Direct TV DNS Waiver

[hanknjoycew]

I am about to apply for a DNS waiver because DTV says my previous waiver from 2015 is no longer on my account/cannot be found. We had DNS since 2004 as fulltimers so I know the drill. We are now "part-timers". A couple questions - 1) how long is it taking these days to process the waiver? The application form letter (looks same as before) says 11-14 days to verify etc. 2) If I activate the DNS waiver, can I also get Locals if I am sitting someplace for a while? I read on the DTV Forum that might not be allowed now. 3) My last waiver got me just the West Coast Feed because I live in South Dakota; is the "one feed" rule still in place? Back in the day you could get both East and West Coast feeds.

Thanks,

Hank Whitney
SKP67414
2005 Mandalay DP w/Winegard Trav'ler Auto Dish
At Home in Custer SD

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Technically the DNS waiver is supposed to be renewed every year because veicle registration is only for a year.

Also by FCC rules it DNS or Locals but not both.

As for East Coast/West Coast DNS, DirecTV plays pretty loose with the rules.

[SWharton]

We had to reapply last year. Took 24-48 hours for the approval. We have the east coast feed since we use Livingston, TX as our address. We do have locals for Phoenix where we spend the winter. I know a while ago there was a lot of problems calling up and changing your service address so you could get locals where you are parked. I remember it as hit or miss as to whether Directv would change your service address to where you were located. I never saw anything definitive on this one way or the other.

[cpalmer2k]

From what I've been hearing if your account has been migrated to the "new" AT&T billing system they can't see anything in the old DirecTV system at all. I held my breath when mine migrated but my DNS service did stay on. I have issues with the way DirecTV implements this too, but the law gives them a lot of latitude. The latest reiterations of the law basically say that you can't view programming in HD from an EARLIER time zone which is why they force people into either East or West Coast DNS now based on the registration address. To me those in the East should be able to choose whether they want East, or West Coast, or both, since having both would not violate that part of the law. Those on the west coast would be out of luck though because they can't legally get the East coast feeds. So, to make it easy on themselves DirecTV created this rule. They DO however let you have both DNS and locals now, you aren't required to choose between the two. We get our locals for our home market (when we are within the spotbeams) and east coast DNS. (FWIW Dish is similar, only they only everyone gets the West Coast DNS channels they don't offer east at all and they do require you to resubmit a registration every year). 

 

[docj]

16 hours ago, hanknjoycew said:

My last waiver got me just the West Coast Feed because I live in South Dakota; is the "one feed" rule still in place?

It's my understanding that DTV uses your billing address time zone to determine which feed you receive.  We have an address in the eastern part of SD that is on Central Time and we get the Eastern feed.

[hemsteadc]

Tell them your service address is in the Los Angeles area.  You should be able to get those network affiliates just about anywhere sans any DNS fuss.  Of course, if you actually want "locals" where you are, that's different.

[hanknjoycew]

hemsteadc: Interesting idea to just use service address instead of dealing with DNS. I will say in the past 15 years with DTV in the RV I have sometimes had a problem getting them to do that. And changing service address to LA would seemingly provide Locals from there which are spot-beam and only reach a couple hundred miles or so. When I had trouble getting DNS last year they gave me locals where I was staying for 6 weeks until the DNS processed - which it never did.

Hank
SKP 67414
2005 Mandalay DP

[hemsteadc]

40 minutes ago, hanknjoycew said:

. And changing service address to LA would seemingly provide Locals from there which are spot-beam and only reach a couple hundred miles or so. 

My point is that the LA locals may be part of the DNS which covers a LOT of territory.  A satellite expert on the 'other forum' isn't sure and thinks this might work.  I'll know for sure when I get to NM, as the farthest away I've been and still get them is Quartzsite.

Post- ATT it's gotten much more  difficult  to get locals changed.

[FL-JOE]

Not to side track this thread, but we were going to change to DNS this month prior to leaving Florida.  I read all the information I could find on DirecTV web site and it looked to me like with the DNS package you can not get any of the sports packages, like MLB or NFL.  Would that be correct?

[SWharton]

I don't think so. Last year we had 6 months of free NFL package, don't remember why, the keyword was free.