"Distant Networks" going away June 1 per DirecTV

[SKP099512]

Just got an email today from DirecTV.

--

Regrettably, we must inform you of a new law that affects your programming. Until recently, the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR) Act authorized DIRECTV to provide you access to your out-of-market broadcast networks—ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, and/or FOX. Unfortunately, Congress has decided to not renew key provisions of this law. As a result, on June 1, 2020, we no longer will be able to provide you access to these out-of-market channels. These are not available anywhere else. However, this change does not affect access to your existing local network stations.

If you’re paying for these channels, you’ll receive a credit within 1-2 billing cycles for this programming change.

If you have any questions, please call us at 866.595.9429.

Thank you for choosing DIRECTV.

--

This might be a topic for the lobbying group.

[docj]

That's yet another reason why I'm glad I dropped DTV.  Watching YouTube TV and enjoying it even more.

[SWharton]

Happy we switched to Dish. I heard this from Dish but I assumed everyone would be grandfathered.

[SKP099512]

Yeah Joel 'docj' YouTubeTV comes in great on park wifi in the middle of Montana at dialup speeds 😒

[bobsallyh]

We just got our notice too. Typical, will bill past the cutoff date then refund, gotta love it! Hate to see it go away as we have had it since the 90's.

[SKP099512]

24 minutes ago, SWharton said:

Happy we switched to Dish. I heard this from Dish but I assumed everyone would be grandfathered.

I had heard that Dish was no longer offering Distant Networks.

[Dutch_12078]

Dish does not offer DNS any longer, but they do make changing locals reasonably easy either by phone or chat, and if you have an appropriate "Outdoor" account status, by smartphone app. There is a way to get a no cost pseudo-DNS, but it involves a possible TOS violation if Dish ever chooses to look into it. 

[hemsteadc]

 "These are not available anywhere else. "

[Zulu]

10 minutes ago, hemsteadc said:

 "These are not available anywhere else. "

I'll bet you're not a DISH customer, right?

[hemsteadc]

1 hour ago, Zulu said:

I'll bet you're not a DISH customer, right?

No, but what does that have  to do with anything?

[Zulu]

1 hour ago, hemsteadc said:

No, but what does that have  to do with anything?

When you replied to Dutch's post about how DISH has locals you can get anywhere . . . easily. Plus, with DISH if you want to stick with just one station (similar to like DNS), you can do that by selecting one of the CONUS TV stations.

As I recall regularly changing locals on DirecTV is problematic at best.

[hemsteadc]

1 hour ago, Zulu said:

When you replied to Dutch's post....

I wasn't replying to Dutch's post.

[SKP099512]

1 hour ago, Zulu said:

As I recall regularly changing locals on DirecTV is problematic at best.

For us, once we had our DirecTV and AT&T accounts combined into a single 'mobile' account it was very difficult to change service address.

[Vladimir]

On 4/28/2020 at 2:00 PM, docj said:

That's yet another reason why I'm glad I dropped DTV.  Watching YouTube TV and enjoying it even more.

I don't have Direct TV......but if you read the post.

Regrettably, we must inform you of a new law that affects your programming. Until recently, the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR) Act authorized DIRECTV to provide you access to your out-of-market broadcast networks—ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, and/or FOX. Unfortunately, Congress has decided to not renew key provisions of this law. As a result, on June 1, 2020, we no longer will be able to provide you access to these out-of-market channels. These are not available anywhere else. However, this change does not affect access to your existing local network stations.

We have the "best Government money can buy".  

I am not sure why Congress is involved in this at ALL.  Why is this a Federal matter??

In Wenatchee, my local cable system offered the "local" Spokane TV stations.  Ooops, some Federal law and resulting Federal regulations made Wenatchee part of the Seattle TV market.  Wenatchee is EXACTLY half way between Spokane and Seattle.

It has historically been part of eastern Washington, but lately floods of urban refugees have been moving over to Wenatchee from Seattle.

So the Federal government made the local cable company replace their Spokane TV stations with Seattle TV stations and the cable bill went up as a result.  Even worse, the local TV station was now part of the Seattle TV market so if they purchased ANY nationally syndicated programming that have to pay Seattle rates!!!

There are lots of worthwhile things that the Federal government is responsible for....as a Federal employee for 30 years I know that.

WHY is CONGRESS fiddling around with TV programming in local areas and on satellite. 

Oh wait....I forgot...."We have the "best government money can buy".

rant mode off.
 

[Dutch_12078]

14 minutes ago, Vladimir said:

...

WHY is CONGRESS fiddling around with TV programming in local areas and on satellite. 

Oh wait....I forgot...."We have the "best government money can buy".

rant mode off.
 

The FCC doesn't determine the TV designated markets areas (DMA's), the Nielsen Corporation (formerly A.C. Nielsen) handles that job... 

