It was rumored that Dish Network customers would loose their distant satellite on 12/1/06. It is on longer a rummer. Charlie Ergan CEO of Dish Network announced last night on Dish channel 101 that because of a federal judge ruling we will no longer be able to receive distant channels such as New York, Chicago & LA. Now to people with RV's and are traveling this means that you will no longer be abel to receive NBC,CBS,ABC & FOX networks. It will not matter if you have an RV declaration on file or not. Charlie wants everyone to write their representatives as only congress can override this judge. You can go to www.savemychannels.com where their is a formatted letter or you can write your own. I think everyone should write. This is also suppose to be for Direct TV.
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Loss Of Distant Satellite Channels For RV's
- Thread starter JMetzger
- Start Date
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I guess the next question is, what will Dish do for their customers who are PAYING for network access to make up for the loss...
I dumped Dish about 1-1/2 years ago after they tried to make me pay for a separate subscription for my RV.
I had 4 receivers on my account and did the RV declaration 7 years ago.
About 4 times a year, I would take a receiver out of my house and put it in the RV for a trip.
Needless to say, we got into a big ******* match over the phone and I do not have any Dish service or gear.
S-o-b's cut off my paid up service to my house in the middle of the day while I was at work. Wife got her "Days of Our Lives" cut off and I was in deep doodoo.
As far as I am concerned Dish can go under and I wouldn't care. If Charlie Ergen's brains were on fire, I wouldn't **** in his ears to put it out!
I went with Cox Digital Cable and have High Speed Internet too. I still miss having those channels while on those RV trips.
I had 4 receivers on my account and did the RV declaration 7 years ago.
About 4 times a year, I would take a receiver out of my house and put it in the RV for a trip.
Needless to say, we got into a big ******* match over the phone and I do not have any Dish service or gear.
S-o-b's cut off my paid up service to my house in the middle of the day while I was at work. Wife got her "Days of Our Lives" cut off and I was in deep doodoo.
As far as I am concerned Dish can go under and I wouldn't care. If Charlie Ergen's brains were on fire, I wouldn't **** in his ears to put it out!
I went with Cox Digital Cable and have High Speed Internet too. I still miss having those channels while on those RV trips.
After talking to 3 different CSR's, It sounds like some customers managed to pick pick a local package that is from a different city then they live in (RVers?). They are the ones that are loosing channels. One CSR said it only affected a couple cities like LA, Dallas, NYC, etc.
I have Phila Locals. If I go more then around 400 miles or so away from Phila I cannot receive them anymore since dish is using "spot beam" antennas for the local stations.
I also have something called "super station" which gives me several different channels like KTLA, one out of denver, etc. This is not affect by the ruling.
I have Phila Locals. If I go more then around 400 miles or so away from Phila I cannot receive them anymore since dish is using "spot beam" antennas for the local stations.
I also have something called "super station" which gives me several different channels like KTLA, one out of denver, etc. This is not affect by the ruling.
I just called Dish and was told I could take my receiver with me in my rv with no problem and no need to notify them. They also said there used to be an RV package which was at additional expense but that was no longer required. According to them some of the local channel cities programming are on a different satellite and use spot beaming and required signing of the rv declaration with the additional $5. 99 charge if you wanted to receive the local channels(they did not mention the above mentioned court ruling). I have the Atlanta local channel package and they said that ATL is on a different satellite and is currently not spot beamed so it is available anywhere in the continental US.
The DISH rep said that I could take my receiver with me in my rv without any need to notify them or submit the RV declaration. I also should be able to receive the ATL local programming with no problems.
Apparently the RV declaration is only needed for local programming in cities which receive spot beaming if you want to receive that particular programming.
I would assume that, according to the previously mentioned court ruling, the local channels from cities using spot beaming will be gone as of 12-1-06.
The DISH rep said that I could take my receiver with me in my rv without any need to notify them or submit the RV declaration. I also should be able to receive the ATL local programming with no problems.
Apparently the RV declaration is only needed for local programming in cities which receive spot beaming if you want to receive that particular programming.
I would assume that, according to the previously mentioned court ruling, the local channels from cities using spot beaming will be gone as of 12-1-06.
Direct TV service
I have had Direct TV after 9/11 when we lost our free air TV from NYC. I live 90 miles north of the city and have 3 receivers, 2 of these receivers are in RV's that we own. I have one in a travel trailer, at the lake, which is permanently located 286 miles from my home so it's 376 miles from NYC and the other is in my fifth which we have traveled all over in. I pay $5. 95 extra for NYC channels and get most of them where ever we have traveled in the north east. THere have been times when I could not receive one channel. Direct TV has been great about the extra RV receivers and the service has been very good, I have no complaints Oo.
