which create obligations to contribute to the Universal Service Fund (“USF”), and other goods and services, which do not, it can be difficult to determine what portion of our revenue forms the basis for our required contribution to the USF and the amount that we can recover from our customers.  If the FCC, which oversees the USF, or a court or other governmental entity were to determine that we computed our USF contribution obligation incorrectly or passed the wrong amount onto our customers, we could become subject to additional assessments, liabilities, or other financial penalties.  In addition, the FCC is considering substantial changes to its USF contribution and distribution rules.  These changes could impact our future contribution obligations and those of third parties that provide communication services to our business.  Any such change to the USF contribution rules could adversely affect our costs of providing service to our customers.  In addition, changes to the USF distribution rules could intensify the competition we face by offering subsidies to competing firms and/or technologies.

OTHER RISKS

Our parent, EchoStar, is controlled by one principal stockholder who is our Chairman.

Charles W. Ergen, our Chairman, beneficially owns approximately 30.2% of EchoStar’s total equity securities (assuming conversion of only the Class B common stock held by Mr. Ergen into Class A common stock) and possesses approximately 51.6% of the total voting power of all classes of shares (assuming no conversion of the Class B common stock and no conversion of the preferred tracking stock).  Mr. Ergen’s beneficial ownership of EchoStar excludes 1,640 shares of EchoStar’s Class A common stock and 20,883,001 shares of its Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of its Class B common stock, in each case, currently held by certain trusts established by Mr. Ergen for the benefit of his family.  These trusts beneficially own approximately 22.4% of EchoStar’s total equity securities (assuming conversion of only the Class B common stock held by such trusts into Class A common stock) and possess approximately 39.9% of EchoStar’s total voting power (assuming no conversion of the Class B common stock).  Thus, Mr. Ergen has the ability to elect a majority of EchoStar’s directors and to control all other matters requiring the approval of its stockholders.  As a result of Mr. Ergen’s voting power, EchoStar is a “controlled company” as defined in the Nasdaq listing rules and, therefore, is not subject to Nasdaq requirements that would otherwise require EchoStar to have (i) a majority of independent directors; (ii) a nominating committee composed solely of independent directors; (iii) compensation of our executive officers determined by a majority of the independent

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directors or a compensation committee composed solely of independent directors; and (iv) director nominees selected, or recommended for the Board’s selection, either by a majority of the independent directors or a nominating committee composed solely of independent directors.

We have potential conflicts of interest with DISH Network due to EchoStar and DISH Network’s common ownership.

Questions relating to conflicts of interest may arise between DISH Network and us in a number of areas relating to our past and ongoing relationships.  Areas in which conflicts of interest between DISH Network and us could arise include, but are not limited to, the following:

·                  Cross directorships and stock ownership.  We have certain overlap in our directors and Chairman position with DISH Network, which may lead to conflicting interests.  EchoStar’s board of directors includes persons who are members of the board of directors of DISH Network, including Charles W. Ergen, who serves as the Chairman of and is employed by both companies.  Our Chairman and the members of EchoStar’s board of directors who overlap with DISH Network also have fiduciary duties to DISH Network’s shareholders.  Therefore, these individuals may have actual or apparent conflicts of interest with respect to matters involving or affecting each company.  For example, there is potential for a conflict of interest when we or DISH Network look at acquisitions and other corporate opportunities that may be suitable for both companies.  In addition, many of EchoStar’s directors and officers own DISH Network stock and options to purchase DISH Network stock, certain of which they acquired or were granted prior to the Spin-off (as defined in Note 13 in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 15 of this report), including Mr. Ergen.  Furthermore, DISH Network holds shares of preferred tracking stock of EchoStar and us that in the aggregate represents an 80.0% economic interest in our residential retail satellite broadband business.  These ownership interests could create actual, apparent or potential conflicts of interest when these individuals are faced with decisions that could have different implications for our company and DISH Network.

·                  Intercompany agreements with DISH Network.  EchoStar entered into various agreements with DISH Network.  Pursuant to certain agreements, DISH Network provides EchoStar and us certain professional services, for which EchoStar pays DISH Network an amount equal to DISH Network’s cost plus a fixed margin.  Certain other intercompany agreements cover matters such as tax sharing and its responsibility for certain liabilities previously undertaken by DISH Network for certain of EchoStar’s businesses.  EchoStar also entered into certain commercial agreements with DISH Network.  The terms of certain of these agreements were established while EchoStar was a wholly-owned subsidiary of DISH Network and were not the result of arm’s length negotiations.  The allocation of assets, liabilities, rights, indemnifications and other obligations between DISH Network and EchoStar under the separation and ancillary agreements EchoStar entered into with DISH Network did not necessarily reflect what two unaffiliated parties might have agreed to.  Had these agreements been negotiated with unaffiliated third parties, their terms may have been more favorable, or less favorable, to EchoStar.  In addition, DISH Network or its affiliates will continue to enter into transactions with EchoStar or its subsidiaries, us or our subsidiaries, or other affiliates.  Although the terms of any such transactions will be established based upon negotiations between DISH Network and us and, when appropriate, subject to the approval of EchoStar’s audit committee and committee of the non-interlocking directors or in certain instances non-interlocking management, there can be no assurance that the terms of any such transactions will be as favorable to us or our subsidiaries or affiliates as may otherwise be obtained in negotiations between unaffiliated third parties.

