Yes, Does HughesNet run a credit check. This is to determine if you are eligible to lease their equipment and see if you are trustworthy to pay the lease based on past payments. If your credit check does not pass with HughesNet then you will need to purchase the equipment upfront, but if you are with the company for many years it will be cheaper this way. You will need to provide basic personal and financial information at the time of the signing for them to look through. If you were to either not pass the credit check, or avoid the credit check and go ahead and purchase the equipment upfront, it will cost between $350 and $450, depending on the area you live in. If you did pass the credit check then you could lease the equipment out for $10 a month, which would save you at least $100 over the two-year contract you have to sign. The equipment that you either purchase or lease is the modem and satellite dish that is necessary to mount either to your house or to a poll on your property somewhere. Most internet providers do require a credit check so if that is something that is holding you back then you can look into another option for internet.