21 Public Interest Channels – for free

[retiredTech]

New – Public Interest Channel Package – Effective February 23, 2006

Should customers wish to call in and request it (800-333-DISH), we have put together a package of 21 Public Interest Channels – for free! Customer Service Representatives, however, will not proactively offer this package to customers; they must voluntarily ask for it to add it on to their other DISH Network programming.

Please note that 6 of the 21 channels are transmitted from the wings (61.5° and 148° orbital locations), and require a wing antenna to receive them.

A select group of customers may not already have an appropriate antenna. If they wish to receive all the Public Interest Channels within this a la carte package, they would need to add/upgrade their antenna at their own expense. Examples of these customers include:

International only programming customers who have no visibility to either the 110° or 119° orbital locations.

American-programming customers who do not have a wing antenna pointed to either the 61.5° or 148° orbital locations.

Customers in Hawaii with a DISH 300 antenna with no visibility to the 110° orbital location, or no visibility to the 61.5° or 148° orbital locations – regardless of the type of antenna they may have.

Customers in Alaska with a DISH 300 and no visibility to the 110°, 61.5° or 148° orbital locations.

Customers in Puerto Rico with a single antenna and no visibility to the 61.5° or 148° orbital locations.

DishFAMILY subscribers have been excluded from select Public Interest Channel programming due to potentially offensive or mature content. DishFAMILY customers may request this a la carte package of all Public Interest Channels with the understanding that it is at their own discretion.
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Note: My father has only locals with E* & Skyangel and was able to get this free PI package. You have to be sure and be clear and explain exactly what you are talking about to the "CSR's" as many of them are not aware of this package since it is not advertised nor requested often. But with some "looking" my CSR did find it and added it for free. (also of note, I did have to pull the smartcard to get my father's old 2700 to take the new download, not sure if this was just because of his "older receiver" or this package) But it works fine now and he has 21 more free channels, some that he finds very interesting.)

[FTA Michael]

Wow!! I wonder what caused Dish to change its mind about granting PI access to the below-AT60 subs?

Y'know, this makes the Supers-only package start to look pretty good!

[RobertB]

Could you post the channel numbers for the 21 PI channels? Thanks!

[diospyros]

I believe:

197, 210, 213, 260, 261, 9400-9418,
and maybe 652/704.

Some good stuff in there, but some of it has poor picture quality.

[FTA Michael]

Tony's incredible Dish Network Channel Chart (http://www.dishchannelchart.com/) already has it covered. He's amazing.

Anyway, it says the channels (with sat positions) are
197 The Documentary Channel (110)
210 C-Span (119)
213 NASA Select (119)
260 Trinity Broadcasting (119)
261 Eternal Word (119)
9400 Research Channel (110)
9401 Hispanic ITN (110)
9403 BYU TV (110)
9404 Univ. of Washington (110)
9405 Pentagon Channel (61.5/148)
9406 Classic Arts Showcase (61.5/148)
9407 Colours (110)
9409 RFD TV (119)
9410 WorldLink (110)
9411 N. Arizona UH (119)
9412 Univ. of California (119)
9415 Free Speech (110)
9416 Good Samaritan (61.5/148)
9417 Holistic (61.5/148)
9418 Panhandle AEC (61.5/148)
9850 Korean Broadcasting Service (121)

[TNGTony]

:)

This info was on the other board a while ago and I also got an anonymous e-mail in early March. The change happened to the EKB two weeks ago, I think. It was a stealth change. :)

See ya
Tony

[saweetnesstrev]

I have all these channels already and didnt request any?

[FTA Michael]

saweetnesstrev, Dish already provided those channels automatically to all "subscribers", which Dish defined as AT60 or higher, plus some Latino packages. The change is that they are now available on request for Dish users who don't subscribe to a qualifying package.

When the FCC authorized DBS, it required a certain percentage of channel slots to be used for public interest networks. Some people had grumbled (correctly IMHO) that the intent of this was to make those networks available to anyone with the equipment to pick them up. After years and years of more limited access, something (FCC letter? threatened lawsuit? surge of generosity?) make Dish quietly change its position. Thanks!

[chelsea]

I have them also without asking. Might be MPEG 4 subs are entitled.

Wrote them down for Tony, a couple on EKG Dish List are not indicated.
Was planning on letting him know. I'll post when I find list.

