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The following was sent to me to share with you guys.
Below is a letter that was sent by EchoStar CEO Charles Ergen to members of Congress today.
May 26, 2004
The Honorable
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Member X:
Thank you for your efforts to help develop responsible and reasonable public policy as it relates to the Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) industry. We appreciate your desire to achieve a competitive marketplace and more choice for American consumers who seek quality television and video entertainment options.
With the House Committee on Energy and Commerce moving to a markup of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004 (SHVERA), I want to express my grave concern over one specific, punitive provision in this Committee print that is clearly directed solely at EchoStar. The provision focuses on our two-dish solution for local-into-local service -- a practice which EchoStar, relying on current law, has utilized to facilitate a rapid expansion of local service to markets throughout the country.
We developed the two-dish solution as an innovative and effective mechanism to meet the wishes of Congress that DBS provide local service in all 210 of the nation's Designated Market Areas (DMA) as quickly as possible. Working within our current satellite resources and technologies, this efficient use of the spectrum has enabled EchoStar to provide service in 127 DMAs, and we expect to roll out service to as many as 20 more by the end of 2004. Importantly, we have been able to accomplish this expansion while employing the two-dish solution in only 38 of those 127 markets. Today, EchoStar provides local service in nearly twice as many DMAs as our nearest competitor in the nation, an accomplishment of which we are proud. With our recent launch of local channels in the Cheyenne (Wyo.) -Scottsbluff DMA recently, we have reached all 50 states with local-into-local service.
We are dismayed that our competitors in both the broadcast and satellite TV industries are pushing to eliminate the two-dish solution for more than 3 million satisfied customers within one year. This onerous and inequitable proposal would force EchoStar to shift significant financial and human resources away from expanding our markets and services to consumers. Ironically, the proposal under consideration would force us to redirect those resources toward physically installing second dishes on the homes of every customer subscribing to local channels in as many as 30 markets across the country. The ripple effect goes far beyond two-dish markets, and would essentially force us to reconfigure our entire network, potentially disrupting service in some one-dish markets. The proposed timeframe in the provision under consideration could inconvenience more than one million satisfied subscribers, make it impossible for our company to continue offering local service in some markets, and delay the rollout of local service in additional DMAs. To say this would give our competitors an excellent opportunity to capture dissatisfied customers would be an understatement.
Meanwhile, as Congress considers this draconian measure advocated by the broadcasters, the broadcasters themselves are more than two years past the date by which Congress directed them to be broadcasting their signal in digital. Worse yet, the broadcasters concede that they not be able to return their analog spectrum to the federal government by 2006, or by any foreseeable date in the future. This could cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by delaying the auction of this spectrum for other uses.
How do the broadcasters' explain their failure to meet the deadline? According to a National Association of Broadcasters spokesman who was quoted in a recent article, "Broadcasters are moving aggressively to DTV, but this transition must be orderly to ensure that consumers do not lose access to local television (emphasis added) in the process." Since the lack of an orderly transition is one of our key concerns on the broadcasters' proposal to force us to abandon our two-dish solution in one year, the NAB's double standard is outrageous. Why is it okay to jeopardize all local television access for millions of satellite viewers but not for viewers of individual stations who have had years to complete the conversion to digital and have failed to do so?
We know that the two-dish solution, for a variety of reasons, is not a long-term solution for providing local-into-local service in all 210 DMAs. In fact, EchoStar has not launched a two-dish market in five months. Additionally, in recent months EchoStar has reduced the number of two-dish markets from 45 to 38, and we have shifted a number of Spanish-language and Religious channels to make them available to consumers using only one dish. But if Congress forces us to comply with a 12-month deadline, our options and our hopes for remaining competitive in the market and providing nationwide local service will be jeopardized.
EchoStar cannot meet the one-year deadlines for eliminating our two-dish solution without creating consumer inconvenience for millions of consumers. Taking into account that it takes approximately three years to design, build, and launch a satellite, we can eliminate our two-dish solution by December 2008. Additionally, with that timeframe, we can commit to launching no additional two dish markets in the future. We believe this would allow Congress to achieve its policy goals while balancing the interests of the broadcasters with the needs and desires of satellite TV subscribers and our company. Furthermore, we believe the timeframe is reasonable, considering the leniency provided to the broadcasters who have not met their 2002 deadline of providing full digital service.
I trust you will understand EchoStar's inability to meet the one-year elimination of our two-dish solution without greatly disrupting our service to customers, and I hope you can see why this is such a vital issue to EchoStar and DISH Network subscribers.
Sincerely,
Charles W. Ergen
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
EchoStar Communications Corporation
Below is a letter that was sent by EchoStar CEO Charles Ergen to members of Congress today.
