EchoStar 10-Q 2021-09-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

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

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021.

OR

☐ 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: 001-33807

EchoStar Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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 ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

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

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) 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 ☐ No ☒

As of November 2, 2021, the registrant’s outstanding common stock consisted of 38,941,239 shares of Class A common stock and 47,687,039 shares of Class B common stock, each $0.001 par value.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Form 10-Q”) 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, future developments, plans, objectives, strategies, 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,” ”project,” “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-Q and represent management’s current views and assumptions based on past experience and trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve potential known and unknown risks, uncertainties, including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), and other factors, many of which may be beyond our control and may pose a risk to our operating and financial condition both the near- and long-term. 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:

• significant risks related to our ability to operate and control our satellites, operational and environmental risks related to our owned and leased satellites, and risks related to our satellites under construction;

• our ability and the ability of third parties with whom we engage to operate our business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including regulatory and competitive considerations;

• our ability to implement and/or realize benefits of our investments and other strategic initiatives;

• legal proceedings relating to the BSS Transaction or other matters that could result in substantial costs and material adverse effects to our business;

• risks related to our foreign operations and other uncertainties associated with doing business internationally;

• risks related to our dependency upon third-party providers; and

• risks related to our human capital resources.

Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed under the caption Risk Factors in Part I, Item 1A of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), those discussed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Part I, Item 2 of this Form 10-Q and in Part II, Item 7 of our Form 10-K and those discussed in other documents we file with the 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.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, events, levels of activity, performance or achievements. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any forward-looking statements. We assume no responsibility for updating forward-looking information contained or incorporated by reference herein or in any documents we file with the SEC, except as required by law.

Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described herein or in any documents we file with the SEC occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.

i

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ECHOSTAR CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.

ECHOSTAR CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.

ECHOSTAR CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

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Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020

The following table presents our consolidated results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020:

• Percentage is not meaningful.

(1) An explanation of our key metrics is included in Explanation of Key Metrics and Other Items.

(2) A reconciliation of EBITDA to Net income (loss), the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure in our Accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements, is included in Results of Operations. For further information on our use of EBITDA, see Explanation of Key Metrics and Other Items.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

The following discussion relates to our results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020.

Services and other revenue. Services and other revenue totaled $1.3 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of $42.4 million, or 3.4%, as compared to 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to increases in our Hughes segment related to sales of broadband services to our consumer customers of $41.2 million, partially offset by decreases in sales of broadband services to our enterprise customers of $1.6 million. Our Corporate and Other segment increased by $2.2 million. These variances reflect the negative impact of exchange rate fluctuations of $2.4 million, primarily attributable to our consumer customers.

Equipment revenue. Equipment revenue totaled $192.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of $46.0 million, or 31.4%, as compared to 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to increases in hardware sales of $53.9 million to our enterprise customers, partially offset by decreases in hardware sales of $5.5 million to our mobile satellite systems customers.

Cost of sales - services and other. Cost of sales - services and other totaled $410.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, a decrease of $22.3 million, or 5.2%, as compared to 2020. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower costs of services provided to our consumer customers associated with customer care and field services as well as a non-recurring decrease in a certain international regulatory fee of $4.5 million.

Cost of sales - equipment. Cost of sales - equipment totaled $162.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of $46.5 million, or 40.2%, as compared to 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to the corresponding increase in equipment revenue.

Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses totaled $341.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, a decrease of $13.3 million, or 3.8%, as compared to 2020. The decrease was primarily attributable to decreased sales and marketing expenses of $5.2 million mainly associated with our consumer customers and decreases in bad debt expense of $9.1 million.

Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expenses totaled $368.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, a decrease of $23.2 million, or 5.9%, as compared to 2020. The decrease was primarily attributable to (i) our SPACEWAY 3 satellite which was fully depreciated at the end of the first quarter of 2021, (ii) decreases in other property and equipment depreciation expense of $1.2 million, and (iii) decreases in amortization of intangibles of $4.7 million.

Interest income, net. Interest income, net totaled $16.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, a decrease of $16.8 million, or 49.8%, as compared to 2020, primarily attributable to decreases in the yield on our marketable investment securities and a decrease in our marketable investment securities average balance.

Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized. Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized totaled $79.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, a decrease of $32.6 million, or 29.0%, as compared to 2020. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease of $23.3 million in interest expense and the amortization of deferred financing cost as a result of the repurchases and maturity of our 7 5/8% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 and an increase of $6.6 million in capitalized interest relating to the EchoStar XXIV satellite program.

Gains (losses) on investments, net. Gains (losses) on investments, net totaled $113.0 million in gains for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of $150.7 million, as compared to 2020. The change was primarily attributable to increased gains on marketable investment securities of $113.7 million in 2021 as compared to 2020, gains on other equity securities of $7.1 million in 2021, and a $29.8 million impairment loss in 2020.

Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated affiliates, net. Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated affiliates, net totaled $2.6 million in losses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, a decrease in losses of $3.3 million, or 55.7%, as compared to 2020. The decrease was related to net increased earnings from our investments in our equity method investees.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses), net. Foreign currency transaction gains (losses), net totaled $10.0 million in losses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $2.6 million in losses for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, a negative change of $7.4 million. The change was due to the net impact of foreign exchange fluctuations of certain currencies during the quarter.

Other, net. Other, net totaled $12.9 million in losses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $0.4 million in losses for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, an increase in losses of $12.5 million. The increase was primarily attributable to a litigation expense of $16.8 million and losses from debt repurchases on our 7 5/8% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 of $1.9 million, partially offset by dividends received from certain marketable equity securities of $2.2 million.

Income tax benefit (provision), net. Income tax benefit (provision), net was $(63.0) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $(6.3) million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Our effective income tax rate was 30.6% and (14.7)% for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The variations in our current year effective tax rate from the U.S. federal statutory rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 were primarily due to excluded foreign losses where the Company carries a full valuation allowance and the impact of state and local taxes. The variations in our effective tax rate from the U.S. federal statutory rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 were primarily due to the increase in our valuation allowance associated with certain foreign losses and the impact of state and local taxes, partially offset by the change in net unrealized gains that are capital in nature and research and experimentation credits.

Net income (loss) attributable to EchoStar Corporation common stock. The following table reconciles the change in Net income (loss) attributable to EchoStar Corporation common stock:

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

EBITDA. 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 Net income (loss), the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure in our Accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements:

• Percentage is not meaningful.

The following table reconciles the change in EBITDA:

Segment Operating Results and Capital Expenditures

The following tables present our total revenue, capital expenditures and EBITDA by segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020:

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

Hughes Segment

Total revenue was $1.5 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of $86.7 million, or 6.3%, as compared to 2020. Services and other revenue increased primarily due to an increase of $41.2 million in sales of broadband services to our consumer customers, partially offset by decreases in sales of broadband services to our enterprise customers of $1.6 million. Equipment revenue increased primarily due to increases in hardware sales of $53.9 million to our enterprise customers, partially offset by decreases in hardware sales of $5.5 million to our mobile satellite systems customers. These variances reflect the negative impact of exchange rate fluctuations of $2.5 million.

Capital expenditures were $228.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, a decrease of $35.2 million, or 13.3%, as compared to 2020, primarily due to decreases in expenditures associated with our consumer business, partially offset by increased expenditures related to our enterprise business and construction of our satellite-related ground infrastructure in preparation the our launch of EchoStar XXIV.

The following table reconciles the change in the Hughes Segment EBITDA:

ESS Segment

Total revenue was $12.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, a decrease of $0.4 million, or 3.2%, as compared to 2020, primarily due to a decrease in transponder services provided to third parties.

EBITDA was $6.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of $0.6 million, or 10.8%, as compared to 2020, primarily due to the recovery of a bad debt reserve.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

Corporate and Other

• Percentage is not meaningful.

Total revenue was $9.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of $2.2 million, or 31.6%, as compared to 2020, primarily due to increased services and other revenue from DISH Network.

Capital expenditures were $123.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of $92.2 million, as compared to 2020, primarily due to increases in expenditures related to the EchoStar XXIV satellite program.

The following table reconciles the change in the Corporate and Other Segment EBITDA:

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Investment Securities

We consider all liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents.

As of September 30, 2021 our cash, cash equivalents and marketable investment securities totaled $1.6 billion, of which $1.1 billion, we held as marketable investment securities, consisting of various debt and equity instruments including corporate bonds, corporate equity securities, government bonds and mutual funds.

Cash Flow Activities

The following table summarizes our cash flows provided by (used for) operating, investing and financing activities, as reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows:

Cash flows provided by (used for) operating activities increased by $62.5 million primarily attributable to changes in net income (loss) of $192.1 million and deferred tax provision (benefit), net of $41.5 million, partially offset by changes in gains (losses) on investments, net of $150.7 million and depreciation and amortization of $23.2 million.

Cash flows provided by (used for) investing activities increased by $1.6 billion primarily attributable to our marketable investment securities and other investments net activity and an increase in expenditures for property and equipment.

Cash flows provided by (used for) financing activities decreased by $1.1 billion primarily attributable to the repurchase and maturity of our 7 5/8% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021 of $901.8 million and from increased treasury share repurchases of $223.5 million.