[TNGTony]

The PI channels are all included as part of AT60 and higher and all English language "metalic" packages. Since most of Dish Network subscribers have AT60 or higher, most subscribers already get all these channels.

However some or all of these PI channels are not included with Dish Family, Dish Latino, Dish Latino Dos, Dish Latino Max, "Locals-Only" subscribers, Great Wall Package, any of the South Asian Packages, any of the Arabic packages, any other international-only subscribers, a la carte subscribers, etc.

The "free PI Pack" allows everyonw to get these channels at no extra cost other than the time it takes to get through to a CSR and to convince them that there is such a package and to turn it on, then to call back to the tech department to get them to REALLY activate the package because the CSR screwed something up. :)

See ya
Tony

[billpa]

Would someone who had locals only be eligible for this deal?

[Fifty Caliber]

I wish they would mirror Korean Broadcasting Service onto 148/61.5 so that superdish would not be needed to get this channel.

[TNGTony]

Would someone who had locals only be eligible for this deal?

Read the posted message imediately above your question and see. :)

See ya
Tony

[FTA Michael]

What I really wonder is whether someone who doesn't subscribe to anything at all from Dish can use legal, used equipment to get all those PIs on request without an access fee. ;)

[billpa]

Read the posted message imediately above your question and see. :)

See ya
Tony


Yes I see!
Thanks for your pre-ply :)

[chelsea]

Tony,
Here is my list:

100 HOME
101 DNFYI
102 TVGC
103 ONPPV
156 MUSIC
197 DOC
210 CSPAN
213 NASA
224 SAH
260 TBN
261 EWTN
262 ANGEL
265 CCTV9
572 NBASC
884 CCEF
919 MUSIC
9400'S all PI
9900 D500

[TNGTony]

Chelsea,

101, 103, 156/919, and D500 are "open" channels. I Think SAH is as well. I am not certain about 572 Stat Central.

CCEF, and CCTV9 aren't listed as PI channels in the Dish web site. Are you certain that they are included in the PI package?

Thanks for the list

See ya
Tony

[mplsjeffm]

All of the PI channels are on ch 9400 and up, right??
what ones are on the wing slots?

[Geronimo]

Well this does answer the question of whether the Documentary Channel isa PI channel.

[TNGTony]

The Documentary Channel, NASA, TBN and EWTN are definitely PI channels.
CCTV9 should be a PI channel, but both CCTV9 and CCEF cannot be FCC PI channels. They could be included with the PI, but I thought they were available in every package anyway.

See ya
Tony

[the_bear]

Are these channels un-encrypted? I remember being able to watch NASA and the shopping network without a subscription at all.

[James Long]

CCEF, and CCTV9 aren't listed as PI channels in the Dish web site. Are you certain that they are included in the PI package?I don't consider either PI channels - but it is possible that one of them is. (Is a channel with foreign ownership qualified to be a PI? Is there an American shell that they are running this through to make it qualify?)

[Titus2525]

Wow!! I wonder what caused Dish to change its mind about granting PI access to the below-AT60 subs?

Y'know, this makes the Supers-only package start to look pretty good!
I tried to get this package but the csr had an Indian accent and keep repeated something unintelligible about 19.99 a month for the family package to get these channels and something about the year 1999 over and over again. It went something like this 19.99, 19.99, 19.99. I've just about had it with E* and may just cancel dish altogether. I do consider myself a subscriber even though I just buy the local package only, the family package is just a bunch of religious shows and cartoons, the only channels of interest in the package are the PI access channels and Foxnews.

[FTA Michael]

Ever hear of CSR roulette? Keep calling back till you get someone who's heard of the PI package.

[Jon Ellis]

CCTV9 and CCTV E&F may be FTA. When I had only SuperStations, I didn't get the PI channels, but I did get 265 and 884.

[dishrich]

I tried to get this package but the csr had an Indian accent and keep repeated something unintelligible about 19.99 a month for the family package to get these channels

Had the SAME issue when I tried doing it - called tech support & they did it for me with no problems. ;) ;)

[Titus2525]

Had the SAME issue when I tried doing it - called tech support & they did it for me with no problems. ;) ;)
What's the phone number for tech support?

[Michael P]

What's the phone number for tech support?Same as for everything else E* 1-800-333-3474. Listen to the menu options and chose tech support. You may have to listen to some recorded instructions, but eventually you'll get to a live tech.