Missouri May Sue Dish Over Fox Blackout
				 				By Swanni
				
				Washington, D.C. (October 22,  				2010) -- The Missouri Attorney  				General is threatening legal action against Dish Network for not  				carrying the Fox-owned FX channel, National Geographic Channel  				and 19 regional sports channels.
				
				Dish was forced to remove the channels on October 1 when it  				could not reach a new programming pact with Fox to carry them.  				However, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster says Dish is now  				violating customer contracts by not carrying the Fox channels,  				according to the Southeast Missourian.
				
				"Essentially,  				subscribers are paying for the cost of receiving Fox programming  				when they are not," Koster said in a press release. "Dish  				Network is being unjustly enriched by engaging in this unfair  				practice."
				
				Koster said Dish subscribers signed two-year programming  				contracts thinking that the channels would be available during  				the entire two years. (Dish and other TV providers often require  				customers to sign time-based contracts in exchange for cheaper  				rates on programming and equipment.)
				
				Dish has tried to make up for the loss of the Fox channels by  				giving customers free access to 19 other HD networks and two  				sports channels.
				
				But Koster says Dish should allow subscribers that they can  				cancel their service without a cancellation fee. Additionally,  				he says, Dish subs should get a refund for the time when they  				could not watch the Fox channels.
				
				The attorney general says he will give Dish 10 to 14 days to  				respond before taking any action. 				 				Dish and Fox are reportedly still negotiating  				a new pact. But the satcaster faces another potential problem on  				November 1 when its contract to carry Fox's local stations  				expires.