·                  Competition for business opportunities.  DISH Network retains its interests in various companies that have subsidiaries or controlled affiliates that own or operate domestic or foreign services that may compete with services offered by our businesses.  In addition, pursuant to a distribution agreement, DISH Network has the right, but not the obligation, to market, sell and distribute our Hughes segment’s satellite broadband internet service under the dishNET brand which could compete with sales by our Hughes segment.  DISH Network also has a distribution agreement with ViaSat, a competitor of our Hughes segment, to sell services similar to those offered by our Hughes segment.  We may also compete with DISH Network when we participate in auctions for spectrum or orbital slots for our satellites.

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We may not be able to resolve any potential conflicts of interest with DISH Network and, even if we do so, the resolution may be less favorable to us than if we were dealing with an unaffiliated party. We do not have any agreements with DISH Network that would prevent us from competing with each other.  However, many of our potential customers who compete with DISH Network have historically perceived us as a competitor due to our affiliation with DISH Network.  There can be no assurance that we will be successful in entering into any commercial relationships with potential customers who are competitors of DISH Network (particularly if we continue to be perceived as affiliated with DISH Network as a result of common ownership, certain shared management services and other arrangements with DISH Network).

We are a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar and do not operate as an independent company.

We rely on EchoStar for a substantial portion of our administrative and management functions and services including human resources-related functions, accounting, tax administration, legal, external reporting, treasury administration, internal audit and insurance functions, information technology and telecommunications services and other support services.  While we have access to certain of Hughes Communications’ infrastructure, we do not have systems and resources in place to perform all these functions or services.  Instead, we generally receive these services pursuant to an arrangement between us and EchoStar.  EchoStar in turn receives certain of these services from DISH Network pursuant to a professional services agreement entered into between them.  We anticipate continuing to rely upon DISH Network to provide many of these services.  If our intercompany arrangement with EchoStar were to terminate, or if EchoStar no longer receives certain services from DISH Network, we would need to obtain agreements with third-party service providers or obtain additional internal resources, neither of which may be available on acceptable terms or at all.

It may be difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so may be beneficial to our shareholders, because of our capital structure.

Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws, such as a provision that authorizes the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock, which could be issued by our board of directors to increase the number of outstanding shares and thwart a takeover attempt, may discourage delay or prevent a change in control of our company that a shareholder may consider favorable. In addition, our parent, EchoStar holds all of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock, which results in EchoStar having the power to elect all of our directors and control shareholder decision on all matters.

The preferred tracking stock in our capital structure may create conflicts of interest for our board of directors and management, and our board of directors may make decisions that could adversely affect only one group of holders.

Our preferred tracking stock capital structure could give rise to occasions when the interests of holders of stock of one group might diverge or appear to diverge from the interests of holders of stock of the other group and our board of directors or officers could make decisions that could adversely affect only one group of holders.  Colorado law requires that our board of directors and officers act in good faith, with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar circumstances and in a manner they reasonably believe to be in the best interest of the company and are not required to consider, as a dominant factor, the effect of a proposed corporate action upon any particular group of shareholders.  Decisions deemed to be in the interest of our company may not always align with the best interest of a particular group of our shareholders when considered independently.  Examples include, but are not limited to:

·                  decisions as to the terms of any business relationships that may be created between the HSSC Group and the Hughes Retail Group and the terms of any reattributions of assets between the groups;

·                  decisions as to the allocation of corporate opportunities between the groups, especially where the opportunities might meet the strategic business objectives of both groups;

·                  decisions as to operational and financial matters that could be considered detrimental to one group but beneficial to the other;

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·                  decisions as to the internal or external financing attributable to businesses or assets attributed to either of our groups;

·                  decisions as to the payment of dividends on our common stock or preferred tracking stock; and

·                  decisions as to the disposition of assets of either of our groups.

In addition, as our preferred tracking stock is currently held by DISH Network, questions relating to conflicts of interest may also arise between DISH Network and us due to EchoStar and DISH Network’s common ownership and Chairman.

Provisions of Colorado law and our articles of incorporation may protect decisions of our board of directors and officers that have a disparate impact on one group of shareholders.  Our shareholders may have limited or no legal remedies under Colorado law with respect to such decisions even if the actions of our directors or officers adversely affect the market value of our common stock.

Our board of directors has the ability to change our attribution policies at any time without a vote of our common shareholders.

Our board of directors has adopted the Policy Statement. Our board of directors may at any time change or make exceptions to the Policy Statement with only the consent of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our preferred tracking stock.  Because these policies relate to matters concerning the day-to-day management of our company as opposed to significant corporate actions, such as a merger involving the Company or a sale of substantially all of our assets, no approval from our common shareholders is required with respect to the changes or exceptions to these policies.  A decision to change, or make exceptions to the Policy Statement or adopt additional policies could disadvantage one group of shareholders while advantaging another.

We may face other risks described from time to time in periodic and current reports we file with the SEC.

Item 1B.      UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

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Item 2.         PROPERTIES

Our principal executive offices are located at 100 Inverness Terrace East, Englewood, Colorado 80112-5308 and our telephone number is (303) 706-4000.  The following table sets forth certain information concerning our principal properties related to our Hughes segment (“Hughes”), EchoStar Satellite Services segment (“ESS”) and to our other operations and administrative functions (“Other”) as of December 31, 2015.  We operate various facilities in the U.S. and abroad.  We believe that our facilities are well maintained and are sufficient to meet our current and projected needs.

