Phone Line and Sports Packages

[AntiMoz]

My DirecTV system is located at my cabin in a rural area which does not have a land based phone line. (We use cellular). All of the information I read from DirecTV says that my receivers must be continuously connected to a phone line in order to recieve sports packages such as NHL Center Ice. Does DirecTV ever make exceptions to this rule? I dont want to go through the hassle of ordering the package and then find out it wont work.

Thanks.

 

[damaged]

See this thread:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=77305&highlight=ST+phone+line

It speaks about the phone line issue, the general concensus is that you don't need the phone connected since the auth comes from the stream, but it's about Sunday Ticket, however, I can't say whether or not it applies to NHLCI...

By the way, (IANAL), be careful not to tell them your phone line isn't connected, since somewhere it states something to the effect that if the line stays disconnected, they _can_ (I'm not saying they _will_), charge you the full price of whatever package you get for each unconnected receiver (so instead of the 5 bucks, you'd pay the full 41+ bucks for each one), now I am not sure if they actually DO this, but why give them ammunition, keep in mind they(CSRs) will ALL tell you that you HAVE to have the phone line connected at all times, whether it matters or not.

 

[jaybertx]

Just my $.02, I have NFL:ST and MLB:EI and I haven't had some of my receivers connected for at least a couple of years. I haven't had any problems at all other than the fact that I can't order PPV with the remote.

One lightning strike to the house took out all 5 receivers a few years back. Now the only receivers that I have connected to phone lines are connected through wireless phone extenders so that if the phone line takes a voltage hit I lose one $30 extender as opposed to $1500 in receivers...

None of this implies or guarantees anything, this has just been my experience...

 

[Squiddster]

Same here, I have NHL Center Ice and only one of two receivers has a phone line hooked up but both receive games no problems. I believe the phone line is needed for using your remote to order programming.