Complete HD Channel Lineup for Puerto Rico

[rdavidowski]

Hi people

I have been emailing the executive offices of Dish Network for a responce on when we here in Puerto Rico/USVI will be seeing a complete HD channel lineup as the rest of the nation. And finaly I got a responce from an executive at the Executive Communication Department. Aparently by this initial responce they are not planing on doing anything for us for a long time to come. You can see the emails at the bottom of the post. Remember we are paying the same amount of money but not receiving the same service as the rest of the nation. As a paying costumer I expect one of two things, that they make the necesary technical changes for this to happen in a promtly time frame, (Not at some time on the future or some bogus time frame), or give us a credit for the missing service that we are not reciving until the matter is resolved. Now they have no excuse not to work this out since they have a new satellite with excelent covereage for Purto Rico and USVI. Besides making the necesary technical changes to define ark's (Eastern and Western) they have to take into consideration us here. They can not keep making plans and living us out, they have to equate the service for all paying costumers and then go ahead with any other matters. Remember we are not getting this for free, that is only a promotional gimick. Dish has only increase the prices for the service in the last six months for every thing else. Free HD don't think so. Do the math and see if you are paying less.
Well any how this is the responce to my email and my reponce back and let's see if something comes out of this. I strongly suggest any Puerto Rico/USVI costumers to write an email and keep writing until they make some changes. I know I will. Any comments or suggestions will be apreciated.



Hello Ms. Romero
Thank you for your promt responce. I apreciate your service.
I have to confes that I was not waiting for a responce, so I am very happy that Dish takes the time to hear it's costumers concerns. Any way I understand the technical matters that affect us here on the island but I was realy hoping that Dish Network had a plan for us here with this new satellite Echostar 15. I would like to know if Dish has any other plans to expand the HD service here in Puerto Rico in a resonable amount of time by any other means? Maybe through spotbeams on 110 and 119 or giving us some space on this new satellite at 61.5. I am very proud of Dish for being the first to provide HD service here on the island but now cable companies are piking up the pase and adding new channels every day. Now my local cable company has more HD's than Dish and to be sincere I am jealous of their costumers now. I will not leave Dish for this only matter because this is not the only reason for being with you guys and I am very happy with the service, but please take us in consideration as soon as posible with this HD matter. Remember that from the costumers point of view we are still paying the same amount of money as the rest of the nation but not getting the same service. I know we in Puerto Rico are not your only concern and that we may be one of many other matters to attend but please take us into consideration the sooner the better because we have been patieance and loyal costumers. Thank you again and as always expeting great things of Dish Network. Go Dish !!!!!
Att.
Richard Davidowski
Account # 8255xxxxxxxxxxxx
Phone: 939-94x-xxxx


"
08/17/2010 07:20 PM
To


Subject
RE: HD Channels for Puerto Rico, URGENT


Richard,

Thank you for your email. We appreciate your feedback.

While we fully understand and appreciate your concerns, I am afraid we cannot provide you with a favorable solution. All HD channels on 61.5 will be migrated to 72.7 which Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands does not receive adequate signal. The company’s purpose in doing this is to have two defined arcs, Eastern Arc and Western Arc. If anything changes in regards to the migration I will notify you directly.

We appreciate you taking the time to contact us with your concerns. If you have any additional questions or would like to discuss this matter further. Please contact me.

Angeline Romero



From: Richard Davidowski
Sent: Friday, August 13, 2010 2:00 PM
To: ceo@echostar.com
Subject: HD Channels for Puerto Rico, URGENT