Item 3.         LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

For a discussion of legal proceedings, see Note 13 in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 15 of this report.

Item 4.         MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5.         MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information.  As of February 16, 2016, all of our 1,000 issued and outstanding shares of common stock were held by EchoStar.  There is currently no established trading market for our common stock. On December 20, 2013, we amended our Articles of Incorporation to authorize the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of February 16, 2016, 81.128 shares of our preferred stock were issued and outstanding.

Dividends.  We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock in the past two years.  Payment of any future dividends will depend upon our earnings and capital requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors the board of directors considers appropriate.  We currently intend to retain our earnings, if any, to support future growth and expansion.  Our ability to declare dividends is affected by covenants in our indentures.

Item 7.         MANAGEMENT’S NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Unless the context indicates otherwise, as used herein, the terms “we,” “us,” “HSS,” the “Company” and “our” refer to Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation and its subsidiaries.  References to “$” are to United States dollars. The following management’s narrative analysis of results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  This management’s narrative analysis is intended to help provide an understanding of our financial condition, changes in our financial condition and our results of operations.  Many of the statements in this management’s narrative analysis are forward-looking statements that involve assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict and beyond our control.  Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  See “Disclosure Regarding Forward Looking Statements” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion. For a discussion of additional risks, uncertainties and other factors that could impact our results of operations or financial condition, see the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  Further, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and we undertake no obligation to update them.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

We are a holding company and a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (“EchoStar”).  We were formed as a Colorado corporation in March 2011.  We are a global provider of satellite operations, video delivery solutions, and broadband satellite technologies and services for the home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for enterprises and governments.  We currently operate in two business segments, which are differentiated primarily by their operational focus:  Hughes and EchoStar Satellite Services. These segments are consistent with the way decisions regarding the allocation of resources are made, as well as how operating results are reviewed by our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), who for HSS is the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.

Highlights from our financial results are as follows:

Consolidated Results of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 2015

·                  Revenue of $1.84 billion

·                  Operating income of $383.0 million

·                  Net income attributable to HSS of $137.4 million

·                  EBITDA of $804.6 million (see reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure in Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements in Item 15 of this report)

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Consolidated Financial Condition as of December 31, 2015

·                  Total assets of $4.60 billion

·                  Total liabilities of $3.06 billion

·                  Total stockholders’ equity of $1.54 billion

·                  Cash, cash equivalents and current marketable investment securities of $636.3 million

Hughes Segment

Our Hughes segment is a global provider of broadband satellite technologies and services for the home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for consumers, enterprises and governments.

We continue our efforts in growing our consumer revenue, which depends on our success in adding new subscribers on our Hughes segment’s satellite networks.  The addition of new subscribers and the performance of our consumer service offering, primarily drive the revenue growth in our consumer business.  Service costs related to ongoing support of our direct and indirect customers and partners are typically impacted most significantly by our growth.  Long-term trends continue to be influenced primarily by the subscriber growth in our consumer business.

New satellite launches are expected to provide additional capacity for subscriber growth while we manage subscriber growth across our existing satellite platform.  In March 2013, EchoStar entered into a contract for the design and construction of the EchoStar XIX satellite, which is expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2016.  The EchoStar XIX satellite is a next-generation, high throughput geostationary satellite that will employ a multi-spot beam, bent pipe Ka-band architecture and will provide additional capacity for the Hughes broadband services to the consumer market in North America, as well as new capacity covering Mexico and other Latin American countries.

Our Hughes segment also provides managed services, hardware, and satellite services to large enterprises.  In addition, we provide gateway and terminal equipment to customers for mobile satellite systems.  The fixed pricing nature of our long-term enterprise contracts minimizes significant quarter to quarter fluctuations; however, the growth of our enterprise business relies heavily on global economic conditions.  We continue to monitor the competitive landscape for pricing in relation to our competitors and alternative technologies.

We continue our efforts in growing our consumer satellite services business outside of the U.S.  In April 2014, we entered into a satellite services agreement, pursuant to which Eutelsat do Brasil will provide to us fixed broadband service using the Ka-band capacity into Brazil on the EUTELSAT 65 West A satellite for a 15-year term. We expect the satellite to launch in the first quarter of 2016 and to begin delivering consumer satellite broadband services in Brazil in the second half of 2016.  In addition, in September 2015, we entered into satellite services agreements pursuant to which affiliates of Telesat Canada (“Telesat”) will provide to us fixed broadband service into South America using the Ka-band capacity on a satellite to be located at the 63 degree west longitude orbital location for a 15-year term.  We expect the satellite to be launched in the second quarter of 2018 to deliver consumer satellite broadband services into South America as well as create a platform to potentially allow for further development of our business in South America.

In June 2015, EchoStar purchased an equity investment in WorldVu Satellites Limited (“OneWeb”), a low-earth orbit satellite company, and we entered into an agreement with OneWeb to provide certain equipment and services in connection with the ground system for OneWeb’s low-earth orbit satellites.

