Still have DNS and Locals?

[roadrhino]

I am still troubled by the fact that no one seems to know exactly what SHVERA says, perhaps including E* and D*.

My story:

• I moved in Fall 2004 to a new place
• When changing my address, the E* CSR offered me LIL and DNS ... I said "yes!"
• This is pretty much what would have once been called a "white area." Even though this region is part of a LIL DMA, it is so far from any over the air broadcast tower that it gets zero signal.
• I did not get the letter telling me I must choose (but read about others here getting the letter).
• After I heard about the letter, I looked on the E* website and found, once looking into "add programming" that I could not select an additional Distant ... in fact, I was told only that my address qualified me for locals.
• Because it seemed good to not "rock the boat" I did not call and either locals or DNS.

(Some of you in the same situation would, of course, play it safe and drop locals just so that DNS wouldn't be permanently cut off ... for me it was less of an issue.)

So, after my long and rambling story ... what about my situation caused E* to *not* cut me off when, as far as I can tell, I was in the same boat as many who were cut off?

Roadrhino

 

[NightRyder]

Who can say? None of my neighbors or family with E* lost their DNS. I don't recall reading of anyone that lived in a genuine white area losing DNS. While not having any direct knowledge of the procedure E* used, I think it's a safe bet that it was done by Zip code.

The DNS you had in place when the new law took effect is what your stuck with, no changes. If you ever drop DNS, or change providers, you'll never be able to get DNS back (RV waivers being the exception). Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, just be happy your one of the lucky ones.

BTW - Your right, I don't think E* or D* knows how to interpret the new law yet. Even my local broadcasters can't agree on a single interpretation.


NightRyder

 

[NightRyder]

Who can say? None of my neighbors or family with E* lost their DNS. I don't recall reading of anyone that lived in a genuine white area losing DNS. While not having any direct knowledge of the procedure E* used, I think it's a safe bet that it was done by Zip code.

The DNS you had in place when the new law took effect is what your stuck with, no changes. If you ever drop DNS, or change providers, you'll never be able to get DNS back (RV waivers being the exception). Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, just be happy your one of the lucky ones.

BTW - Your right, I don't think E* or D* knows how to interpret the new law yet. Each of my local broadcasters also has their own interpation.


NightRyder

 

[Mr Tony]

Who knows at this point.....I still have Fox distants and my locals....they haven't been cut off yet

I know if you try to qualify on the Dish site (even if a white area), its pretty simple...locals available? then no distants

I would be worried if you call in to make any changes. They might nuke them and then you can't get them back.

 

[bcshields]

They cut off a customer in a white area I was installing in.. I was putting up a superdish at his neighbors and he wanted me to turn his distants back on... got on the phone with a CSR and set up a SDish upgrade for him since they wouldn't let him have his distants back. Customer since 98... probably grandfathered in.

 

[NightRyder]

They cut off a customer in a white area I was installing in.. I was putting up a superdish at his neighbors and he wanted me to turn his distants back on... got on the phone with a CSR and set up a SDish upgrade for him since they wouldn't let him have his distants back. Customer since 98... probably grandfathered in.

That just sucks, he probably didn't get the letter, no warning. I know I'm not going to be making any programming changes to my account in the foreseeable future. Not only because of DNS, I currently have a bunch of grandfathered pricing in place I don't want to lose either.


NightRyder

 

[stone phillips420]

i still have dns for ny/la/atlanta/chicago for nbc and fox, abc and cbs wont grant me yet, locals are available in my area

 

[Frank Jr.]

I don't want to lose my fox distant station either but I have to call them tonight. They screwed up my bill again. Taking on an extra 4.19. Subs watch your bills closely. I plan on being on the phone another hour or longer. Last time they claimed I leased a new box. Not! No! Oh Boy. 4.19 won't break me but it is the principle of it.

 

[Frank Jr.]

I have always said I would rather be lucky than good any day. Took one phone call. They said I was dbl billed for a ppv movie and took it off. Took all of 5 min. I still have my Fox distant too! hewyaa.

 

[bsobel]

I called in the other day to (finally) turn on the HD pack and CBS-HD (which took 2 calls and 5 people to enable!). The CSR ran thru my account and mentioned my ABC and CBS waivers... I didn't say anything, but apparently they are on my account. Noticed I've since lost NBC-E but everything else is there...

 

[gambler]

I'm in northern California, grandfathered for distants; I had the NY distants. I chose to keep them instead of the San Francisco locals. I got the LA distants added so I could watch shows on west coast time (I was told that CBS required 45 days to start). We lost our SF locals on 4/16 and just noticed tonight that they're back, I have no idea why.

 

[roadrhino]

I asked the same question in dbsforums.com and someone there (don't know how right this guy is, but his answer sounded plausible) gave the following explanation ...

Back before '99, when people were grandfathered into DNS, they often werent required to do much more than simply ask their DBS service for the distants. After '99 when SHVIA came online, it became more difficult to qualify for DNS ... one needed to be outside the grade B signal region for their "local" network affiliate.

So, the claim goes, SHVIA requires some of those people who really didn't have to *qualify* for DNS to choose DNS or locals. Those who qualified after 99 but before 05 met the SHVIA requirement (perhaps by "moving") and could get DNS and perhaps even locals for their DMA.

Now, new subscribers are not given the option of DNS if LiL is available. This we all know.

This, combined with the "significantly viewed" aspect of SHVERA would seem to level the playing field between DBS and cable. Essentially a new subscriber would be given the choice of one cable or two DBS choices, all about the same in terms of their network programming options. The differences would be price and programming outside the four networks.

Can't say if it's a good thing, but at least satellite will start to be able to offer two sets of "locals" to those with zip codes that would match up to regions where cable offers two sets of locals...

Roadrhino