Hundreds of thousands of rural satellite television consumers are about to lose their access to the big broadcast networks such as NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox because of a federal court case.
The case involves Echostar Communications, which along with DirectTV dominates the U.S. satellite television market. The issue is so-called "distant broadcast" signals, where rural customers are not served by a broadcast local network affiliate. Echostar typically beams in a local network affiliate from another area to provide network programming to such rural customers. That means Echostar's customers in rural Alaska might receive their Fox programming from a local affiliate in Los Angeles or their CBS programming from Orlando.
A federal court recently issued an injunction forbidding Echostar from beaming such distant signals from network affiliates to its satellite television customers. That injunction takes effect on Dec. 1.
My colleagues here at Consumers Union point out that the customers receiving the distant signals from Echostar have done nothing wrong and should not be robbed of service they had legally received from the company.
CU has sent a letter to every member of the Senate urging legislation to protect the consumer rights of Echostar's rural customers. Click here to read the letter.