Hello Mr Ergen
Is of great pleasure to be a costumer of Dish Network here in Puerto Rico. And up until now I have been very happy with the service. But just recently your company has launched and put into service Echostar 15 and finaly I thought that we in PR were getting all the HD channels that the rest of the CONUS accounts get, but from the news coming out to dealers in the US I have learned that this is not going to be. How come, that now that we have great covereage form that location "61.5", and I can give testament of this claim because all my transonders are measuring more that 75% of signal strenght, your company has decided to move all HD's to 72.7 wish we in PR don't have any signal what so ever. For years we have been patience and paid the same as CONUS costoumers for less service, because of coverage conserns, but now there is no excuse to exclude us in PR from the 200 plus HD channels that Dish promotes all over. We here are limited to only 41 HD core programing channels, this excludes pay per view and VOD, wish all come of spotbeams on sats 110 and 119 and still pay the same exact amount of money as the rest of the nation. The other thing is that we are also limited on getting platinum HD service, it is not allowed for us here in PR. I confese to you that until June of this year 2010 I was subscribed to Platinum and the rest of the HD channels that came from 61.5 with a big 6' foot Dish and this thanks to a helpful employee of yours in the executive offices. But then this was taken off of my account for no reason at all, just because I recide in PR. Apparently Dish does not whant my money because I prove to them that I had this service for the last 2 years with great signal thanks to my 6 foot antenna. Now that Echostar 15 is transmiting strong to PR and you can get the signal with a 30" inch antenna Dish is still not letting PR accounts recive the rest of the HD channels and the Platinum HD's. Now Echostar 15 has the signal and capacity to service PR with all the HD channels and more and no acction has been taken to service us here.,
For this reasons explained above and the posibility of Dish making more money here in PR with the addition of the HD service in FULL not limited to 41 and no Platinum I ask for your intervention in this mater and give us back the ability to subscribe to Platinum and give us the rest off the HD programing on 61.5 Echostar 15 spot. I know Dish has its plans with eastern arq but we here in PR don't get reception from the 72.7 slot so please reconsider your plans for us loyal coustumers here in Puerto Rico. I know you may not have a lot of time for answering emails to coustomers but I would greatly appresiate if you at least intervine on this matter. Seeing your comercials of when you were starting the company carring does big dishes has to relate to our position here on the island with our big dishes setups on our homes just to get the great programming of Dish Network. Now we can have the signal with a small antenna but still no equality of service for us. So please go get us our HD service as soon as posible and we will continue beeing the great loyal coutomers for years to come. Great company and great service. GO DISH!!!!!!

Att.
Richard Davidowski
Account # 8255xxxxxxxxxxxx
Phone: 939-94x-xxxx

 

[ljdonato]

Hi Richard

This exchange, as well as the news that the new HD channel that will supposedly go up today will be coming from 72 and 129, are really bad news. I was expectant and hopeful for the following weeks after the E-15 launch, but things are getting worse.

Please include the email address plus the full name and position of the person(s) to write to.

I will write and will ask other PR customers to do the same. This situation is not really fair. I understand the priorities for EA and WA, but at least they should have some kind of timeline for PR and HD equality. I could accept that and will be patient (at least for a reasonable time), while at the same time, continue to watch Dish lose their lead on HD in PR. Again, we pay the same as CONUS, AK, HI, and we are actually losing HD channels, and losing a lot.

 

[ljdonato]

Oops

Sorry Richard, I think lately I am scrolling faster than I am reading

 

[holy_devil]

I don't understand if 61.5 is in the same ark as 72.7 why they want to move everything to 72.7, if both sats serve the same area I don't see the point in this move. Why they dont move the international channels to 72.7. Customers in the states can get 72.7 right. My guess is that more people in PR have more interest in HD than in internationals. I will have no problem if they add new hd channels to 72.7 but if they move the ones that we already see (hd premiums) to 72.7, that were I have a problem.



PS 72.7 DON'T REACH US!!! DISH R U STUPID?

 

[ljdonato]

It's official now. AMC-HD launched on 129 and 72.7.


Another National HD channel not available to PR customers. The gap widens. :rant:

 

[Mr Tony]

removed the phone numbers and e-mail addresses

do not post those...thank you

 

[rdavidowski]

Sorry Iceberg. Wont happen again. Just wanted other people here in PR to start writnig Dish in great numbers to get Dish to listen. This is a complete disregard and unjustice for people paying rhe same as CONUS but not getting the same service. And Dish putting in place a plan to not equate the service here worsens the situation. As holy_devil said they could have just have put internationals in 72.7 and leave HD and any new ones in 61,5 that way they serve both purposes of creating two uniform arq's and giving us the same amount of HD here on the islands. No reasoning what so ever behind this plan as it is.

 

[vcsatellite]

The problem is that Dish Puerto Rico LLC is a different service that Dish Network LLC. With different programming packages than they offer to US.