May 26, 2004
The Honorable
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Member X:
Thank you for your efforts to help develop responsible and reasonable public policy as it relates to the Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) industry. We appreciate your desire to achieve a competitive marketplace and more choice for American consumers who seek quality television and video entertainment options.
With the House Committee on Energy and Commerce moving to a markup of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004 (SHVERA), I want to express my grave concern over one specific, punitive provision in this Committee print that is clearly directed solely at EchoStar. The provision focuses on our two-dish solution for local-into-local service -- a practice which EchoStar, relying on current law, has utilized to facilitate a rapid expansion of local service to markets throughout the country.
We developed the two-dish solution as an innovative and effective mechanism to meet the wishes of Congress that DBS provide local service in all 210 of the nation's Designated Market Areas (DMA) as quickly as possible. Working within our current satellite resources and technologies, this efficient use of the spectrum has enabled EchoStar to provide service in 127 DMAs, and we expect to roll out service to as many as 20 more by the end of 2004. Importantly, we have been able to accomplish this expansion while employing the two-dish solution in only 38 of those 127 markets. Today, EchoStar provides local service in nearly twice as many DMAs as our nearest competitor in the nation, an accomplishment of which we are proud. With our recent launch of local channels in the Cheyenne (Wyo.) -Scottsbluff DMA recently, we have reached all 50 states with local-into-local service.
We are dismayed that our competitors in both the broadcast and satellite TV industries are pushing to eliminate the two-dish solution for more than 3 million satisfied customers within one year. This onerous and inequitable proposal would force EchoStar to shift significant financial and human resources away from expanding our markets and services to consumers. Ironically, the proposal under consideration would force us to redirect those resources toward physically installing second dishes on the homes of every customer subscribing to local channels in as many as 30 markets across the country. The ripple effect goes far beyond two-dish markets, and would essentially force us to reconfigure our entire network, potentially disrupting service in some one-dish markets. The proposed timeframe in the provision under consideration could inconvenience more than one million satisfied subscribers, make it impossible for our company to continue offering local service in some markets, and delay the rollout of local service in additional DMAs. To say this would give our competitors an excellent opportunity to capture dissatisfied customers would be an understatement.
Meanwhile, as Congress considers this draconian measure advocated by the broadcasters, the broadcasters themselves are more than two years past the date by which Congress directed them to be broadcasting their signal in digital. Worse yet, the broadcasters concede that they not be able to return their analog spectrum to the federal government by 2006, or by any foreseeable date in the future. This could cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by delaying the auction of this spectrum for other uses.
How do the broadcasters' explain their failure to meet the deadline? According to a National Association of Broadcasters spokesman who was quoted in a recent article, "Broadcasters are moving aggressively to DTV, but this transition must be orderly to ensure that consumers do not lose access to local television (emphasis added) in the process." Since the lack of an orderly transition is one of our key concerns on the broadcasters' proposal to force us to abandon our two-dish solution in one year, the NAB's double standard is outrageous. Why is it okay to jeopardize all local television access for millions of satellite viewers but not for viewers of individual stations who have had years to complete the conversion to digital and have failed to do so?
We know that the two-dish solution, for a variety of reasons, is not a long-term solution for providing local-into-local service in all 210 DMAs. In fact, EchoStar has not launched a two-dish market in five months. Additionally, in recent months EchoStar has reduced the number of two-dish markets from 45 to 38, and we have shifted a number of Spanish-language and Religious channels to make them available to consumers using only one dish. But if Congress forces us to comply with a 12-month deadline, our options and our hopes for remaining competitive in the market and providing nationwide local service will be jeopardized.
EchoStar cannot meet the one-year deadlines for eliminating our two-dish solution without creating consumer inconvenience for millions of consumers. Taking into account that it takes approximately three years to design, build, and launch a satellite, we can eliminate our two-dish solution by December 2008. Additionally, with that timeframe, we can commit to launching no additional two dish markets in the future. We believe this would allow Congress to achieve its policy goals while balancing the interests of the broadcasters with the needs and desires of satellite TV subscribers and our company. Furthermore, we believe the timeframe is reasonable, considering the leniency provided to the broadcasters who have not met their 2002 deadline of providing full digital service.
I trust you will understand EchoStar's inability to meet the one-year elimination of our two-dish solution without greatly disrupting our service to customers, and I hope you can see why this is such a vital issue to EchoStar and DISH Network subscribers.
Sincerely,
Charles W. Ergen
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
EchoStar Communications Corporation
34 Replies
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5925 views
SimpleSimon said:I agree, and the only bad thing about that would be the loss of local news & weather, and something would come along to fill that hole - free markets, ya know.
How can there be a free market with a product with finite resources?
