Been running WildBlue for almost 8-months and pretty happy. Overall, service has been very reliable. Upload speeds aren't always at the max value, especially during evening primetime, but my download speeds have been averaging a few percent better than the plan maximun that I am on (1Mbps). Running three wired computers and one wireless connection through a router.
T4Runner: Next time the modem shows a satellite connection, but you can't surf, try refreshing the DNS allocation at your router. If that fails, do an IPCONFIG /renew followed by an IPCONFIG /refresh at your PC. Often works, and is faster than power cycling everything. Sometimes though, you have to hit the power button.
