For me , I am just waiting . If they never launch, it certainly would be a disappointment. But yet I would have not lost any money on the deal. It is not like we gave them money and we are waiting for our product to be delivered.
They should start the operation as soon as they can, perhaps giving us a updated time frame and mention what satellite they plan to be on. The time is right, especially in this economy. I have friends back East who cannot afford cable or satellite and now get very few locals after the digital transition on OTA. They are not alone, there are many out there like them. There is a huge audience out there for the taking, everyday (in my opinion) that freedbs is not in operation...they are not making money.
If more people are aware that there free alternatives to Dish and Direct, Freedbs could be very viable.
I would venture to guess if they successfully launch, perhaps another free dbs company could follow in their steps. Right now the only successful service is Glorystar, they did it right and would be a good model to follow. Lets hope that there will be a announcement from freedbs soon with a launch date and satellite coordinates.
Regarding buying a new receiver to watch freedbs. They need to launch using existing inexpensive FTA receivers and permanently keep some channels that are compatible with those receivers....if anything to keep the point of cost as low as possible.