 

[rdavidowski]

I understand vcsatellite. And also respectfuly disagree. Dish Puerto Rico still responds to Dish Network USA as Walmart PR responds to Walmart USA, it is the same exact comapny or else why costumer service is provided by Dish USA and Installers call Dish USA to activate service as costumers do to change service also. What I am tring to say is that at the end is the same company. The money is going to the same wallet in Colorado. The only reason Dish Puerto Rico was setup is because hacienda Puerto Rico (IRS in the USA) requiered Dish in the USA to incorporate the business here in PR for tax purposes. If not why do you think Dish Network was a happy camper doing business without any local PR offices for years and did not charged taxes here in PR, until they were required by hacienda to do so. And belive me, not to brag about it, but I know this for a fact. There is no other reason behind this only that they were force to. Like Sirius Satellite Radio was forced to offer service in PR, Hawaii and Alaska by the Congress (government) because of unequality reasons between US citizens here on the island and the mainland, Puerto Rico was first with Sirius service before the other two states because our representative in congress at that time, Luis Fortuno, was the proponent of the measure. And remeber if you think the government can't do this for these reasons, all comunications are regulated and owned by the FCC who represent us the US citizen. So at the end it does not matter who represents Dish Network here in Puerto Rico they still use FCC licenses to transmit here and are subject to the same laws. An example of this is the government requiring Dish to carry PBS HD channels in every market. And if at some point some government official decides to take this issue you can bet that they will do something as fast as they did with the local subsidiary they setup as soon as they were required. So no we can not be complaisant and have to keep expresing our discontent with this.

PS: And no they do not offer different packages they only promote through the retailers what they think Puerto Rico is interested in. They offer the same exact packages as in the rest of the Nation. I for example have had Americas Everithing PKG since the begining and added the latino bonus pak. wish are all on Dish USA web page. And all costumers in the CONUS region can get Dish Latino DOS, MAX or any other of the pakages offered here in Puerto Rico. Remember we are not alone in this region the USVI is also part of our region and I bet they are not interested in any latino pakages as some of us here are.

 

[mechanicman]

well the good news is that channels on the weak transponder 19 on 61.5 have been moved to 16.. now i get all HD on 61.5 and i am right next to puetro rico.. with a 6 foot dish..
for now this is great...

 

[rdavidowski]

Yeah you are right mechanicman. I am reciving strong signal from TP 16 (74%) but I am only able to get Showtime Too from that TP because of Dish stupid restriction for us with PR zip codes. And yes you may sugest to change the address to some other zip code within CONUS but this is not the right way to do things. And this is only going to last until October when they move all premiums to 72.7, again and excuse me without any resonable reason.

 

[mechanicman]

Yeah you are right mechanicman. I am reciving strong signal from TP 16 (74%) but I am only able to get Showtime Too from that TP because of Dish stupid restriction for us with PR zip codes. And yes you may sugest to change the address to some other zip code within CONUS but this is not the right way to do things. And this is only going to last until October when they move all premiums to 72.7, again and excuse me without any resonable reason.

Yes i see the big problem. I use an East coast address. Well its possible things will change for the better.. i guess the more people that shout at them or maybe bring a lawsuit.

 

[rdavidowski]

Since the email and phone number of the responsibles at Dish for this matter was required by the forum moderators to be removed from the post. Anyone interested in talking or writing to them feel free to PM me and I will provide you with this information. I again strongly suggest costumers in Puerto Rico and USVI to write to the executive offices at Dish Network until they take some action on this matter. Also all this information is on Dish Network webpage if you would like to look there under contact us.

 

[ljdonato]

And remember, come October we will only have 45 HD channels (41 plus 4 premiums)!!!!!!

Right now we have 59 (counting premiums). We will lose 14 premium HD channels when they move them from 61.5 to72.7

 

[supermanpr]

Maybe someone can get in contact with one of our PR senators. Since they dont do anything for us and all they want to do is be in the spotlight maybe one of them can try to do a resolution for equal treatment in the same way they tried with the iPhone cover from Apple.

Going back to the subject, with the last Uplink I notice that Dish is using E15 (no Spotbeams) to add locals to some markets. This doesnt make any sense, they are wasting CONUS signal to provide locals.

Why dont they leave HD in 61.5 and 129. It make sense to have one bird in each ARC for HD.

Also, moving Internationals to 61.5 (most of them are there) is nonsense. Why dont they migrate those to MPEG4?

I PAY THE SAME PRICE AS ANY CUSTOMER IN THE CONUS SO IT RIGHT TO SAY THAT I SHOULD RECEIVE EQUAL TREATMENT (I BELEIVE HI AND AK WILL AGREE WITH ME ON THIS).

 

[Tom_P]

The problem is that Dish Puerto Rico LLC is a different service that Dish Network LLC. With different programming packages than they offer to US.

This is for legal purposes only specially taxes(for their local operations) and doesn't have anything to do with the programming. Dish has been offfering the same service as the CONUS since 1997, when a six footer was the minimum size requiered. My account is active since 1997, so there's the example.

