c/p from Digial Home:
Wednesday, 01 April 2009 Digital Home this week has learned that Star Choice has quietly canceled its popular "Home Away from Home" program which enabled cottagers or recreational vehicle (RV) owners to watch television while on vacation at no additional charge.
In a memo to staff, Star Choice said that effective immediately, new subscribers to the direct-to-home satellite television service will be required to pay a separate fee for service at each location.
Star Choice says customers that were under the plan prior to March 30th will be "grandfathered" and will still be able to watch television from their home, cottage or RV without any additional charge.
Inside the cable and satellite television service, the home away from home program, also known as account stacking, account splitting or second address service, was considered controversial.
Cable operators and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) have argued the practice of account splitting gave satellite television providers an unfair advantage over cable providers who were prohibited from offering second address service.
Under Canadian broadcasting rules, Canadians with multiple residences are required to pay for cable service for each residence they owned. With account splitting (home away from home service), Star Choice customers have the ability to receive television service in both homes while only paying once for service,.
Not surprisingly, the program resulted in many Canadian TV watchers canceling their cable service and signing up with Star Choice. In 2006, the cable companies and CAB petitioned the CRTC to ban the practice of account splitting.
BellTV, formerly known as ExpressVu, cancelled its "Cottage" program in 2005.
Wednesday, 01 April 2009 Digital Home this week has learned that Star Choice has quietly canceled its popular "Home Away from Home" program which enabled cottagers or recreational vehicle (RV) owners to watch television while on vacation at no additional charge.
In a memo to staff, Star Choice said that effective immediately, new subscribers to the direct-to-home satellite television service will be required to pay a separate fee for service at each location.
Star Choice says customers that were under the plan prior to March 30th will be "grandfathered" and will still be able to watch television from their home, cottage or RV without any additional charge.
Inside the cable and satellite television service, the home away from home program, also known as account stacking, account splitting or second address service, was considered controversial.
Cable operators and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) have argued the practice of account splitting gave satellite television providers an unfair advantage over cable providers who were prohibited from offering second address service.
Under Canadian broadcasting rules, Canadians with multiple residences are required to pay for cable service for each residence they owned. With account splitting (home away from home service), Star Choice customers have the ability to receive television service in both homes while only paying once for service,.
Not surprisingly, the program resulted in many Canadian TV watchers canceling their cable service and signing up with Star Choice. In 2006, the cable companies and CAB petitioned the CRTC to ban the practice of account splitting.
BellTV, formerly known as ExpressVu, cancelled its "Cottage" program in 2005.