I have had Direct TV after 9/11 when we lost our free air TV from NYC. I live 90 miles north of the city and have 3 receivers, 2 of these receivers are in RV's that we own. I have one in a travel trailer, at the lake, which is permanently located 286 miles from my home so it's 376 miles from NYC and the other is in my fifth which we have traveled all over in. I pay $5. 95 extra for NYC channels and get most of them where ever we have traveled in the north east. THere have been times when I could not receive one channel. Direct TV has been great about the extra RV receivers and the service has been very good, I have no complaints Oo.
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AS one related example of the repurcussions involved, here in Grant county, eastern Oregon - about 130 miles west of the Oregon-Idaho border, we can only receive local network news broadcasts that originate in Boise Idaho. This means we are nearly totally cut off from Oregon state news as far as TV coverage is concerned. This twitch of events reaches further than just RV related issues... 
This is related but sort of off topic to the original post - have you RV'ers looked at "Free Over the Air" Satellite? There are many sat channels that are transmitted clear (not encrypted) and can be viewed for free - after purchasing the antenna (or use an existing 30" or bigger antenna) and receiver.
I haven't tried it yet, but thought some of you might be interested. The tv cable guy who did my last installation at the house says that he uses this system at home. There are both domestic and foreign channels available. Again, I've never looked at it, but it may be better than nothing.
It is NOT programming like HBO, STARZ, or paid type of programming, etc... ...
Here are a couple of websites:
http://www.ftasatellite.com/
http://www.ftalife.com/index.php
I haven't tried it yet, but thought some of you might be interested. The tv cable guy who did my last installation at the house says that he uses this system at home. There are both domestic and foreign channels available. Again, I've never looked at it, but it may be better than nothing.
It is NOT programming like HBO, STARZ, or paid type of programming, etc... ...
Here are a couple of websites:
http://www.ftasatellite.com/
http://www.ftalife.com/index.php
Dish
Hi, Sorry I don't know how to put a link to the e-mail below so I just copied and pasted the info and then below that the entire post. Apparently as of yesterday, there are several senators trying to let us keep our channels.
Maybe if we all contact the senator, we'll be able to keep watching our main channels no matter where we are parked. Diana
Senator Leahy’s office can be contacted at 202-224-4242. Emails can be sent to -- email address removed --. You can also submit a message online at http://leahy.senate.gov/contact.html.
The following was posted to What's Hot on our site:
Vermont Senator Introduces Bill to Prevent Loss of DNS Channels to Qualified Dish Network Customers.
11/20/06
Breaking news on the Dish Network DNS channel issue! The following is excerpted from Senator Leahy’s press release.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“WASHINGTON (Thursday, Nov. 16) – Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt. ) is leading a bipartisan effort to protect home satellite television customers in Vermont and across the country from losing access to some of the most popular television networks.
Leahy introduced the Satellite Consumer Protection Act, joined by Senators Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Wayne Allard (R-Colo. ), Jay Rockefeller (D-W. V. ), Robert Byrd (D-W. V. ), Ken Salazar (D-Colo. ), Hillary Clinton (D-N. Y. ) Pat Roberts (R-Kan. ), Mark Pryor (D-Minn. ) and Michael Enzi (R- Wy. ).
Leahy’s new bill would preserve satellite television service for roughly 800,000 EchoStar consumers around the country, and in Vermont, who are expected to lose it December 1 as a result of a federal court injunction. The bill strikes a balance between consumer protection and tough enforcement against EchoStar for violating the law. The legislation requires EchoStar to deposit $20 million to be used to cover any future violations.
The bipartisan bill provides a targeted solution by permitting the service to continue under specific criteria, including:
Where local stations are not available from a satellite provider, EchoStar could bring in a distant network station if it compensates the local station.
In areas that do not have affiliates of all four networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC), EchoStar could bring in a distant signal of the missing network affiliate because no local station would be harmed.
Stations from neighboring cities that are considered “significantly viewed” by the Federal Communications Commission, and generally treated as local stations, could be carried.
Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy,
Ranking Member, Judiciary Committee,
On Introduction Of The Satellite Consumer Protection Act
November 16, 2006
Today I am pleased to introduce the Satellite Consumer Protection Act of 2006, and I am proud that Senators Inouye, Snowe, Allard, Rockefeller, Byrd, Salazar, Clinton, Pryor, Roberts and Enzi are among those joining me in sponsoring this important bill. I regret the necessity of this legislation, but I am determined to protect consumers – especially consumers in rural areas such as Vermont.
This is a pro-consumer, bipartisan bill that addresses a problem that soon will face millions of Americans who subscribe to satellite TV services. I realize full well that this bill may not please the major corporations affected by this remedy, but its intent is not to help them but to help home satellite viewers.