As of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, our Hughes segment had approximately 1,035,000, 977,000 and 860,000 broadband subscribers, respectively.  These broadband subscribers include customers that subscribe to our HughesNet broadband services through retail, wholesale and small/medium enterprise service channels.  Gross subscriber additions decreased for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 and our average monthly subscriber churn for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased as compared to the same period in 2014.  As a result, for the year ended December 31, 2015, net subscriber additions of approximately 56,000 were lower than for the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to satellite beams servicing certain areas reaching capacity and the increase in churn on the larger base of subscribers. Subscriber additions excludes small/medium enterprise service channels.

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As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, our Hughes segment had approximately $1.44 billion and $1.26 billion, respectively, of contracted revenue backlog.  We define Hughes contracted revenue backlog as our expected future revenue under customer contracts that are non-cancelable, excluding agreements with customers in our consumer market.  The increase in contracted revenue backlog is primarily due to an increase in customer contracts from our international markets as a result of future commitments to provide satellite services and gateway and network management services on the EchoStar XIX satellite. Of the total contracted revenue backlog as of December 31, 2015, we expect to recognize approximately $402.1 million of revenue in 2016.

EchoStar Satellite Services Segment

Our EchoStar Satellite Services segment operates its business using its owned and leased in-orbit satellites.  We provide satellite services on a full-time and occasional-use basis primarily to DISH Network Corporation (“DISH Network”), Dish Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. (“Dish Mexico”), U.S. government service providers, internet service providers, broadcast news organizations, programmers and private enterprise customers.

We depend on DISH Network for a significant portion of the revenue for our EchoStar Satellite Services segment, and we expect that DISH Network will continue to be the primary source of revenue for our EchoStar Satellite Services segment.  Therefore, the results of operations of our EchoStar Satellite Services segment are linked to long-term changes in DISH Network’s satellite capacity requirements.  We continue to pursue expanding our business offerings by providing value added services such as telemetry, tracking and control services to third parties.

In August 2014, we entered into: (i) a construction contract with Airbus Defence and Space SAS for the construction of the EchoStar 105/SES-11 satellite with C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band payloads; (ii) an agreement with SES Satellite Leasing Limited for the procurement of the related launch services; and (iii) an agreement with SES Americom Inc. (“SES”) pursuant to which we will transfer the title to the C-band and Ka-band payloads to SES Satellite Leasing Limited at launch and transfer the title to the Ku-band payload to SES following in-orbit testing of the satellite.  Simultaneously, SES will provide to us satellite service on the entire Ku-band payload on the EchoStar 105/SES-11 satellite for an initial ten-year term, with an option for us to renew the agreement on a year-to-year basis.

Revenue growth in our EchoStar Satellite Services segment is a function of available satellite capacity to sell.  Our EchoStar 105/SES-11 satellite is currently under construction and will replace the capacity currently leased on the AMC-15 satellite.  Once launched, which is expected in the fourth quarter of 2016, and placed into operation, we expect revenue from the satellite to exceed the revenue currently serviced by the AMC-15 satellite.  Any factors that interfere with the construction and launch schedule of the EchoStar 105/SES-11 satellite could impact our expected revenue.  In addition, any disruption in planned renewals of our service arrangements could impact customer commitments and have an impact on our revenue and financial performance.  Technical issues, regulatory and licensing issues, manufacturer performance/stability and availability of capital to continue to fund our programs also are factors in achieving our business plans for this segment.

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, our EchoStar Satellite Services segment had contracted revenue backlog attributable to satellites currently in orbit of approximately $1.41 billion and $1.71 billion, respectively.  The decrease is primarily driven by the fixed-term nature of the satellite services agreements with DISH Network.  Of the total contracted revenue backlog as of December 31, 2015, we expect to recognize approximately $373.2 million of revenue in 2016.

New Business Opportunities

Our industry is evolving with the increase in worldwide demand for broadband internet access for information, entertainment and commerce.  In addition to fiber and wireless systems, other technologies such as geostationary high throughput satellites, low-earth orbit networks, balloons, and High Altitude Platform Systems (“HAPS”) will likely play significant roles in enabling global broadband access, networks and services.  We intend to use our expertise, technologies, capital, investments, global presence, relationships and other capabilities to continue to provide broadband internet systems, networks and services for information, entertainment and commerce in North America and internationally for consumers, enterprises and governments.

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We are selectively exploring opportunities to pursue partnerships, joint ventures and strategic acquisition opportunities, domestically and internationally, that we believe may allow us to increase our existing market share, expand into new markets, broaden our portfolio of products and intellectual property, and strengthen our relationships with our customers.  We may allocate significant resources for long-term initiatives that may not have a short or medium term or any positive impact on our revenue, results of operations or cash flow.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Basis of Presentation

The following discussion and analysis of our consolidated results of operations is presented on a historical basis.

Year Ended December 31, 2015 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2014

* Percentage is not meaningful.

(1) An explanation of our key metrics is included on pages 28 and 29 under the heading “Explanation of Key Metrics and Other Items.”

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Item 7.   MANAGEMENT’S NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — Continued

Services and other revenue — other.  “Services and other revenue — other” totaled $1.10 billion for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $18.1 million, or 1.7%, compared to the same period in 2014.

Services and other revenue — other from our Hughes segment for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $26.2 million, or 2.6%, to $1.03 billion compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was primarily attributable to an increase of $54.2 million in sales of broadband services to our domestic consumer markets, partially offset by a decrease of $24.7 million of broadband services to our international customers, primarily due to weakening foreign exchange rates in certain markets.