[Vladimir]

On 5/7/2020 at 7:52 PM, Dutch_12078 said:

The FCC doesn't determine the TV designated markets areas (DMA's), the Nielsen Corporation (formerly A.C. Nielsen) handles that job... 

We are wandering off-topic.....but PRIVATE COMPANIES cannot set laws and regulations for the UNITED STATES.

Trust me on this. 

As a Federal employee we have had the courts send back some of our agency decisions simply because they were concerned that "advisory" councils were making regulations and NOT Federal employees.

The Federal government can use whatever data it wants in its decision making process....BUT the decision is limited to the Federal government and its "employees" that Congress designates to write the regulations.

For all those folks concerned about government spending......really this is something we should be spending taxpayer dollars!!!

[Dutch_12078]

21 minutes ago, Vladimir said:

We are wandering off-topic.....but PRIVATE COMPANIES cannot set laws and regulations for the UNITED STATES.

Trust me on this. 

As a Federal employee we have had the courts send back some of our agency decisions simply because they were concerned that "advisory" councils were making regulations and NOT Federal employees.

The Federal government can use whatever data it wants in its decision making process....BUT the decision is limited to the Federal government and its "employees" that Congress designates to write the regulations.

For all those folks concerned about government spending......really this is something we should be spending taxpayer dollars!!!

The FCC accepts the 210 DMA designations that Nielsen uses for their audience ratings services. Nielsen doesn't make the laws or regulations of course, they just define the markets the FCC uses to implement the laws and regulations. Dish carries the locals in all 210 markets, while DTV only carries 198 markets despite promising the FCC years ago they would carry all of them. 

Most satellite subscribers can receive television broadcast channels that originate within their local area, but some channels that are broadcast in nearby markets may not be available. Subscribers can ask their satellite TV companies if they can add these channels.

What is 'local into local' service?

Satellite service that provides local TV broadcast stations - commonly called “local-into-local” service - is available to most subscribers. Your satellite company may charge for this service.

With local-into-local service, satellite TV companies retransmit signals from stations located within a particular “designated market area” to subscribers in the same DMA. The Nielsen Company assigns each county to a DMA, based primarily on its measurement of local viewing patterns.

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/receiving-television-broadcast-stations-satellite-tv-companies

(emphasis added)

[SKP099512]

55 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said:

The FCC accepts the 210 DMA designations that Nielsen uses for their audience ratings services. Nielsen doesn't make the laws or regulations of course, they just define the markets the FCC uses to implement the laws and regulations. Dish carries the locals in all 210 markets, while DTV only carries 198 markets despite promising the FCC years ago they would carry all of them. 

 

(emphasis added)

And in order to offer DNS DirecTV just has to offer locals in 12 more markets. Yet they send out notices blaming the law.

[Dutch_12078]

6 minutes ago, SKP099512 said:

And in order to offer DNS DirecTV just has to offer locals in 12 more markets. Yet they send out notices blaming the law.

That would seem to be the situation...

[bobsallyh]

As a Direct customer for years with DNS and before that with Dish until they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and had their DNS taken away by the FCC, I could care less about locals, not going to call to change locals when I move. The DNS is great because if on the west coast you can see programing from the east coast at reasonable times. And for sports, it hard to beat. If I can get the locals on OTA ok, but sure won't spend but a couple of moments trying to tune them in. And unless something drastic happens we will just stay with Direct.

[SKP099512]

8 minutes ago, bobsallyh said:

As a Direct customer for years with DNS and before that with Dish until they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and had their DNS taken away by the FCC, I could care less about locals, not going to call to change locals when I move. The DNS is great because if on the west coast you can see programing from the east coast at reasonable times. And for sports, it hard to beat. If I can get the locals on OTA ok, but sure won't spend but a couple of moments trying to tune them in. And unless something drastic happens we will just stay with Direct.

Yeah DNS is great but also gone on DirecTV on June 1st.

[bobsallyh]

SKP099512, I realize it is going away, but by the same token it will save us a couple of bucks.

[Dutch_12078]

AT&T has negotiated a DNS carriage deal with Fox. Still working on the other networks...

https://www.multichannel.com/news/at-t-fox-strike-stelar-related-carriage-deal

[bobsallyh]

Dutch 12078, I can't get the above site to come up. So I just went to www.multichannel.com and scrolled down and got the info. Thanks so much for the update.

[Barbaraok]

I have heard from everyone that you can't call in to DirectTV and have service address changed and get it done easily over the phone.  Which is what I just did, in anticipation of no 'locals' any longer.  Took a couple of transfers to get me to the billing area, but once I explained what I wanted, he said to hang on while he did it, looked up and the TV was searching for program guide and voila, there they were.  He again verified the billing address and it was done.   I was amazed to say the least.  Once in a while something goes the way it should!