A federal court recently found that EchoStar willfully, flagrantly, and repeatedly violated federal law, and I believe that EchoStar should be held to account for its decade of illegal activity. The situation is ultimately quite complicated, but the simplest version is this: EchoStar has been bringing distant network signals to areas that did not need satellite to provide access to that programming. But the penalty for such actions is harsh, and the court that heard the lawsuit had no choice: EchoStar will be required to stop retransmitting any distant signals. EchoStar flouted the law, but it is consumers who will suffer. Unless we pass this bill, many rural subscribers around the country will lose access to news and entertainment programming from the free, over-the-air broadcast networks.
The Satellite Consumer Protection Act is a practical, narrow, and -- most importantly -- pro-consumer solution to a problem of EchoStar’s creation. The court-issued injunction, set to take effect December 1, will prohibit EchoStar from providing any distant network stations to any of its customers. Under the Satellite Consumer Protection Act, the injunction will apply to the roughly 95 percent of the country where EchoStar provides residents their local, over-the-air stations. Our legislation would only permit EchoStar to bring in distant network stations in three situations. First, where local stations are not available from a satellite provider, EchoStar could bring in a distant network station if it compensates the local station. Second, in areas that do not have affiliates of all four networks, EchoStar could bring in a distant signal of the missing network affiliate because no local station would be harmed. Third, stations from neighboring localities that are considered “significantly viewed” by the Federal Communications Commission, and are generally treated as local stations, could be carried.
This legislation would not be complete without an enforcement provision that will truly curb EchoStar’s practice of illegally providing copyrighted content. The Satellite Consumer Protection Act therefore imposes real monetary penalties for violating the Act and requires EchoStar to put sufficient funds in escrow with the copyright office to cover any future violations.
This bipartisan bill respects the legitimate interests of broadcasters who have been harmed by EchoStar’s actions, while it serves the interests of the people who are the innocent bystanders and the real victims of this emerging problem: the consumers who are paying for these services. ”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is critically important that RVers contact Senator Leahy’s offices to both thank him for making this effort and also to inform him that the bill must include specific mention of mobile customers, like RVers, in order to be truly effective.
This is one of those times when we all need to take a moment to send an email or make a phone call. Time is of the essence here, folks!
Senator Leahy’s office can be contacted at 202-224-4242. Emails can be sent to -- email address removed --. You can also submit a message online at http://leahy.senate.gov/contact.html.
The message should be brief and along these lines:
Dear Senator Leahy:
Thank you for stepping in to prevent the court-ordered loss of DNS networks to Dish Network customers who have done no wrong. Please remember that not all DNS customers are rural home owners: Many of us are full-time or part-time RVers who qualify for those channels as mobile customers. In order to qualify, we submit a special waiver for mobile customers to the satellite provider, and many of us depend totally on these DNS channels for our access to news, entertainment, and information. Many over-the-road truckers also depend on the availability of these channels. Please remember us when you move forward with your Satellite Consumer Protection Act.
Hi, Sorry I don't know how to put a link to the e-mail below so I just copied and pasted the info and then below that the entire post. Apparently as of yesterday, there are several senators trying to let us keep our channels.
Maybe if we all contact the senator, we'll be able to keep watching our main channels no matter where we are parked. Diana
Senator Leahy’s office can be contacted at 202-224-4242. Emails can be sent to -- email address removed --. You can also submit a message online at http://leahy.senate.gov/contact.html.
The following was posted to What's Hot on our site:
Vermont Senator Introduces Bill to Prevent Loss of DNS Channels to Qualified Dish Network Customers.
11/20/06
Breaking news on the Dish Network DNS channel issue! The following is excerpted from Senator Leahy’s press release.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“WASHINGTON (Thursday, Nov. 16) – Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt. ) is leading a bipartisan effort to protect home satellite television customers in Vermont and across the country from losing access to some of the most popular television networks.
Leahy introduced the Satellite Consumer Protection Act, joined by Senators Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Wayne Allard (R-Colo. ), Jay Rockefeller (D-W. V. ), Robert Byrd (D-W. V. ), Ken Salazar (D-Colo. ), Hillary Clinton (D-N. Y. ) Pat Roberts (R-Kan. ), Mark Pryor (D-Minn. ) and Michael Enzi (R- Wy. ).
Leahy’s new bill would preserve satellite television service for roughly 800,000 EchoStar consumers around the country, and in Vermont, who are expected to lose it December 1 as a result of a federal court injunction. The bill strikes a balance between consumer protection and tough enforcement against EchoStar for violating the law. The legislation requires EchoStar to deposit $20 million to be used to cover any future violations.
