Question about Locals

[Dish man]

I currently have the network package - East, West, and Supers - and now my Locals are going to be available later this week. Does anyone know what will happen to my distant networks if I sign up for locals? I would prefer to have my hometown stations, but I really don't want to give up the East Coast feeds. Will E* cut me off of the distants if I sign up for locals? I currently subscribe to basic cable to get locals, but would rather get them from E* so I could use my PVR.

[Geronimo]

It may cause them to look at your account again so if you have been getting them improperly you might get caught. But the qualification process for distant netrs has NOTHING to do with whether locals are offered in your area.

[tampa8]

I think this question needs to be a "sticky thread" I can't believe how often it gets asked. Geronimo of course answered it correctly. But, I do wonder when the bright idea will happen and the networks say they do not want you to get a distant if you can locals on satellite.

[TNGTony]

The act of a customer calling to get their locals activated on their account WILL NOT affect the distant networks on that account. Plain and simple. As the Chief mentioned, the qualifications for locals have zero bearing on the qualifications for distnat networks.

The only possibility of you losing your distants when you call to get your locals is if the CSR makes a mistake and turns them off accidentally. The CSR caonnot just turn them back on. Not even a nanosecond later. You have to requalify.

If you are getting distant networks through waivers (expressed or de facto) or grandfathered there is a POSSIBILITY that you will lose your distant channels WHETHER YOU CALL TO ORDER YOUR LOCALS OR NOT.

Sorry to yell so much....but this is a question that is asked EVERY SINGLE TIME a new city is about to be added. :D

See ya
Tony

[TNGTony]

Tampa,

The whole deal with the SHVIA is exactly because the networks do not want their programming sold on satellite channels....period.

Way back when in the days of BUDs, some one figured that since the networks would not provide their customers a signal, they'd just yank the programming from some TV station somewhere and sell it to their customers. (PrimeTime24).

The SHVA and later the SHVIA basically take away the right of the program content owners to control their distribution. It legalizes an otherwise blatant act of copyright violation.

The folks that would take the channels away would be the local channels themselves. Not the networks. They are powerless in this particular case.

See ya
Tony

[Dish man]

Thanks for your responses and please accept my apologies for asking a dumb question. Like Geronimo suspected, I am getting the networks improperly. I guess I must have "forgotten" to tell E* when I moved into town a while back. I am just so spoiled with watching Leno at 8:30 PM that I don't want to lose the East coast feed.

Dish man

[TNGTony]

Dish Man....If your account address doesn't change, you have nothing to worry about. But if you have to change the SERVICE address on your account to get the locals, you will lose distant networks (or at least have to requalify).

See ya
Tony

[Geronimo]

I am sorry but I have heard of people getting cut off in this circumstance. However if they dont know about a different service address it might not be noticed.