And let's not forget with the analog cut-over, there wouldn't be any DNS on Dish Network and very little on DirecTV. After all, one condition upon the offering of local-into-local HD is that once the locals are available, the distants go away.
For every market added in HD, distant HD disappears. Once the analog is gone, HD (digital) is the only thing left. DirecTV will have a very large chunk of the markets available, meaning no distants.
The SHVA and amending legislation was designed to give the satellite consumer access to networks if they were unserved. We've now come to the point where it will be full-circle, because satellite is very interested in serving local or nearby affiliates to the consumer, thus negating the need for distant service.