Dish's Grand Slip Up!!!

[dbodle]

I just recently switched from Directv to Dish on the 13th. My neighbor also had Dish installed two days later by the same installer. We both ordered our local channels which are Scranton/Wiles-Barre PA. My neighbor for some unknown reason is also receiving locals from Johnstown PA, Pittsburgh PA and Harrisburg PA. He is also getting the distants from NY and LA!!!!???? This in addition to the Scranton Channels. He is on lucky SOB. How is this possible? It obviously has to be a slip up at DISH.

[scooper]

GOt a zip code and address the rest of us can try ? For you AND your neighbor ? My guess is that you're right - it was a mistake.

BUT - to dispel a commonly held misconception - just because your locals ARE available on DBS DOES NOT prevent you from being eligible for Distant Networks as well. The test for Distant Networks depends on the quality of signal the station puts over your place. There are places in this country where the location is eligible for local AND Distant Networks.

Having said that - with a revision of SHVIA now in Congress, this MAY get changed. But nothing is in stone on that yet.

[james39]

nice :D

It may not last long, but it gives you the chance to spy on the newscasts from neighboring cities.

[Nick]

...or you could drive to the other city and get a hotel room. :shrug:

[stonecold]

or your neighbor could be a hacker....

doubt it. but always possible.

[Hall]

Before DVRs, getting distant locals (with DirecTV) was great. If you missed a show at eight, you could always watch it again at 11. ;)

[TNGTony]

If this is a legitamate subscription, the only POSSIBLE answer is that it is a slip-up by Dish. Legally one can only subscibe to two of each distant network (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox ONLY) and the local channels. You cannot legally subscribe to any other distant channel except the superstations listed in the SHVIA (all of which are available on Dish). By contract with Dish and DirecTV, if you can receive a local PBS affiliate via satellite, you are not *supposed* to be allowed to get the PBS national channel. At no time can anyone legally subscribe to a distant PBS member station, period.

So your neighbor is getting the NYC locals (all the channels), LA locals (all the channels), Johnstown, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Scranton, he is either on the receiving end of a monumental blunder by Dish, mistakenly was given a "cracked" receiver by an unknowing or unscrupulous dealer, or a hacker stealing service. :)

See ya
Tony

[djlong]

*OR* - said neighbor could have an RV. That will also allow you to get the distant nets.

[dbodle]

He has no RV. He is getting all of the locals including those from LA and NY including all of the PBS from those local markets. No he did not subscribe to the distants and we used a well known local dealer who does a lot of business so my best guess is that it is Dish who made the mistake.

[James Long]

*OR* - said neighbor could have an RV. That will also allow you to get the distant nets.But JUST the distant nets (ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX) from two cities per network ... not every channel from DMAs not his own.

JL

[James Long]

He has no RV. He is getting all of the locals including those from LA and NY including all of the PBS from those local markets. No he did not subscribe to the distants and we used a well known local dealer who does a lot of business so my best guess is that it is Dish who made the mistake.Including all the locals that are on spotbeams that do not reach outside of the LA or NY markets respectively? "All" is a dangerous word.

JL

[bar 1203]

Sounds like a hacked reciever to me.... Prolly wont last too long if it was dishs' mistake because they runa macro every so often for things like this. Isthe neighbor recieving all of the premiums/adult/ppv chans too?

[TNGTony]

*OR* - said neighbor could have an RV. That will also allow you to get the distant nets.

Absolutely no "or" to my original post. :)

One cannot *EVER* legally subscrube to more than two of each network as distant channels plus one's own local network. So three of each network (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) is the legal maximum under *ANY* circumstance!

One cannot legally subscribe to a distant WB, UPN affiliate except the Superstations specifically mentioned in the SHVIA. There are some exceptions for individual DMAs allowing *ONE* import as a local (i.e. Dayton has WBQC Cincinnati on DirecTV as part of the Dayton locals).

At no time *ever* can *anyone* *ever* legally subscribe to a distant PBS member station. They *may* be able to get the PBS national channel though.

Independent stations depend. If they have national copyright clearance, they can be sold nationally. Sky Angel does this with a half dozen stations.

See ya
Tony