There are only just so many radio frequencies. They are a public resource so the government must regulate them.
I don't like the anti-trust laws. Most of them are abused to the point of absurdity. I am a big believer in free market and deregulation. If you don't like that one person owns all of the pipelines, build another one for Pete sake. But in this case, you can't just create more spectrum.
If there were an infinite amount of frequencies, then get rid of the regulations. But as it is, the regulations are necessary.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAPL0q6ZwaE
Direct YouTube Link - Club TWiT: Spoilers Ahead - 'You Can See Everything'
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAPL0q6ZwaE
Direct YouTube Link - Club TWiT: Spoilers Ahead - 'You Can See Everything'
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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2 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Love this guy's channel. Looks like Walmart has thrown in the towel when it comes to conventional car batteries.
I bought a new AGM battery from Walmart about a year ago, it is already needing replacing. I thought about just buying a regular battery but from what I've read, that might not be a smart move. Might check my Forscan program and see if I can change the battery type from AGM.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awe7kY5nvdU
I bought a new AGM battery from Walmart about a year ago, it is already needing replacing. I thought about just buying a regular battery but from what I've read, that might not be a smart move. Might check my Forscan program and see if I can change the battery type from AGM.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awe7kY5nvdU
15 Replies
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108 views
The guy in the Video, REALLY needs to TAKE a Breath ...
If he'd Slow down, you could figure out What he's testing and on what.
If he'd Slow down, you could figure out What he's testing and on what.
Pub Member / Supporter
I collect and play vinyl records regularly. A friend of mine told me about a record stash located inside an antique mall. So naturally I had to go go check it out.
0 Replies
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7 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68604 Replies
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2677735 views
Who says dinner or lunch has to be the only good meals of the day?
Honey butter grits with scrambled eggs and grilled boneless pork ribs on flakey biscuits washed down with cranberry juice.
Honey butter grits with scrambled eggs and grilled boneless pork ribs on flakey biscuits washed down with cranberry juice.
6632 Replies
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379960 views
Breakfast Quesadillas. Grilled flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, hash browns, chopped green chile, cheddar & Jack cheese and bacon. Coffee.
Pub Member / Supporter
America’s Fastest-Growing EV State Isn’t California—Not by a Long Shot
New data shows electric vehicle adoption is increasingly driven by state policies, electricity prices and charging access—not federal incentives
www.autoweek.com
The number-one US state for EV growth, according to the June 22 Yardi report?
Oklahoma.
It has no ZEV mandates and "minimal" incentives, Yardi says, but also has cheap electricity, high multi-car household rates (so, for example, a non-Lightning Ford F-150 pulls their trailers), and a consumer base willing to switch.
116 Replies
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1039 views
tomwellborn3rd (@wellborn.net)
This author has chosen to make their posts visible only to people who are signed in.
bsky.app
Never realized that Tesla is losing to BYD at manufacturing too, which IMO is Tesla's biggest accomplishment and area of innovation. Nice writeup about the state of play and how we got here though. I have no faith that we're moving any productive direction though sadly, most changes and efforts feel reactionary rather than rooted in making use of the time being bought by tariffs, with few exceptions.
So: how are the cars so cheap, and what is being cut to get there? The best public accounting comes from the Rhodium Group, which compared BYD, Geely, and Leapmotor against Tesla's Chinese operation, a fair comparison because it removes labor costs and shipping from the equation entirely. Their estimate is that BYD builds a car for about $4,700 less than Tesla builds a Model 3 in Shanghai, roughly 15 percent of the Model 3's price. The breakdown is the interesting part. Direct government grants account for about $292 per vehicle, which is 5 percent of the gap. The biggest single factor is vertical integration: BYD makes about 80 percent of its top-tier components in-house, against 37 percent for Tesla, and that eliminates roughly $2,369 per vehicle in supplier markups. Lower overhead, meaning cheaper engineering talent and administrative cost spread across enormous volume, accounts for another $1,719. And BYD pays its suppliers on 155-day terms, against Tesla's 60, which is worth about $214 per car in float. When people say the Chinese advantage is subsidies, the per-vehicle number says otherwise. When people say it is slave wages, the Tesla Shanghai comparison says otherwise too. The advantage is mostly that BYD decided, twenty years ago, to make its own batteries, its own motors, its own power electronics, and its own semiconductors, and Western automakers decided the opposite.
US EV sales are rising again. Here’s why the recovery is set to last.
Even though sales tanked last year after the end of federal incentives, the American EV sector is on the mend as drivers face sky-high gasoline prices.
www.canarymedia.com
GM Is Coming for Tesla, Rivian, and China, on Your Phone and in the Car
GM’s latest tech preview details autonomous highway driving plans, AI-powered OnStar features, and new LMR batteries for future EVs.