Services and other revenue — other from our EchoStar Satellite Services segment for the year ended December 31, 2015 decreased by $10.0 million, or 13.0%, to $67.1 million compared to the same period in 2014.  The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease in sales of transponder services in 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 due to a decrease in transponders available for sale.

Services and other revenue — DISH Network.  “Services and other revenue — DISH Network” totaled $518.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $30.9 million, or 6.3%, compared to the same period in 2014.

Services and other revenue — DISH Network from our Hughes segment for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $13.7 million, or 16.9%, to $94.4 million compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in wholesale subscribers receiving services pursuant to our Distribution Agreement with dishNET Satellite Broadband L.L.C. (“dishNET”).

Services and other revenue — DISH Network from our EchoStar Satellite Services segment for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $16.2 million, or 4.0%, to $423.5 million compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was mainly due to an increase of $26.9 million in revenue recognized from certain satellite services provided to DISH Network for the five satellites transferred to us from DISH Network as part of the Satellite and Tracking Stock Transaction.  See Note 3 in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 15 of this report for further discussion related to the Satellite and Tracking Stock Transaction.  The increase was partially offset by a decrease of $9.0 million in services provided to DISH Network on the EchoStar VIII and EchoStar XII satellites.

Equipment revenue — other.  “Equipment revenue — other” totaled $212.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $1.3 million, or 0.6%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was mainly due to an increase of $5.8 million in sales of broadband equipment to our international customers and domestic enterprise market, partially offset by a decrease of $5.5 million in sales of broadband equipment to our domestic consumer market and government projects.

Equipment revenue — DISH Network.  “Equipment revenue — DISH Network” totaled $10.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, a decrease of $21.2 million, or 66.3%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The decrease was primarily due to the decrease in the volume of unit sales of broadband equipment to dishNET.  Sales of broadband equipment to dishNET have been decreasing as a result of  a decrease in the unit sales of broadband equipment to dishNET.

Cost of sales — services and other.  “Cost of sales — services and other” totaled $525.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, a decrease of $10.4 million, or 1.9%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The decrease in our Hughes segment was primarily attributable to a decrease of $19.2 million in service costs of our broadband services provided to our international customers primarily due to lower in-country costs denominated in local currency and a decrease of $3.7 million in the cost of sales related to our domestic broadband services due to the decrease of third party space segment costs as customers either terminated services or migrated to our platform.  These decreases were partially offset by an increase of $13.5 million in cost of sales of our EchoStar Satellite Services segment primarily related to the commencement of the AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellite operating leases in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015, respectively.

Cost of sales — equipment.  “Cost of sales — equipment” totaled $195.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, a decrease of $13.5 million, or 6.5%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The decrease was primarily

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attributable to a decrease in equipment costs related to the decrease in sales volume of broadband equipment to DISH Network related to our Distribution Agreement with dishNET, partially offset by an increase in the cost of sales of broadband equipment to our domestic enterprise market.

Selling, general and administrative expenses.  “Selling, general and administrative expenses” totaled $276.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $12.0 million, or 4.5%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was mainly due to a $4.7 million increase in marketing and promotional expenses primarily in our Hughes segment, a $3.0 million expense related to other general and administrative expenses, and a $2.5 million increase in other personnel expenses.

Research and development expenses.  “Research and development expenses” totaled $26.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $6.2 million, or 30.6%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was primarily related to an increase in research and development expense of $6.2 million in our Hughes segment.  The Company’s research and development activities vary based on the activity level and scope of other engineering and customer related development contracts.

Depreciation and amortization.  “Depreciation and amortization” expenses totaled $430.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, a decrease of $22.0 million, or 4.9%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease in depreciation expense of $18.5 million relating to the fully depreciated EchoStar VIII and EchoStar XII satellites, a decrease of $10.4 million in amortization expense from certain of our fully amortized other intangible assets, and a decrease in depreciation expense of $3.5 million relating to the expiration of the capital lease for the AMC-15 satellite in December 2014.  The decreases were partially offset by increases in depreciation of $7.9 million from our EchoStar Satellite Services segment, primarily due to the depreciation of the five satellites we received from DISH Network as part of the Satellite and Tracking Stock Transaction.

Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized.  “Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized” totaled $169.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, a decrease of $22.1 million, or 11.6%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The decrease was primarily due to higher capitalized interest of $13.7 million related to the construction of the EchoStar XIX, EchoStar XXI, EchoStar 105/SES-11 and EUTELSAT 65 West A satellites, and a decrease in interest expense of $7.7 million relating to the partial redemption of $110.0 million of the outstanding principal amount of our 6 1/2% Senior Secured Notes due 2019 (the “Senior Secured Notes”) in the second quarter of 2015, the expiration of capital leases for the AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellites, and interest expense relating to two of our satellites that are accounted for as capital leases.

Loss from partial redemption of debt.  “Loss from partial redemption of debt” totaled $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, which was due to the loss recorded on the partial redemption of the Senior Secured Notes in the second quarter of 2015.  The $5.0 million loss from the partial redemption of the Senior Secured Notes included a $3.3 million redemption premium and a $1.7 million write off of related unamortized financing costs.

