I think you are all getting ripped off. I would never have dish after having them f me over as a subcontractor for 18 months. I haven't had D* since my TiVo R10 hard drive died. Local stations are nutty for asking for ANY money from anybody other than advertisers. If they get paid for me to have the option to watch their crappy programming, then I should be able to choose which city I get networks out of, because they are then NOT free, and become just another subscription package.
Another reason they are nutty is that I can watch just about any show for free, streaming, and sometimes in HD, right off the network's website. I have lifeline cable because it is "included" with my internet, so I have no need for D* or E*. I miss the TiVo, becuase I had lots of stuff to watch whenever I wanted, but I also have a nice DVD collection to fall back on, and a netflix account.
So, somebody care to explain why the "local" networks should have their cake and get to eat it, too? I think they should lose their protected status if they get money. I want the right to choose what I pay for.............