There is nothing illegal with a business decision to end part of their business, which is exactly what they are doing. They set a pre-determined date to shutdown and if they keep to it then fine. However, if they intentionally try to cause harm to your equipment by a continuation of their signals being sent out over the satellites after that set date then you may have a case against them.
What has been going on is mostly a sad misguided practice of deception by a program re-seller who has allowed deceit and lies to scare and trick people into buying a small dish set-up.
I have seen notices being sent out where some of the programmers are now discontinuing their programs from being sold to the big dish market but if people can live without their programming then it will be their bottom line that will hurt. I guess the big dish market is really too small for them to deal with at this time.
The big dish is returning to a point now where it is really for the true hobbyist and to those of us that are left it really makes no difference as to what they are going to sell anyway.
It is sad in a way to see this day come but it was inevitable.
Motorola basically abandoned the 4DTV market back in 2002-2003 when they made the decision not to produce more receivers for the big dish. They fired those who had worked diligently for them to market the 4DTV receivers, like Joe Cornwall, & Mark Thevenot back in that time.
Those who were still left fought for their jobs, as in the so called 'guide-lady' who many times was going to be replaced but fought to keep her position.
I am surprised that the 4D lasted this long actually.