Gains (losses) and impairment on marketable investment securities, net.  “Gains (losses) and impairment on marketable investment securities, net” totaled $12.6 million in losses for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase in loss of $12.6 million compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase in loss was primarily due to an increase of $6.4 million in unrealized holding losses on our trading securities and an other than temporary impairment loss of $6.1 million on a strategic equity security in our available-for-sale securities portfolio.

Other, net.  “Other, net” totaled $10.7 million in income for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to $4.6 million in income for the same period in 2014, an increase of $6.1 million.  The increase in income was primarily related to a $4.8 million gain on an instrument related to our trading securities, a $4.5 million reduction of the capital lease obligation for the AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellites in the first quarter of 2015 and a $3.4 million increase in equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate in 2015.  These increases were offset partially by a loss of $6.8 million attributable to Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) regulatory fees.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”).   EBITDA was $804.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $23.1 million, or 3.0%, compared to the same period in 2014.   Gross margin, which we define as total revenue less total cost of sales, increased by $53.1 million.  There was also a $4.8 million gain on an instrument related to our trading securities, as well as a $4.5 million reduction of the capital lease obligation for the AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellites in the first quarter of 2015.  These increases in EBITDA were partially offset by increases in Selling, general and administrative expenses of $12.0  million and in R&D expenses of $6.2 million, a loss of $6.8 million attributable to FCC regulatory fees, an other-than-temporary impairment loss of $6.1 million on a certain strategic equity security and a loss of $5.0 million from the partial redemption of the Senior Secured Notes.   EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is described under Explanation of Key Metrics and Other Items below.  The following table reconciles EBITDA to Income before income taxes, the most directly comparable GAAP measure in the accompanying financial statements.

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Item 7.   MANAGEMENT’S NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — Continued

Income tax provision, net.  Income tax expense was $72.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $40.1 million for the same period in 2014.  Our effective income tax rate was 34.2% for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to 28.1% for the same period in 2014.  The variation in our current year effective tax rate from the U.S. federal statutory rate was primarily due to research and experimentation tax credits.  The variation in our effective tax rate from the U.S. federal statutory rate for the same period in 2014 was primarily due to research and experimentation tax credits and lower state effective tax rate.

Net income attributable to HSS.  Net income attributable to HSS was $137.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $36.2 million, or 35.7%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in operating income, including depreciation and amortization, of $56.9 million, and a decrease in interest expense of $22.1 million due to an increase in capitalization of interest expense associated with the construction of the EchoStar XIX, EchoStar XXI, EchoStar 105/SES-11 and EUTELSAT 65 West A satellites, and a decrease in interest expense relating to the partial redemption of the Senior Secured Notes, the expiration of capital leases for the AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellites, and interest expense relating to two of our satellites that are accounted for as capital leases.  These increases were partially offset by an increase in income tax expense of $32.3 million, and other-than temporary impairment loss of $6.1 million on a strategic equity security, offset partially by a $4.8 million gain on an instrument related to our trading securities, and a loss of $5.0 million from the partial redemption of the Senior Secured Notes.

Segment Operating Results and Capital Expenditures

Year Ended December 31, 2015 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2014

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Item 7.   MANAGEMENT’S NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — Continued

Hughes Segment

Revenue

Hughes segment total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $19.6 million, or 1.5%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was primarily due to an increase of $70.5 million in revenue related to sales of broadband services to our consumer markets and dishNET.  These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $24.7 million of broadband services to our international customers primarily due to weakening foreign exchange rates in certain markets and a decrease of $21.2 million in sales of broadband equipment to dishNET.

Capital Expenditures

Hughes segment capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $66.9 million, or 30.6%, compared to the same period in 2014, primarily as a result of an increase in expenditures on satellite ground infrastructures and the EUTELSAT 65 West A satellite.

EBITDA

Hughes segment EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $396.7 million, an increase of $39.8 million, or 11.2%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The increase was primarily driven by an increase of $66.6 million in gross margin primarily related to an increase in sales of broadband services to our consumer market and dishNET, offset partially by a decrease in broadband services to our international market, $11.3 million increase in selling, general and administrative expenses, and a $6.2 million increase in research and development expenses.

EchoStar Satellite Services Segment

Revenue

EchoStar Satellite Services segment total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $6.1 million, or 1.3%, compared to the same period in 2014, primarily due to an increase of $16.2 million in service revenue primarily related to satellite services provided to DISH Network on the five satellites we received as part of the Satellite and Tracking Stock Transaction, partially offset by a decrease of $10.0 million in service revenue — other attributable to a decrease in sales of transponder services due to a decrease in transponders available for sale.

Capital Expenditures

EchoStar Satellite Services segment capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by $72.5 million, compared to the same period in 2014, primarily related to the increase in expenditures on the EchoStar 105/SES-11 satellite.

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Item 7.   MANAGEMENT’S NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — Continued

EBITDA

EchoStar Satellite Services segment EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $412.6 million, a decrease of $6.8 million, or 1.6%, compared to the same period in 2014.  The decrease in EBITDA for our EchoStar Satellite Services segment was primarily due to an increase in cost of sales — services of $13.5 million primarily related to the commencement of the AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellite operating leases in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015, respectively, partially offset by an increase in service revenue.

EXPLANATION OF KEY METRICS AND OTHER ITEMS

Services and other revenue— other.  “Services and other revenue— other” primarily includes the sales of enterprise and consumer broadband services, as well as maintenance and other contracted services.  “Services and other revenue— other” also includes revenue associated with satellite and transponder services, satellite uplinking/downlinking and other services provided to customers other than DISH Network.