Obligations and Future Capital Requirements

Contractual Obligations

As of September 30, 2021, our satellite-related commitments were $354.6 million. These primarily include payments pursuant to: i) agreements for the construction of the EchoStar XXIV satellite, ii) the EchoStar XXIV launch contract, iii) regulatory authorizations, and non-lease costs associated with our finance lease satellites, in-orbit incentives relating to certain satellites and commitments for satellite service arrangements.

In certain circumstances, the dates on which we are obligated to pay our contractual obligations could change.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We generally do not engage in off-balance sheet financing activities or use derivative financial instruments for hedge accounting or speculative purposes.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

Letters of Credit

The following table presents the components of our letters of credit as of September 30, 2021**:**

Certain letters of credit are secured by assets of our foreign subsidiaries.

Satellites

As our satellite fleet ages, we will be required to evaluate replacement alternatives such as acquiring, leasing or constructing additional satellites, with or without customer commitments for capacity. We may also construct, acquire or lease additional satellites or satellite capacity in the future to provide satellite services at additional orbital locations or to improve the quality of our satellite services.

Satellite Insurance

We generally do not carry in-orbit insurance on our satellites or payloads because we have assessed that the cost of insurance is not economical relative to the risk of failures. Therefore, we generally bear the risk of any in-orbit failures. Pursuant to the terms of our joint venture agreement with Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PrJSC (“Yahsat”), we are required to maintain insurance for the Al Yah 3 Brazilian payload during the commercial in-orbit service of such payload, subject to certain limitations on coverage. Our satellites and other payloads, either in orbit or under construction, are not covered by launch or in-orbit insurance. We will continue to assess circumstances going forward and make insurance-related decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Future Capital Requirements

We primarily rely on our existing cash and marketable investment securities balances, as well as cash flow generated through our operations to fund our business. Revenue in our ESS segment depends largely on our ability to continuously make use of our available satellite capacity with existing customers and our ability to enter into commercial relationships with new customers. Consumer revenue in our Hughes segment depends on our success in adding new and retaining existing subscribers and driving higher average revenue per subscriber. Revenue in our enterprise and equipment businesses relies heavily on global economic conditions and the competitive landscape for pricing relative to competitors and alternative technologies. Service costs related to ongoing support of our direct and indirect customers and partners are typically impacted most significantly by our growth. There can be no assurance that we will have positive cash flows from operations. Furthermore, if we experience negative cash flows, our existing cash and marketable investment securities balances may be reduced.

We have a significant amount of outstanding indebtedness. As of September 30, 2021, our total indebtedness was $1.5 billion. Refer to our Form 10-K for a discussion of the terms of our long-term debt. Our liquidity requirements will continue to be significant, primarily due to our remaining debt service requirements and the design and construction of our new EchoStar XXIV satellite. We may from time to time seek to purchase amounts of our outstanding debt in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, depending on market conditions, our liquidity needs and other factors. The amounts we may repurchase may be material. In addition, our future capital expenditures are likely to increase if we make acquisitions or additional investments in infrastructure, technologies or joint ventures to support and expand our business, or if we decide to purchase or build additional satellites or other technologies or assets. Other aspects of our business operations may also require additional capital. We also expect to owe U.S. Federal income tax for 2021.

We anticipate that our existing cash and marketable investment securities are sufficient to fund the currently anticipated operations of our business through the next twelve months.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

Stock Repurchases

Our Board of Directors previously authorized us to repurchase up to $500.0 million of our Class A common stock. On November 2, 2021, our Board of Directors terminated the prior repurchase authorization effective December 31, 2021, and authorized us to repurchase up to $500.0 million of our Class A common stock commencing January 1, 2022 through and including December 31, 2022. Purchases under our repurchase authorizations may be made through privately negotiated transactions, open market repurchases, one or more trading plans in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise, subject to market conditions and other factors. We may elect not to purchase the maximum amount or any of the shares allowable under these authorizations and we may also enter into additional share repurchase programs authorized by our Board of Directors. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, we repurchased 2,592,885 and 9,738,051 shares of our Class A common stock for $62.4 million and $231.4 million, respectively under this program. The remaining authorization under this program was $225.2 million as of September 30, 2021.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Our critical accounting policies are those that involve a high degree of estimation, judgment and complexity. Our critical accounting policies are those related to (i) contingent liabilities, (ii) revenue recognition and (iii) impairment of assets.

Our critical accounting policies are described in our Form 10-K under the heading Part II - Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. There have been no significant changes in our critical accounting policies from those presented in our Form 10-K.

NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

For a discussion of new accounting pronouncements, refer to Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in our Accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.

SEASONALITY

For our Hughes segment, service revenue is generally not impacted by seasonal fluctuations other than those associated with fluctuations related to sales and promotional activities.

Our ESS segment is not generally affected by seasonal impacts.

