Dish Network lack of ABC and NBC HD programming

[waltinvt]

Sorry, you're wrong. Dish didn't renege on anything. While the new legislation allows HD distant networks in so-called "white areas," the actual rules for how this will work haven't been determined yet.

I haven't the time or energy right now to get into a big debate about the specifics of the legislation - besides it's all out there for anyone to read. It also took me a long time and a lot of help from others to understand it.

Currently anyone in an ANALOG grade "B" signal area can apply for (or have their DBS provider apply for) a waiver to get DIGITAL DNS. Whether you have LILs available has no direct bearing on whether you can get digital DNS.

Although the "rules" you refer to do involve the "white area", they basically mean that the FCC was given a finite amount of time to study and possibly replace the current analog prediction model with one more specific to digital.

In the meantime, the existing analog model STILL applies to digital (but as described below - the appeal process has been crippled)

The FCC DID recently issue rules that basically say if your waivers are rejected, you can no longer "appeal" under the old signal test rules IF you have LILs available.

This was a "slip thru the cracks" blunder on the part of congress because since the bill DID basically eliminate ANALOG DNS for anyone with LILs, it was assumed that if LILs were available, you probably didn't have any right to analog DNS anyway, so why allow the appeal.

Congress, in all their infinite wisdom, didn't see the senerio of viewers seeking DIGITAL DNS still needing an appeal process. Actually I'm not all that sure that this wasn't an "intended" slip up. The NAB was basically too happy with the bill and.........ah, let's not go there now.

Anyway, even though ANALOG DNS are basically gone if you have LILs (except for a few "grandfathered" situations) under the current '04 SHVERA, that law DID extend most of the old '99 SHIVA legislation. That's what it was for - because the '99 law was set to expire.

So even though the prediction model for ANALOG DNS is basically no longer necessary for it's intended purpose, it IS currently the method used for DIGITAL DNS qualification (with the appeal process gutted out) until the FCC comes up with another model OR new legislation expected by congress this year changes the rules some more.

 

[CapeFish]

I get NBC, FOX, PBS and ABC over-the-air from my local stations who deliver the entwork feeds in HD. Our CBS station (WINK) hopes to be on by September. Our WB station will soon have HD.

I understand some areas can't get HD OTA and are in translator hell. When I lived in the Florida Keys the Keys translator service folded and left us without OTA television except for 2 Key West stations and WTVJ which has their tower in Homestead. I believe the translators may be up again today, but most have Dishes and Cable down there now. However, HD down there is impossible OTA due to the fact that there are not DT translators yet.

HD Network feeds on DISH Network should be added, but the priority should be HD feeds more people can see.

 

[SimpleSimon]

It's a matter of the FCC getting the digital white areas defined.

But then E* has to actually carry the signals for us - and I'm NOT holding my breath.

When E* people say things like "there's no room on 148" when I see all sorts of space there, I know what they think of their high-end $100+ customers.