Abstract: Recent advancement and deployment of commercial products in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite communication networks demonstrate the promise of ubiquitous access to Internet. Delivering this promise to end-users requires integrating satellite communications into existing standard Internet transmission links. This integration effort is the topic of heated debate over whether common Internet applications can perform satisfactorily over networks with high-latency links, such as those involving GEO satellite transmissions. Through simulations and actual satellite experiments, we contend that most applications can work effectively. Certain TCP-based applications have technical shortcomings that surface in both terrestrial and satellite high-speed networks, but feasible solutions exist. Furthermore, multicast applications and the network as a whole can benefit from the broadcast nature of satellite transmission and its simple network topology, as demonstrated by our experiments using NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS).