Deal with NPS to "save" distants on DISH!

[mike123abc]

Even if this deal is eventually barred by the courts, it will not happen tomorrow. It would take months/years to have a trial to establish that this is a violation. By then E* will try to have the law changed to be more favorable.

Echostar is still going to suffer a **LOT** under this arrangement. They are still barred from offering distants, this includes significantely viewed stations, that will put them at a large disadvantage compared to DIRECTV. DIRECTV will be able to supply "missing" networks to markets for free while Dish will have no choice but to refer them to the other company and the subscriber may or may not be able to receive the distant, where they could have qualified for a significantly viewed station from a nearby market.

This is nothing more than a flimsy bandaid to cover the wound and hope that they can get the law changed before it falls off and the true nature of the wound is discovered.

 

[odbrv]

Please see the following thread which gives you all the info you need.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=83278

I still have copies of my waivers. Will NPS accept waivers? I also had waivers when I was an NPS C-band customer in the early 90s. Do they keep the old records?

 

[Lucky]

I am a little confused and am wondering if you had valid waivers from your local stations do you qualify for DNS from NPS ? Do you need to qualify all over again or can you get the DNS if you already had waivers ?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I still have copies of my waivers. Will NPS accept waivers? I also had waivers when I was an NPS C-band customer in the early 90s. Do they keep the old records?

From what I know you will need new waivers.

 

[Chris Walker]

I am a little confused and am wondering if you had valid waivers from your local stations do you qualify for DNS from NPS ? Do you need to qualify all over again or can you get the DNS if you already had waivers ?

That's the biggest question in all of this IMO.

 

[Stargazer]

BINGO!

In fact someone could buy a Dish Network receiver point it to 119 and only subscribe to Distant Networks.

And Dish Network cannot charge a $6 access fee either. This will be the cheapest way to receive local channels or great for someone on a budget that wants SOMETHING to watch.

 

[LLodge2]

I am assuming that because I have distants now from DISH that I won't have to go through all of the crap I did eight years ago when I first qualified with DISH?

 

[JohnH]

Remember, the Dish retrans agreements do not cover this and as NPS does not have a retrans agreement with any of these stations (only Dish, Directv and the local cable companies do in most instances) and the networks own 3 of the 4 San Francisco stations, it would appear Dish and NPS has set themselves up to a very large copyright infringement lawsuit if those signals ever hit the air.

Such a suit will most likely Chapter 11 NPS, which I find sad as I use them for C Band service.

No retransmission consent is needed for Distant Network delivery. It is a legal taking. No negotiation is necessary. They simply pickup the station's signal and deliver it to a qualified distant recipient.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Possibly LLodge, we will know more tommorow.

 

[navychop]

"...I am assuming that because I have distants now from DISH that I won't have to go through all of the crap I did eight years ago when I first qualified with DISH?..."

I'll bet you will have to requalify.

 

[LLodge2]

"...I am assuming that because I have distants now from DISH that I won't have to go through all of the crap I did eight years ago when I first qualified with DISH?..."

I'll bet you will have to requalify.

Well now that I think about it, NPS already has all my info because I have PT-24 (what's left of it) and the Denvers.

Too bad they have to pick Atlanta. I'll miss the Big Apple except for the ones on C-band. LA (nothing personal Angelinos) I could care less about. I would find it hard to believe that one cube in NPS would say I qualify for the C-bands, and another cube in NPS telling me I don't for DISH.

 

[JohnH]

Well now that I think about it, NPS already has all my info because I have PT-24 (what's left of it) and the Denvers.

Too bad they have to pick Atlanta. I'll miss the Big Apple except for the ones on C-band. LA (nothing personal Angelinos) I could care less about. I would find it hard to believe that one cube in NPS would say I qualify for the C-bands, and another cube in NPS telling me I don't for DISH.

Well, you might have a bit of a problem with the limit of only 2.

 

[pdxsam]

I think what it's going to boil down to is this...

NPS leased the space. There's no prohibition about this. NPS can put whatever programming they want on that space.

What I think is going to be the lynchpin in this is if NPS uses Echostar boxes that are already subbed to a Dish Network account to deliver those distants that's going to be the problem.

I think if Sky Angel decided to do the same thing there would be an issue. I don't see because NPS is a different company that this will all fly.

If NPS subs a box that is not already subbed to a Dish account they'll be ok.

Of course my wife always says I'm wrong.. so there ya go

 

[GeorgeLV]

Even if this deal is eventually barred by the courts, it will not happen tomorrow. It would take months/years to have a trial to establish that this is a violation. By then E* will try to have the law changed to be more favorable.

Um, not necessarily. An emergency motion is just that. CBS, et al. are arguing that their injury will be so substantial that they are asking for an expedited proceeding. If the CBS motion is accepted, Echostar will have to respond by 9am tomorrow and this scheme could be shut down relatively quickly if the judge doesn't agree the loophole is legal.

 

[BobMurdoch]

I have legal waivers for all the LA stations. The first two (CBS and NBC) were easy to get. Fox took two years of constant resubmittals to finally give in. ABC took 4.

YEARS.

It offers hope, but it all boils down to their process for determining eligibility.

BTW, antennaweb.org has changed... it doens't show grade A or B anymore for me...... It used to say that no antenna I could get could would work. Now it thinks that one coded "violet" will work (ie. monster sized one with an amp). Maybe according to mileage from the antenna, but terrain kills me as the ground slopes up in the direction of Manhattan (the thirty foot tall oaks in the neighborhood don't help either)

 

[rdinkel]

I have legal waivers for all the LA stations. The first two (CBS and NBC) were easy to get. Fox took two years of constant resubmittals to finally give in. ABC took 4.

YEARS.

It offers hope, but it all boils down to their process for determining eligibility.

BTW, antennaweb.org has changed... it doens't show grade A or B anymore for me...... It used to say that no antenna I could get could would work. Now it thinks that one coded "violet" will work (ie. monster sized one with an amp). Maybe according to mileage from the antenna, but terrain kills me as the ground slopes up in the direction of Manhattan (the thirty foot tall oaks in the neighborhood don't help either)

Try a 14,110 Ft peak between home and transmitter!

 

[Tampa8]

Originally Posted by HDTVFanAtic
Remember, the Dish retrans agreements do not cover this and as NPS does not have a retrans agreement with any of these stations (only Dish, Directv and the local cable companies do in most instances) and the networks own 3 of the 4 San Francisco stations, it would appear that someone has set themselves up to a very large copyright infringement lawsuit if those signals ever hit the air.

1. How do you know that
2. If you are in a white area can a distant could be provided without any retrans agreement?
3. NPS has been around for quite sometime. I'm sure they know what they can and cannot provide. (The court decision not withstanding)

I asked the question pretty much knowing the answer but wanting to be nice. You do not need any retrans agreement to serve white areas. So your premise is wrong. I standby my thought that NPS is not going to provide service it is not allowed to, aside from the court ruling, another issue altogether.

 

[kstuart]

FYI - the San Francisco network channels are all very good. KTVU, the Fox channel is exceptional. Their News at 10 program is excellent, some may find themselves watching it even though they could care less about the nightly local crime event coverage.

PS I think that this Judge will rule tomorrow against NPS & E*, but that it will be reversed in appeal...

 

[Derwin0]

The FCC has licensed two transponders to Sky Angel. There have almost literally been acts of God in order to keep Sky Angel running those transponders. Sky Angel is supposed to put up their own uplinks and satellite at 61.5. Instead, Dish Network had to lease space from their satellite for Sky Angel to continue to run, and this had to have been approved by the FCC.

Incorrect. Sky Angel has 8 (TP's 25 thru 32) transponders licensed from the FCC for 61.5.
Sky Angel leases 6 of the 8 to Dish Network in exchange for use of the uplink and E3 for the other 2 transponders.

 

[BobMurdoch]

Try a 14,110 Ft peak between home and transmitter!

You win. I have a snowy screen, but you have one with an exclamation point....