Services and other revenue — DISH Network.  “Services and other revenue — DISH Network” primarily includes revenue associated with satellite and transponder services, satellite uplinking/downlinking, signal processing, conditional access management, telemetry, tracking and control, professional services, facilities rental revenue and other services provided to DISH Network.  “Services and other revenue — DISH Network” also includes subscriber wholesale service fees for the Hughes service sold to dishNET.

Equipment revenue — other.  “Equipment revenue — other” primarily includes broadband equipment and networks sold to customers in our enterprise and consumer markets.

Equipment revenue — DISH Network.  “Equipment revenue — DISH Network” primarily includes sales of satellite broadband equipment and related equipment, related to the Hughes service, to DISH Network.

Cost of sales — services and other.  “Cost of sales — services and other” primarily includes the cost of broadband services provided to our enterprise and consumer customers, and to DISH Network, as well as the cost of providing maintenance and other contracted services.  “Cost of sales — services and other” also includes the costs associated with satellite and transponder services, satellite uplinking/downlinking, signal processing, conditional access management, telemetry, tracking and control, professional services, facilities rental costs, and other services provided to our customers, including DISH Network.

Cost of sales — equipment.  “Cost of sales — equipment” consists primarily of the cost of broadband equipment and networks sold to customers in our enterprise and consumer markets.

Research and development expenses.  “Research and development expenses” primarily includes costs associated with the design and development of products to support future growth and provide new technology and innovation to our customers.

Selling, general and administrative expenses.  “Selling, general and administrative expenses” primarily includes selling and marketing costs and employee-related costs associated with administrative services (e.g., information systems, human resources and other services), including stock-based compensation expense.  It also includes professional fees (e.g. legal, information systems and accounting services) and other items associated with facilities and administrative services provided by EchoStar, DISH Network and other third parties.

Impairment of long-lived assets.  “Impairment of long-lived assets” includes our impairment losses related to our property and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.

Interest income.  “Interest income” primarily includes interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and marketable investment securities, including premium amortization and discount accretion on debt securities.

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Item 7.   MANAGEMENT’S NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — Continued

Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized.  “Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized” primarily includes interest expense associated with our long-term debt and capital lease obligations (net of capitalized interest), and amortization of debt issuance costs.

Loss from partial redemption of debt.  “Loss from partial redemption of debt” primarily includes the loss from the partial redemption of the Senior Secured Notes representing the redemption premium that the Company paid to the holders of its Senior Secured Notes and the write-off of related unamortized debt issuance costs.

Gains (losses) and impairment on marketable investment securities, net.  “Gains (losses) and impairment on marketable investment securities, net” primarily includes gains, net of any losses, on the sale or exchange of investments and other-than-temporary impairment on certain of our marketable investment securities.

Other, net.  “Other, net” primarily includes foreign exchange gains and losses, dividends received from our marketable investment securities, equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate, and other non-operating income or expense items that are not appropriately classified elsewhere in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”).  EBITDA is defined as “Net income (loss) attributable to HSS” excluding “Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized,” “Interest income,” “Income tax benefit (provision), net,” and “Depreciation and amortization.”  EBITDA is not a measure determined in accordance with GAAP.  This non-GAAP measure is reconciled to “Income (loss) before income taxes” in our discussion of “Results of Operations” above.  EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for operating income, net income or any other measure determined in accordance with GAAP.  Conceptually, EBITDA measures the amount of income generated each period that could be used to service debt, pay taxes and fund capital expenditures.  EBITDA is used by our management as a measure of operating efficiency and overall financial performance for benchmarking against our peers and competitors.  Management believes EBITDA provides meaningful supplemental information regarding liquidity and the underlying operating performance of our business.  Management also believes that EBITDA is useful to investors because it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties to evaluate the performance of companies in our industry.

Subscribers.  Subscribers include customers that subscribe to our Hughes segment’s HughesNet broadband services, through retail, wholesale and small/medium enterprise service channels.

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Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Market Risks Associated with Financial Instruments and Foreign Currency

Our investments and debt are exposed to market risks, discussed below.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Current Marketable Investment Securities

As of December 31, 2015, our cash, cash equivalents and current marketable investment securities had a fair value of $636.3 million.  Of this amount, a total of $618.0 million was invested in: (a) cash; (b)  commercial paper and corporate notes with an overall average maturity of less than one year and rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations; (c) debt instruments of the U.S. government and its agencies;  and/or (d) instruments with similar risk, duration and credit quality characteristics to the commercial paper and corporate obligations described above.  The primary purpose of these investing activities has been to preserve principal until the cash is required to, among other things, fund operations, make strategic investments and expand the business.  Consequently, the size of this portfolio fluctuates significantly as cash is received and used in our business.  The value of this portfolio may be negatively impacted by credit losses; however, this risk is mitigated through diversification that limits our exposure to any one issuer.

Interest Rate Risk

A change in interest rates would not affect the fair value of our cash, or materially affect the fair value of our cash equivalents due to their maturities of less than 90 days.  A change in interest rates would affect the fair value of our current marketable debt securities portfolio; however, we normally hold these investments to maturity.  Based on our current non-strategic investment portfolio of $618.0 million as of December 31, 2015, a hypothetical 10% change in average interest rates during 2015 would not have a material impact on the fair value of our cash, cash equivalents and debt securities portfolio due to the limited duration of our investments.