Back then the 119 location was the only one. Then the 110 arrived with several others. When the Hd lineupstarted on the 61.5 and 148 only 4 channels were available. and we were able to get them. That was back in 2003 I think maybe earlier. Then when Voom started we were able to subscribe to the package. Things changed for several reason and one of them for customers who subscribed to the HD Packages without the proper antenna and then call to ask for refunds, but the customers who had the packages already continue with the benefit.

I'm an authorized dealer, all this is bull**. Many existing customer are having problems with the new Dish Arc system. Like some people stated, I paying basically more than I used to pay with the Platinum, I paid $30 dollars for all the HD Channels for a long time. If I still had the AEP Package and end up paying a couple of bucks more that I paid before the costs increase and the platinum(which I don't have anymore for being in PR), meaning DVR Fee that used to be free, aditional receiver fee etc.

 

[rdavidowski]

Update:

Ok today I got a final answer from the executive at Dish. The person was realy courteous but the final answer is that it is Charlies and some other VP's decision to make the Western/Eastern Ark move. And that they consider the PR/USVI situation but the bigger picture was that there is more costumers in CONUS and that they needed to prepare the network of satellites to have more bandwidth to expand the HD's on the near future for the majority of the costumers. I tried explaining to him the different scenarios but he told me that all were consider and that they decided to go ahead with the move because of the bigger picture. At the end I ask him if there were any other plans to add HD's to PR/USVI and the answer was " At some point in the Future". So I guess that there is not going to be anymore HD's for our area for a long time to come. No more space on any TP's for our area. And soon we are going to loose every HD from 61.5. So any local retailer rumor or rumors on any forum are going to be rumors and just that, from the high echelons of Dish Network the message is: We are a minority of the costumers and we can get by with second class service until some point in the future. Any thing else is going to be pure bulls...

So the point is we were screwed. And we are not getting no more substantial HD increase for a long time to come. So it is time to start watching at the rapidly increasing local Cable Company's HD lineup. As tough as that is.

 

[holy_devil]

Update:

Ok today I got a final answer from the executive at Dish. The person was realy courteous but the final answer is that it is Charlies and some other VP's decision to make the Western/Eastern Ark move. And that they consider the PR/USVI situation but the bigger picture was that there is more costumers in CONUS and that they needed to prepare the network of satellites to have more bandwidth to expand the HD's on the near future for the majority of the costumers. I tried explaining to him the different scenarios but he told me that all were consider and that they decided to go ahead with the move because of the bigger picture. At the end I ask him if there were any other plans to add HD's to PR/USVI and the answer was " At some point in the Future". So I guess that there is not going to be anymore HD's for our area for a long time to come. No more space on any TP's for our area. And soon we are going to loose every HD from 61.5. So any local retailer rumor or rumors on any forum are going to be rumors and just that, from the high echelons of Dish Network the message is: We are a minority of the costumers and we can get by with second class service until some point in the future. Any thing else is going to be pure bulls...

So the point is we were screwed. And we are not getting no more substantial HD increase for a long time to come. So it is time to start watching at the rapidly increasing local Cable Company's HD lineup. As tough as that is.

Dish used to be a great service. They will give us a second class service until they we fight back. THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE US MORE HD, there are 5 HD channels on 110 that we don't have access to, and they don't care if we pay the same as customers in the mainland. Someone suggested to talk to the senators. That not a bad idea. We can prove that: 1) we pay the same as a conus customer 2) we have a good footprint for 110, 3) we receive less HD channels that are available on 110. I think we should start with that because almost every PR customer have access to 110. Senators are targeting American companies who discriminate against us. Lets put Dish on the list. Well that's my opinion. Don't forget PR is a great market for any pay tv provider, don't let them make us think differently.

 

[holy_devil]

Does someone knows who watching the mpeg 4 sd channels on tp29 on 110? I'm not talking about Nat Geo and Animal Planet, I'm talking about the ones mirroring 119. Seriously who watch those? If they eliminate those, can Dish have room for 1 or 2 HD channels?

 

[calibbean]

PR Thread follow-up questions

I have a few follow-up question, as follows:

1. Are you guys watching HD exclusively?

2. Anyone with a 5 ft. dish lost non-HD (SD and SD locals) reception during the daytime recently (the past month)?

(If so please check my post at Losing reception during daytime - Eastern Puerto Rico )

3. Has anyone complained to the FCC about your HD issues?

Thanks in advance!