Commitments

12 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments

Note 11 — Commitments

In January 2008, the Company entered into several agreements with Space Systems/Loral, Inc. (SS/L), Loral Space & Communications, Inc. (Loral) and Telesat Canada related to the Company’s high-capacity Ka-band spot-beam satellite, ViaSat-1. In October 2011, VaiSat-1 was successfully launched into orbit. SS/L handed over operation of the satellite to the Company in December 2011, following the successful completion of the manufacturer’s in-orbit testing. In January 2012, the Company commenced commercial operation of its ViaSat-1-based Exede broadband services. The Company’s contract with SS/L requires monthly in-orbit satellite performance incentive payments, including interest, over a fifteen-year period from December 2011 until December 2026, subject to the continued satisfactory performance of the satellite. The Company recorded the net present value of these expected future payments as a liability and as a component of the cost of the satellite during the third quarter of fiscal year 2012. As of March 30, 2012, the Company’s estimated satellite performance incentives obligation and accrued interest was $22.5 million, of which $1.6 million and $20.9 million have been classified current in accrued liabilities and non-current in other liabilities, respectively. Under the satellite construction contract with SS/L, the Company may incur up to $39.4 million in total costs for satellite performance incentives obligation and related interest earned over the fifteen-year period with potential future minimum payments of $1.6 million, $1.7 million, $1.8 million, $2.0 million and $2.1 million in fiscal years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively, with $29.7 million commitments thereafter.

On May 7, 2009, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Launch Services Agreement with Arianespace, whereby Arianespace has agreed to perform certain launch services for a future ViaSat satellite launch prior to December 2015. This amendment and restatement also provides for certain cost adjustments depending on fluctuations in foreign currencies, mass of the satellite launched and launch period timing.

The Company has various other purchase commitments under satellite capacity agreements which are used to provide satellite networking services to its customers for future minimum payments of $34.1 million, $13.2 million, $1.5 million, $0.6 million and $0.1 million in fiscal years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively, with no further commitments thereafter.

The Company leases office and other facilities under non-cancelable operating leases with initial terms ranging from one to fifteen years which expire between fiscal year 2013 and fiscal year 2023 and provide for pre-negotiated fixed rental rates during the terms of the lease. Certain of the Company’s facilities leases contain option provisions which allow for extension of the lease terms.

For operating leases, minimum lease payments, including minimum scheduled rent increases, are recognized as rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term as that term is defined in the authoritative guidance for leases including any option periods considered in the lease term and any periods during which the Company has use of the property but is not charged rent by a landlord (“rent holiday”). Leasehold improvement incentives paid to the Company by a landlord are recorded as a liability and amortized as a reduction of rent expense over the lease term. Total rent expense was $18.9 million, $17.1 million and $14.5 million in fiscal years 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Future minimum lease payments are as follows:

Fiscal Years Ending	(In thousands)
2013	$	19,401
2014		19,637
2015		18,702
2016		17,742
2017		14,841
Thereafter		42,585
	$	132,908