Senate Fails To Pass Satellite Extension Extension

[yaz96]

License For Satellite Operators To Import Distant TV Stations Signals Expires Feb. 28
John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 2/26/2010 10:19:53 AM

The Senate Thursday failed to pass by unanimous consent a package of bill extensions, including the 30-day extension for the satellite blanket license bill, which would have extended that license for another five years.

If a bill or extension does not pass by Feb. 28, the license expires and satellite operators will not be allowed to import distant affilate TV station signals to viewers who cannot receive a viewable version of their local affiliate.

The House passed the package by unanimous consent Thursday, according to a source, but a single Senator, Republican, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, blocked an attempted vote in the Senate Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed.

Bunning's opposition was not to the satellite bill, but to provisions related to unemployment insurance extensions in the package.

The license had already receive a 60-day extension to Feb. 28 after STELA (the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act) failed to get a vote in the Senate, reportly blocked by Republicans unhappy with a provision to allow Dish network back into the distant-signal business, from which it has been foreclosed by court order.

A call to the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) went unanswered.

[R0ss]

License For Satellite Operators To Import Distant TV Stations Signals Expires Feb. 28
John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 2/26/2010 10:19:53 AM

The Senate Thursday failed to pass by unanimous consent a package of bill extensions, including the 30-day extension for the satellite blanket license bill, which would have extended that license for another five years.

If a bill or extension does not pass by Feb. 28, the license expires and satellite operators will not be allowed to import distant affilate TV station signals to viewers who cannot receive a viewable version of their local affiliate.

The House passed the package by unanimous consent Thursday, according to a source, but a single Senator, Republican, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, blocked an attempted vote in the Senate Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed.

Bunning's opposition was not to the satellite bill, but to provisions related to unemployment insurance extensions in the package.

The license had already receive a 60-day extension to Feb. 28 after STELA (the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act) failed to get a vote in the Senate, reportly blocked by Republicans unhappy with a provision to allow Dish network back into the distant-signal business, from which it has been foreclosed by court order.

A call to the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) went unanswered.

OK Dish is currently prohibited from importing distant signals why is this important to us? I'm not being sarcastic I really want to know.

[Scott Greczkowski]

OK Dish is currently prohibited from importing distant signals why is this important to us? I'm not being sarcastic I really want to know.

That would mean the end of All American Direct which serves Distant Networks to DISH Network customers.

[JTBenson]

Dish Network customers can still get Distant signals from NPS. This is hugely important to me. If this doesn't pass, I lose all of my Distant Networks. I will be pissed if I don't have them for the NCAA Touranment.

[brownover]

OK Dish is currently prohibited from importing distant signals why is this important to us? I'm not being sarcastic I really want to know.

Only important if you cannot get locals by over the air antenna. Then the satellite companies can send you the network signals from what they call the distant stations like New York, LA. etc. But Dish abused this and was stopped from doing it. The new act restores that authorization.

[JTBenson]

Only important if you cannot get locals by over the air antenna. Then the satellite companies can send you the network signals from what they call the distant stations like New York, LA. etc. But Dish abused this and was stopped from doing it. The new act restores that authorization.

I don't have locals in my DMA; therefore, I don't have guide information for my OTA. The other problem is if I want to record two shows at once, I can't with a 622 that I have if I lose my distant nets. So don't say it is only important if you cannot get locals by over the air antenna. Those of you that have locals available via satellite and OTA have options that I don't have and distant nets make up for that.

[R0ss]

Only important if you cannot get locals by over the air antenna. Then the satellite companies can send you the network signals from what they call the distant stations like New York, LA. etc. But Dish abused this and was stopped from doing it. The new act restores that authorization.

So to be sure I understand. I receive the Boston, MA Locals as I live in north central Massachusetts. I could also receive these same channels with an antenna (I have never tried, but in theory I could). So this will not have any affect on me.
However if I lived in the middle of nowhere and could not receive any OTA, rather give me the locals from the closest market, if passed, Dish could instead provide me locals i.e. the networks, from another part of the country???
If I have this right I'm not even sure why, from a consumers point of view I would even want that? For the sake of argument lets say I live in MiddleofNoWhere, USA. I cannot receive OTA with the best roof top antennae available to the consumer. Could I not receive the locals available in the closest Market to my address? Why would I want anything else? Chances are the closest TV market is where I would go for shopping etc so it would only make sense. Of course it makes sense to me that Dish should provide me the appropriate equipment (at no charge) to receive the new HD channels that I pay for and cannot receive so common sense probably is not part of this equation. Sorry I digress.
Am I on the right track here?

Ross

[Bob Haller]

Congress is totally gridlocked playing partisian politics, and has forgotten they are SUPPOSED to serve the public.

[ryanerau]

I do live in "MiddleofNoWhere, USA" as R0ss puts it, and I can not recieve locals OTA. Does this mean that I would lose my "locals" that I get from Los Angeles, which is the closest network to me if this bill is not passed? Thanks.

[JTBenson]

So to be sure I understand. I receive the Boston, MA Locals as I live in north central Massachusetts. I could also receive these same channels with an antenna (I have never tried, but in theory I could). So this will not have any affect on me.
However if I lived in the middle of nowhere and could not receive any OTA, rather give me the locals from the closest market, if passed, Dish could instead provide me locals i.e. the networks, from another part of the country???
If I have this right I'm not even sure why, from a consumers point of view I would even want that? For the sake of argument lets say I live in MiddleofNoWhere, USA. I cannot receive OTA with the best roof top antennae available to the consumer. Could I not receive the locals available in the closest Market to my address? Why would I want anything else? Chances are the closest TV market is where I would go for shopping etc so it would only make sense. Of course it makes sense to me that Dish should provide me the appropriate equipment (at no charge) to receive the new HD channels that I pay for and cannot receive so common sense probably is not part of this equation. Sorry I digress.
Am I on the right track here?

Ross

Because Dish Network does not give me guide information for the OTA's if you also don't buy locals (which I can't because they don't have my locals). Also, it gives me the option to record more than one show at a time. I could care less about the commercials. I record everything and skip through the commercials and I don't watch the local news. Also, I still want to watch the shows that are on CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX. It doesn't matter if they are CBS2 in Chicago on KCTV5 in Kansas City.