Same thing here, in the 2 towns next to me, Greenville NC and Williamston NC, Suddenlink offers WRAL CBS from Raleigh NC and which is over 90 miles away. But Directv does not.
I'm fairly certain that if the law(s) allowed, DirecTV would be more than willing to sell everyone more than one set of locals. I'd bet DirecTV would be very happy to have the option to sell you all the (ConUS) locals your heart desired and could afford.
The issue is what the government allows and why. Some of the whys make sense, some don't; often it depends on your perspective.
Well the government allows Directv to offer neighboring locals In my area (under the "significantly viewed" provision), but they do not. It is their choice.
The lack of DBS carriage of SV signals is largely attributable to the Commission's overly restrictive interpretations of SHVERA's requirements. In particular, the Commission's implementation of SHVERA's requirement that the digital signals of local and SV network station pairs be afforded "equivalent bandwidth" has severely hampered DBS carriage of SV signals. The Commission has interpreted the "equivalent bandwidth" requirement to mean that DBS operators must perform an "objective comparison" of the bit rates of each network station pair in real time in order to ensure absolute equivalence.
In addition to being contrary to the purpose and plain language of SHVERA, this interpretation effectively forecloses DBS carriage of SV signals due to the technical infeasibility of simultaneously matching the bit rates of hundreds of network station pairs as their SD and HD program schedules constantly change.
Likewise, the Commission's overly narrow interpretation of SHVERA's requirement that a DBS subscriber receive the analog signals of a local network station as a precondition to receiving the analog signals of SV network stations, also has deterred DBS carriage of SV signals. The plain meaning of this section of SHVERA requires only that a DBS subscriber receive "a signal that originates as an analog signal of a local network station" as a precondition to receiving the analog signals of SV network stations. Despite the repeated use of the indefinite article in this statutory provision-"a signal . . . of a local network station"-the Commission has interpreted this requirement to mean that a DBS subscriber must receive a specific local network station in order to be eligible to receive the analog signal of an SV station affiliated with the same network. This interpretation effectively empowers local network affiliates to block DBS carriage of SV signals because the local affiliates can condition or withhold retransmission consent unless the DBS carrier agrees not to import SV signals.
Not a direct answer but the other guys are hitting on where you can go with this if you want to stay with DirecTV. You could either provide us your zip or look on the significantly viewed list on the FCC site to see if the stations you seek are considered significantly viewed for your area.
If they are, you can contact the stations GM and appeal to them letting them know where you live and that due to them being a significantly viewed channel in your county, DirecTV can offer you their signal. Let them know you want it and that you think others would as well. If they are truly interested they can contact DirecTV and arrange it.
I did that here and 2 of the 3 stations that could do it actually did and I am still working on the 3rd one. I live in Oklahoma but my locals come from Kansas and Missouri. Lucky for me 3 of the big four from Tulsa are considered significantly viewed for my county.
Also another way to get around this is to get an antenna and get a AM21 from DirecTV to have your locals import into the guide and be able to record them straight to a DirecTV DVR still. Good luck with this and let us know what happens or if you need any assistance. I wouldnt be opposed to calling the stations for you if you were interested.
I'm fairly certain that if the law(s) allowed, DirecTV would be more than willing to sell everyone more than one set of locals. I'd bet DirecTV would be very happy to have the option to sell you all the (ConUS) locals your heart desired and could afford.
The issue is what the government allows and why. Some of the whys make sense, some don't; often it depends on your perspective.
What???? The government can make rules that don't make sense? I am shocked. Now I have to do a whole paradigm shift to my world reality.
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