Our cash, cash equivalents and current marketable debt securities had an average annual rate of return for the year ended December 31, 2015 of 0.6%.  A change in interest rates would affect our future annual interest income from this portfolio, since funds would be re-invested at different rates as the instruments mature.  A hypothetical 10% decrease in average interest rates during 2015 would have an insignificant impact to our annual interest income.

Investments in Unconsolidated Entities

As of December 31, 2015, we had $41.5 million of noncurrent nonpublic equity instruments that we hold for strategic business purposes and account for under the cost or equity methods of accounting.  The fair value of these instruments is not readily determinable. We periodically review these investments and estimate fair value when there are indications of impairment.  A hypothetical 10% adverse change in the value of these debt and equity instruments would result in a decrease of approximately $4.1 million in the value of these investments.

Our ability to realize value from our strategic investments in companies that are not publicly traded depends on the success of those companies’ businesses and their ability to obtain sufficient capital to execute their business plans.  Because private markets are not as liquid as public markets, there is also increased risk that we will not be able to sell these investments, or that when we desire to sell them we will not be able to obtain fair value for them.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

We generally conduct our business in U.S. dollars.  Our international business is conducted in a variety of foreign currencies with our largest exposures being to the Brazilian real, the Indian rupee, and the British pound.  This exposes us to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.  Transactions in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars using exchange rates in effect on the dates of the transactions.

Our objective in managing our exposure to foreign currency changes is to reduce earnings and cash flow volatility associated with foreign exchange rate fluctuations.  Accordingly, we may enter into foreign exchange contracts to mitigate risks associated with foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities, commitments, and anticipated foreign

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currency transactions.  As of December 31, 2015, we had $25.5 million of net foreign currency denominated receivables and payables outstanding, and foreign currency forward contracts with a notional value of $2.8 million in place to partially mitigate foreign currency exchange risk.  The estimated fair values of the foreign exchange contracts were not material as of December 31, 2015.  The impact of a hypothetical 10% adverse change in exchange rates on the carrying amount of the net assets and liabilities of our foreign subsidiaries would be an estimated loss of $16.2 million as of December 31, 2015.

Derivative Financial Instruments

We generally do not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes and we generally do not apply hedge accounting treatment to our derivative financial instruments.  We evaluate our derivative financial instruments from time to time but there can be no assurance that we will not enter into additional foreign currency forward contracts, or take other measures, in the future to mitigate our foreign exchange risk.

Item 8.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Our consolidated financial statements are included in Item 15 of this report beginning on page F-3.

Item 9.  CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end of the period covered by this report.  Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report such that the information required to be disclosed in our SEC reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) that occurred during our fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2015 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.  We continue to review our internal control over financial reporting, and may from time to time make changes aimed at enhancing its effectiveness and to ensure that our systems evolve with our business.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”).

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Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.  Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.  Based on this evaluation, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015.

Item 9B.  OTHER INFORMATION

None

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PART III

Item 14.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for 2016.  KPMG LLP served as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.  EchoStar Corporation’s (“EchoStar”) board of directors, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if EchoStar’s board of directors believes that a change would be in our best interests.

Fees Paid to KPMG LLP

The following table presents fees for professional services rendered by KPMG LLP on behalf of the Company for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

(1)         Consists of fees paid by us for the audit of our and our subsidiaries’ consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, review of our unaudited financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and fees in connection with statutory audits of our foreign subsidiaries.

(2)         Consists of fees paid by us and our subsidiaries for the audit of financial statements and certain fees for other services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with the issuance of consents and certifications, compliance with XBRL tagging, and professional consultations with respect to accounting issues or matters that are non-recurring in nature.

(3)         Consists of fees paid by us and our subsidiaries for tax consultation and tax compliance services.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Our board of directors has delegated to EchoStar’s Audit Committee the responsibility for appointing, setting compensation, retaining, and overseeing the work of our independent registered public accounting firm.  EchoStar’s Audit Committee has established a process regarding pre-approval of all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm.

Requests are submitted to EchoStar’s Audit Committee in one of the following ways:

·                  Request for approval of services at a meeting of EchoStar’s Audit Committee; or

·                  Request for approval of services by members of EchoStar’s Audit Committee acting by written consent.

The request may be made with respect to either specific services or a type of service for predictable or recurring services.  Fees paid by us to KPMG LLP for services rendered in 2015 and 2014 were pre-approved by EchoStar’s Audit Committee.

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PART IV

Item 15.       EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a)         The following documents are filed as part of this report:

(3)         Exhibits

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(H)                              Filed herewith.

(I)                                   Furnished herewith

*                                         Incorporated by reference.

**                                  Constitutes a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

***                           Certain portions of the exhibit have been omitted and separately filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with a request for confidential treatment.

****                    Schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K.  We agree to furnish supplementally to the Securities and Exchange Commission a copy of any omitted schedule or exhibit upon request, subject to our right to request confidential treatment of any requested schedule or exhibit.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors and Shareholders

Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015. In connection with our audits of the consolidated financial statements, we also have audited the financial statement schedule II listed in Item 15. These consolidated financial statements and the financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements and the financial statement schedule based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, present fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

Denver, Colorado
February 24, 2016