The bipartisan bill provides a targeted solution by permitting the service to continue under specific criteria, including:
Where local stations are not available from a satellite provider, EchoStar could bring in a distant network station if it compensates the local station.
In areas that do not have affiliates of all four networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC), EchoStar could bring in a distant signal of the missing network affiliate because no local station would be harmed.
Stations from neighboring cities that are considered “significantly viewed” by the Federal Communications Commission, and generally treated as local stations, could be carried.
Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy,
Ranking Member, Judiciary Committee,
On Introduction Of The Satellite Consumer Protection Act
November 16, 2006
Today I am pleased to introduce the Satellite Consumer Protection Act of 2006, and I am proud that Senators Inouye, Snowe, Allard, Rockefeller, Byrd, Salazar, Clinton, Pryor, Roberts and Enzi are among those joining me in sponsoring this important bill. I regret the necessity of this legislation, but I am determined to protect consumers – especially consumers in rural areas such as Vermont.
This is a pro-consumer, bipartisan bill that addresses a problem that soon will face millions of Americans who subscribe to satellite TV services. I realize full well that this bill may not please the major corporations affected by this remedy, but its intent is not to help them but to help home satellite viewers.
A federal court recently found that EchoStar willfully, flagrantly, and repeatedly violated federal law, and I believe that EchoStar should be held to account for its decade of illegal activity. The situation is ultimately quite complicated, but the simplest version is this: EchoStar has been bringing distant network signals to areas that did not need satellite to provide access to that programming. But the penalty for such actions is harsh, and the court that heard the lawsuit had no choice: EchoStar will be required to stop retransmitting any distant signals. EchoStar flouted the law, but it is consumers who will suffer. Unless we pass this bill, many rural subscribers around the country will lose access to news and entertainment programming from the free, over-the-air broadcast networks.
The Satellite Consumer Protection Act is a practical, narrow, and -- most importantly -- pro-consumer solution to a problem of EchoStar’s creation. The court-issued injunction, set to take effect December 1, will prohibit EchoStar from providing any distant network stations to any of its customers. Under the Satellite Consumer Protection Act, the injunction will apply to the roughly 95 percent of the country where EchoStar provides residents their local, over-the-air stations. Our legislation would only permit EchoStar to bring in distant network stations in three situations. First, where local stations are not available from a satellite provider, EchoStar could bring in a distant network station if it compensates the local station. Second, in areas that do not have affiliates of all four networks, EchoStar could bring in a distant signal of the missing network affiliate because no local station would be harmed. Third, stations from neighboring localities that are considered “significantly viewed” by the Federal Communications Commission, and are generally treated as local stations, could be carried.
This legislation would not be complete without an enforcement provision that will truly curb EchoStar’s practice of illegally providing copyrighted content. The Satellite Consumer Protection Act therefore imposes real monetary penalties for violating the Act and requires EchoStar to put sufficient funds in escrow with the copyright office to cover any future violations.
This bipartisan bill respects the legitimate interests of broadcasters who have been harmed by EchoStar’s actions, while it serves the interests of the people who are the innocent bystanders and the real victims of this emerging problem: the consumers who are paying for these services. ”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is critically important that RVers contact Senator Leahy’s offices to both thank him for making this effort and also to inform him that the bill must include specific mention of mobile customers, like RVers, in order to be truly effective.
This is one of those times when we all need to take a moment to send an email or make a phone call. Time is of the essence here, folks!
Senator Leahy’s office can be contacted at 202-224-4242. Emails can be sent to -- email address removed --. You can also submit a message online at http://leahy.senate.gov/contact.html.
The message should be brief and along these lines:
Dear Senator Leahy:
Thank you for stepping in to prevent the court-ordered loss of DNS networks to Dish Network customers who have done no wrong. Please remember that not all DNS customers are rural home owners: Many of us are full-time or part-time RVers who qualify for those channels as mobile customers. In order to qualify, we submit a special waiver for mobile customers to the satellite provider, and many of us depend totally on these DNS channels for our access to news, entertainment, and information. Many over-the-road truckers also depend on the availability of these channels. Please remember us when you move forward with your Satellite Consumer Protection Act.
Last edited by a moderator:
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Issue 128 – Digital Version
Digital Magazines
FREE!
TDR Test Drive - Digital Edition
Renew
Subscribe
Gift Subscriptions
Back Issues
Subscription Status
Address Change Form
Buyer's Guides
Ram Diagnostic Trouble Codes
The Perfect Collection
The Perfect Collection Vol. II
TSB Updates
Dodge/Cummins Historical Overview
Cameron Collection
What Makes Us Tick?
Product Showcase
Advertising