We cannot predict with any certainty whether these trends will continue in the near future as the economy and our customers react to the COVID-19 pandemic and experience associated disruptions and dislocations.

INFLATION AND SUPPLY CHAIN

Inflation has not materially affected our operations during the past three years, but we are unable to predict the extent or nature of any future inflationary pressure at this time, especially considering current worldwide supply chain disruptions. We believe that our ability to increase the prices charged for our products and services in future periods will depend primarily on competitive pressures or contractual terms. However, we may not be able to maintain pricing levels consistent with inflationary pressure on expenses.

During 2021 there have been worldwide interruptions and delays in the supply of components, materials and parts, which may impact our ability to deliver equipment in a timely manner. These interruptions and delays could also increase the cost of our equipment which we may not be able to pass onto our customers.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

EXPLANATION OF KEY METRICS AND OTHER ITEMS

Services and other revenue. Services and other revenue primarily includes the sales of consumer and enterprise broadband services, maintenance and other contracted services, revenue associated with satellite and transponder leases and services, satellite uplinking/downlinking, subscriber wholesale service fees for the HughesNet service professional services and facilities rental revenue.

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

Cost of sales - services and other. Cost of sales - services and other primarily includes the cost of broadband services provided to our consumer and enterprise customers, maintenance and other contracted services, costs associated with satellite and transponder leases and services, professional services and facilities rental.

Cost of sales - equipment. Cost of sales - equipment consists primarily of the cost of broadband equipment and networks provided to customers in our consumer and enterprise markets. It also includes certain other costs associated with the deployment of equipment to our customers.

Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses primarily include 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 expenses associated with facilities and administrative services.

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

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

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

Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized. Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized primarily includes interest expense associated with our debt and finance lease obligations (net of capitalized interest), amortization of debt issuance costs and interest expense related to certain legal proceedings.

Gains (losses) on investments, net. Gains (losses) on investments, net primarily includes changes in fair value of our marketable equity securities and other investments for which we have elected the fair value option. It may also include realized gains and losses on the sale or exchange of our available-for-sale debt securities, other-than-temporary impairment losses on our available-for-sale securities, realized gains and losses on the sale or exchange of equity securities and debt securities without readily determinable fair value and adjustments to the carrying amount of investments in unconsolidated affiliates and marketable equity securities resulting from impairments and observable price changes.

Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated affiliates, net. Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated affiliates, net includes earnings or losses from our investments accounted for using the equity method.

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses), net. Foreign currency transaction gains (losses), net include gains and losses resulting from the re-measurement of transactions denominated in foreign currencies.

Other, net. Other, net primarily includes dividends received from our marketable investment securities and other non-operating income and expense items that are not appropriately classified elsewhere in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in our Accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - CONTINUED

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”). EBITDA is defined as Net income (loss) excluding Interest income and expense, net, Income tax benefit (provision), net, Depreciation and amortization, and Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests. EBITDA is not a measure determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This non-GAAP measure is reconciled to Net income (loss) 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 U.S. GAAP. 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 the underlying operating performance of our business and is appropriate to enhance an overall understanding of our financial performance. 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 HughesNet service, through retail, wholesale and small/medium enterprise service channels.

Refer to our Form 10-K, under the heading Part II - Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk, for a more complete discussion of our risks. As of September 30, 2021, our market risk has not changed materially from those presented in our Form 10-K.

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 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q. 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 Form 10-Q such that the information required to be disclosed in our Securities and Exchange Commission reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission 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 13a-15(f) and Rule 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the three months ended September 30, 2021 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.

PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

For a discussion of legal proceedings, refer to Part I, Item 1. Financial Statements - Note 13. Contingencies - Litigation in this Form 10-Q.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

Pursuant to a stock repurchase program approved by our board of directors, we are authorized to repurchase up to $500.0 million of our Class A common stock through December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we repurchased 1,905,906 shares of our Class A common stock.

The following table provides information regarding repurchases of our Class A common stock during the three months ended September 30, 2021:

(1) On October 29, 2020, our Board of Directors authorized us to repurchase up to $500.0 million of our Class A common stock through and including December 31, 2021. On November 2, 2021, our Board of Directors authorized us to repurchase up to $500.0 million of our Class A common stock commencing January 1, 2022 through and including December 31, 2022. All shares repurchased reflected in the table above have been converted to treasury shares.

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

Not applicable.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

Financial Results

On November 9, 2021, we issued a press release (the “Press Release”) announcing our financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. A copy of the Press Release is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1. The foregoing information, including the exhibit related thereto, is furnished in response to Item 2.02 of Form 8-K and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or into any filing or other document pursuant to the Exchange Act, except as otherwise expressly stated in any such filing.

(H) Filed herewith.

(I) Furnished herewith.

• Incorporated by reference.

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

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Form 10-Q to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.