As I understand it, the recent bill that the president just signed basically retains a lot of the Senate's original McCain - Ensign version that Dish (along with the DTC and CEA) was pushing for.
Dish has gone on record more than once that if they were allowed to import digital distant networks to areas that couldn't receive them that they (Dish Network) "could provide the HD versions of those networks IMMEDIATELY" . Charlie said this at one of his appearances to Congress last summer.
The "I want my HDTV" web site http://www.iwantmyhdtv.com/iwanthdt....jsp?PID=5080-8 still has this posted:
"If Congress allows DBS providers to offer a digital signal, network HDTV can be available to all consumers immediately. ?
The DTC (Digital Transition Coalition) site http://www.digitaltransitioncoalition.org/digital/ still has this posted as part of a letter they sent to Congress 4/27/04 and which CHARLIE signed !:
".....This proposal would make digital signals available to families across the country immediately, not ten or twenty years from now......"
Dish has been very clear about this.
I have personally corresponded with (and have the emails from) a senior Dish official in their Government Relations office in Washington who said that if this bill got passed that Dish would provide the HD versions of the 4 national nets shortly after it was signed into law.
This person provided me with a lot of info that I posted during some of the House & Senate debates last Summer. He asked me to not mention his name though, saying that neither he nor Dish could be linked to this directly. Now he won't even answer my emails.
In my opinion it appears that Dish has once again lied (remember Charlie stating back in the 90s that Dish would never provide any porn channels).
Lied not only to us customers but to Congress, the FCC and the general public.
I'm not sure what can be done about it but it may make for sinterestingting reading in some of the HDTV media publications.
Walt
Dish has gone on record more than once that if they were allowed to import digital distant networks to areas that couldn't receive them that they (Dish Network) "could provide the HD versions of those networks IMMEDIATELY" . Charlie said this at one of his appearances to Congress last summer.
The "I want my HDTV" web site http://www.iwantmyhdtv.com/iwanthdt....jsp?PID=5080-8 still has this posted:
"If Congress allows DBS providers to offer a digital signal, network HDTV can be available to all consumers immediately. ?
The DTC (Digital Transition Coalition) site http://www.digitaltransitioncoalition.org/digital/ still has this posted as part of a letter they sent to Congress 4/27/04 and which CHARLIE signed !:
".....This proposal would make digital signals available to families across the country immediately, not ten or twenty years from now......"
Dish has been very clear about this.
I have personally corresponded with (and have the emails from) a senior Dish official in their Government Relations office in Washington who said that if this bill got passed that Dish would provide the HD versions of the 4 national nets shortly after it was signed into law.
This person provided me with a lot of info that I posted during some of the House & Senate debates last Summer. He asked me to not mention his name though, saying that neither he nor Dish could be linked to this directly. Now he won't even answer my emails.
In my opinion it appears that Dish has once again lied (remember Charlie stating back in the 90s that Dish would never provide any porn channels).
Lied not only to us customers but to Congress, the FCC and the general public.
I'm not sure what can be done about it but it may make for sinterestingting reading in some of the HDTV media publications.
Walt