GM said its next-generation vehicle architecture will provide 40 times more computing power and 30 percent less wiring than before and will expand from the 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ to its high-volume SUVs, trucks, crossovers, and fourth-generation EVs, which will be powered by lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic batteries
Despite the politicization and perceived consumer pivot away from EVs in America, GM needs to remain globally competitive, so it's doubling down on its fourth generation EVs, with energy-dense, cheaper-to-manufacture LMR batteries, more efficient motors, and state-of-the-art centralized computing architecture. With a stated goal of cutting the traditional four- to five-year concept-to-production time in half, GM is clearly challenging the concept of "China speed," which in the Chinese automotive industry can be as quick as 18 months from design to start of production. In the AI space, GM is smartly collapsing all of its marque-specific apps under the familiar OnStar brand, while providing more features—both on the phone and in the car—than it ever has before.
T
That's how Ford did it- vertical integration. He even set up a rubber plantation in S. Americatomwellborn3rd (@wellborn.net)
This author has chosen to make their posts visible only to people who are signed in.
Never realized that Tesla is losing to BYD at manufacturing too, which IMO is Tesla's biggest accomplishment and area of innovation. Nice writeup about the state of play and how we got here though. I have no faith that we're moving any productive direction though sadly, most changes and efforts feel reactionary rather than rooted in making use of the time being bought by tariffs, with few exceptions.
So: how are the cars so cheap, and what is being cut to get there? The best public accounting comes from the Rhodium Group, which compared BYD, Geely, and Leapmotor against Tesla's Chinese operation, a fair comparison because it removes labor costs and shipping from the equation entirely. Their estimate is that BYD builds a car for about $4,700 less than Tesla builds a Model 3 in Shanghai, roughly 15 percent of the Model 3's price. The breakdown is the interesting part. Direct government grants account for about $292 per vehicle, which is 5 percent of the gap. The biggest single factor is vertical integration: BYD makes about 80 percent of its top-tier components in-house, against 37 percent for Tesla, and that eliminates roughly $2,369 per vehicle in supplier markups. Lower overhead, meaning cheaper engineering talent and administrative cost spread across enormous volume, accounts for another $1,719. And BYD pays its suppliers on 155-day terms, against Tesla's 60, which is worth about $214 per car in float. When people say the Chinese advantage is subsidies, the per-vehicle number says otherwise. When people say it is slave wages, the Tesla Shanghai comparison says otherwise too. The advantage is mostly that BYD decided, twenty years ago, to make its own batteries, its own motors, its own power electronics, and its own semiconductors, and Western automakers decided the opposite.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ss1UyXltsvw
Direct YouTube Link - Cryptographic Certificate Flaw Triggers Cleanup Bigger Than Heartbleed #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ss1UyXltsvw
Direct YouTube Link - Cryptographic Certificate Flaw Triggers Cleanup Bigger Than Heartbleed #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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6 views
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Apple Fall Hardware Event takes place today, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. It marks the debut of new CEO John Ternus and the expected reveal of Apple's first foldable phone.
129 Replies
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1401 views
It seems the phone gets locked into Sat mode. A software patch is coming to avoid that pitfall, but it comes too late for those who already fell in.
Apple confirms iPhone 18 Pro Max AT&T cellular issues, affected devices require hardware replacement - 9to5Mac
Apple has confirmed an issue causing a “small number” of iPhone 18 Pro Max devices on AT&T to lose cellular...
9to5mac.com
Daisy Ridley to Star in New Take on 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' at Paramount+
I'm not usually a fan of remakes but the description provided in the article does intrigue me.
I'm not usually a fan of remakes but the description provided in the article does intrigue me.
8 Replies
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150 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Now right up front....this is NOT intended to devolve into a "pot is good" vs "pot is bad" thread. The whole point is to make you aware of a potential problem that a person can develop when they start smoking pot at a young age. Not that they WILL, but CAN. Kinda like getting lung cancer from smoking cigs....some do, some don't. The purpose of posting this news story is to keep anyone from paying an outrageous emergency room bill......knowledge is power.
While this may not affect you, you might run into someone who is experiencing these symptoms and can share the info. Fortunately, it looks like stopping smoking is the cure and isn't a permanent condition.
www.dailymail.com
While this may not affect you, you might run into someone who is experiencing these symptoms and can share the info. Fortunately, it looks like stopping smoking is the cure and isn't a permanent condition.
Woman's health in ruins after she began doing cannabis aged just 15
A Michigan teenager who began using cannabis at 15 has been hospitalized twice after developing a debilitating illness that causes uncontrollable vomiting and agonizing stomach pains.
1 Replies
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28 views