Reminder: Distant Networks Law Expires December 31st

[cpalmer2k]

Just a reminder that the five year renewal of the law allowing Distant Network Services on DirecTV and Dish Network expires on December 31st this year. Time to start e-mailing our congressmen and senators! The most recent version was called the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014 . Unless they renew this law none of us will be able to get DNS after December 31st!

 

[Roadtrek 1]

OK, so, this is apparently the issue, 

If STELA were to expire, the CRS projects that "approximately 1.5 million satellite television households would likely lose distant network broadcast signals.

Are you saying this for everyone including people who have satellite TV in their homes as well as RVs? 

 

[Barbaraok]

You can’t get DNS if you are in a house with access to a spot beam of local TV channels.  DNS is for mobile users and those in extremely remote areas outside of spot beams.

[cpalmer2k]

From my understanding this also would affect their ability to "import" stations in markets where an affiliate doesn't exist. For example in many cases if a market doesn't have a CW affiliate they will give viewers the national feed, or a station from a larger market. It also applies to people who live in areas that don't get locals on satellite at all, and can't get an over the air feed. (Sure that is a smaller percentage of people today than it used to be, but they still exist) 

 

This time the NAB is fighting renewal... 

Quote

The 500,000 households receiving an out-of-market station comprise three types of viewers, listed below. Only the satellite providers know which category justifies delivering a distant station to a given household and some households may fall into more than one of these categories:

• Those in “neglected markets,” where the satellite provider imports a signal from a major city instead of providing the local network channel even though the local channels are available. This is because it is less expensive for the satellite provider to deny local viewers their local channels. There are approximately 12 neglected markets.

• Those in “short markets,” where there is at least one local network affiliate available, but not all of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC have a local station. There are approximately eight short markets. In these markets, broadcasters are willing to find marketplace solutions to ensure that if a local broadcast channel is not available, the satellite companies will still be able to offer a channel from a different market after the STELAR license expires.

• “Grandfathered” and “recreational vehicle” subscribers. These subscribers would otherwise be eligible to receive their local channels, but AT&T-DIRECTV and DISH are incentivized to provide imported signals from major cities because it is less expensive for them.