Locals and Distant Networks

Bring up the list of channels I get and see if the locals are listed there, if so you should be able to add them to your channel list with out any problem.

 

I believe you lose them.

 

Any time you make any changes to your channel package you're likely to lose those Grandfathered DNS stations.

 

Get a DirecTV OTA tuner and an antenna, problem solved unless you have a HS17.

 

I've asked this question in other threads and other people have written that you don't lose them, I wish we could get a definitive answer, perhaps email to the office of the Directv VP, is that still active?

 

Yes and I actually made a mistake, my questions revolved around whether you would lose them if you downgraded your channel package, not if you were adding locals.

I would have to search my old posts but I believe someone here wrote that it sometimes depends upon how the distant networks are written in your actual bill, anyway one time a rep mistakenly changed my subscription from Premier to Ultimate, I did not lose them when that took place.

 

The law is up for renewal late this year. I been making phone calls already. I want a part of it addressed that keeps getting removed (orphan counties). That would be a county that gets its DMA's locals from at least 1 state that that the subscriber does not live in. I personally live in Oklahoma but get my locals from Kansas and Missouri. I read recently about a county in Colorado that petitioned the FCC and got their DMA changed from Albuquerque NM (224 miles away) to Denver (335 miles away). Not only do I get locals from 2 different states but the in state DMA is only 88 miles away. There are lots of people in my area that falsify their address to get the in state channels.

Now, back on topic. As I recall the law was that you have to reapply for distants if you move (even next store) but nothing about changing your package. I guess that would be the time DirecTV was reviewing it though. The law said that if you had DNS before your market launched their LIL you were allowed to keep them until you change your physical address. This being the case has always blown me away that we have such different experiences. I have stayed in the same TV package for a long time to keep my DNS. Dont plan on changing anytime soon although the bill is getting pretty steep these days. Good luck with it if you do and let us know how it goes. To me there should be a department that specializes in this specifically that is available to us but that never seemed to happen. Im sure now that AT&T owns the show, we wont ever have anything like that unless its in the Philippians.

Anyone with DNS should be interested in this bill renewing. The NAB always talks at these Congressional hearings saying that its not needed and any market without a CBS is fine to just do without. Always makes me want to slap them in the face. They are the same people that say blackouts are not an issue and dont harm pay customers and also the same people that think think that music artists should not be compensated for their work via radio play. I guess they think its no big deal to talk about of both sides of their mouth. TV its cool and radio its not. SCREW YOU NAB! You dont represent me or my interests that is for sure.

 

If I moved 5 miles South I could get locals, as it is, I get none and I have to pay for DNS

 

If that close you can get them, are you not able to add a antenna to the house and get one of the AM-21's or what ever the latest they are calling it is? Then you could DVR off your antenna and see it in your list on DirecTV and still keep your DNS stations.

 

That is an understatement. Once they are gone, they are pretty much gone. Fully agree with your comments though. Computers are only so smart. Guess they dont take loop holes in the law or exceptions into consideration for us.

 

I have locals, from Houston, and NBC DNS and I change my package several times and never lost them. When talking to DirecTv Customers service it never comes up. If, I was you just add them your self through the Directv website.

 

Television Broadcast Stations on Satellite


7. If I am currently receiving distant stations via satellite, can I continue to do so?

Yes. If you were receiving distant stations as of February 27, 2010, and your satellite company is not offering local-into-local service in your market, you can still receive distant stations. However, if in the future your satellite company begins local-into-local service in your market, you will have to subscribe to local service in order to continue to receive distant stations.

If you were receiving distant stations on or before February 26, 2010, and your satellite company is offering local-into-local service, you can continue to receive the distant stations and you can choose whether to receive the local stations in addition to the distant stations, but you do not have to subscribe to local-into-local service.

A small group of subscribers who received distant stations before 1999 must choose between continuing to receive distant stations or receiving local-into-local service when local service is offered. Your satellite carrier should be able to tell if you are in this category of subscriber.

 

I have an antenna and an AM21 and do record the one actual local (CBS). NBC,ABC and FoX are over 100 miles away so no joy with the antenna. Five miles from my house starts a different DMA and I could get all of those stations.

 

YMMV.

As previously stated, some subscribers, including grandfathered, have kept, and some have lost, their DNS when making changes to their service address, LIL, or packages.
There are explicit conditions regarding eligibility stated under the prevailing 5-year: 1988-1994 (ABC, CBS, NBC) SHVA (C-band) - 1994-1999 (Added FOX, PBS) SHVA (Added DBS) - 2000-2004 SHVIA - 2004-2009 SHVERA - 2010-2014 & 2014-2019 STELA... however DirecTV has demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to interpret and apply the guidelines.
CSR's have unwittingly, improperly, and permanently, removed DNS.
I have consciously avoided making any changes because of the risk.​

Have all of the channels 389-399.

As a Pegasus (rural DirecTV provider) subscriber from 1994 have had all variants of DNS, back when it included different affiliates from across the country (rather than all from NY & LA).
$1.50 for each E & W network which is now (and has been for awhile) $3.50 for each E & W network.
Had the original channels 80-89 SD DNS, then the 90-99 HD DNS when the first HD (Ku-band) H10's came out.​

Have had the Premiere package since Pegasus (DirecTV & USSB)

The grandfathered package is "Premiere with No Locals" which is priced $3 below the prevailing price of the "Premiere" package with LIL.
I have not changed the service address or package in the 25 years I've had the service.​

I have subscribed through each re-authorization of the ~5-year SHVA-SHVIA-...STELA and await the passing of the latest re-authorization effective 2020-2024.
Reason for the optimism that the act will be extended?

Because the NAB's own estimate of the number of DNS DirecTV subscribers serviced in one of the 10 of 210 DMA's which has at least one missing network channel is 500,000, a number that is significant.
Dish network does not have any of the 210 DMA's without full network coverage, a circumstance at least partially attributed to having been barred from offering DNS for a prolonged period, necessitating full network coverage in order to compete with DirecTV.​

Reason for the pessimism that the act will finally be retired?

The list and amount of contributions to legislators that the NAB lobby makes annually, neatly tucked into the flyer from the NAB arguing that the act is not needed... the same (10/2018) flyer that includes the 500,000 estimate.​

 

Do you have the date of the vote? If it is not passed does that mean Directv will stop providing DNS to its customers?