bajadudes
Member
FYI, forgive the formatting i just wanted to get this up quickly and see what you guys think, this is also cross posted at www.datastormusers.com:
> I thought you might be interested in this.
> EchoStar Networks May Be Saved By Senate
>
> Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is leading a
> bipartisan effort to protect home
> satellite television customers in Vermont and across
> the country from losing
> access to some of the most popular television
> networks.
>
> Leahy, the ranking Democratic member of the
> Judiciary Committee - and the
> panel's incoming chairman for the 110th Congress -
> Thursday introduced the
> Satellite Consumer Protection Act, joined by
> Senators Daniel Inouye
> (D-Hawaii), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Wayne Allard
> (R-Colo.), Jay Rockefeller
> (D-W.V.), Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), Ken Salazar
> (D-Colo.), Hillary Clinton
> (D-N.Y.) Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Mark Pryor (D-Minn.)
> and Michael Enzi (R-
> Nev.).
>
> Leahy over the last decade has co-authored two laws
> that have expanded home
> satellite service to millions of viewers in Vermont
> and nationwide. One of
> the earlier Leahy initiatives has fostered
> local-into-local satellite
> service, enabling Vermonters and others to receive
> local channels in their
> home satellite program packages.
>
> Leahy's new bill would preserve satellite television
> service for roughly
> 800,000 EchoStar consumers around the country, and
> in Vermont, who are
> expected to lose it December 1 as a result of a
> federal court injunction.
> EchoStar is expected to suspend service to these
> consumers following a
> ruling that it violated federal law by providing
> distant signals to areas
> that did not need satellite to receive that
> programming.
>
> The bill strikes a balance between consumer
> protection and tough enforcement
> against EchoStar for violating the law. The
> legislation requires EchoStar
> to deposit $20 million to be used to cover any
> future violations.
>
> "This is a reasonable solution that penalizes
> Echostar for violating the
> law, while protecting the people who are the real
> victims of this serious
> problem: the consumers who are paying for these
> services," said Leahy.
>
> The bipartisan bill provides a targeted solution by
> permitting the service
> to continue under specific criteria, including:
>
> Where local stations are not available from a
> satellite provider,
> EchoStar could bring in a distant network station if
> it compensates the
> local station.
> In areas that do not have affiliates of all four
> networks (ABC,
> CBS, FOX, NBC), EchoStar could bring in a distant
> signal of the missing
> network affiliate because no local station would be
> harmed.
>
> Stations from neighboring that are considered
> "significantly viewed"
> by the Federal Communications Commission, and
> generally treated as local
> stations, could be carried, such as the Albany,
> N.Y., stations which serve
> Vermont's Bennington County and the Boston-area
> stations, which serve
> Windham County.
>
> Here is the statement of Senator Patrick Leahy on
> introduction of the
> Satellite Consumer Protection Act:
>
> Today I am pleased to introduce the Satellite
> Consumer Protection Act of
> 2006, and I am proud that Senators Inouye, Snowe,
> Allard, Rockefeller, Byrd,
> Salazar, Clinton, Pryor, Roberts and Enzi are among
> those joining me in
> sponsoring this important bill. I regret the
> necessity of this legislation,
> but I am determined to protect consumers -
> especially consumers in rural
> areas such as Vermont.
>
> This is a pro-consumer, bipartisan bill that
> addresses a problem that soon
> will face millions of Americans who subscribe to
> satellite TV services. I
> realize full well that this bill may not please the
> major corporations
> affected by this remedy, but its intent is not to
> help them, but to help
> home satellite viewers.
>
> A federal court recently found that EchoStar
> willfully, flagrantly and
> repeatedly violated federal law, and I believe that
> EchoStar should be held
> to account for its decade of illegal activity. The
> situation is ultimately
> quite complicated, but the simplest version is this:
> EchoStar has been
> bringing distant network signals to areas that did
> not need satellite to
> provide access to that programming. But the penalty
> for such actions is
> harsh, and the court that heard the lawsuit had no
> choice: EchoStar will be
> required to stop retransmitting any distant signals.
> EchoStar flouted the
> law, but it is consumers who will suffer. Unless we
> pass this bill, many
> rural subscribers around the country will lose
> access to news and
> entertainment programming from the free,
> over-the-air broadcast networks.
>
> The Satellite Consumer Protection Act is a
> practical, narrow, and -- most
> importantly -- pro-consumer solution to a problem of
> EchoStar's creation.
> The court-issued injunction, set to take effect
> December 1, will prohibit
> EchoStar from providing any distant network stations
> to any of its
> customers. Under the Satellite Consumer Protection
> Act, the injunction will
> apply to the roughly 95 percent of the country where
> EchoStar provides
> residents their local, over-the-air stations. Our
> legislation would only
> permit EchoStar to bring in distant network stations
> in three situations.
>
> First, where local stations are not available from a
> satellite provider,
> EchoStar could bring in a distant network station if
> it compensates the
> local station. Second, in areas that do not have
> affiliates of all four
> networks, EchoStar could bring in a distant signal
> of the missing network
> affiliate because no local station would be harmed.
> Third, stations from
> neighboring localities that are considered
> "significantly viewed" by the
> Federal Communications Commission, and are generally
> treated as local
> stations, could be carried.
>
> This legislation would not be complete without an
> enforcement provision that
> will truly curb EchoStar's practice of illegally
> providing copyrighted
> content. The Satellite Consumer Protection Act
> therefore imposes real
> monetary penalties for violating the Act and
> requires EchoStar to put
> sufficient funds in escrow with the copyright office
> to cover any future
> violations.
>
> This bipartisan bill respects the legitimate
> interests of broadcasters who
> have been harmed by EchoStar's actions, while it
> serves the interests of the
> people who are the innocent bystanders and the real
> victims of this emerging
> problem: the consumers who are paying for these
> services.
> I thought you might be interested in this.
> EchoStar Networks May Be Saved By Senate
>
> Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is leading a
> bipartisan effort to protect home
> satellite television customers in Vermont and across
> the country from losing
> access to some of the most popular television
> networks.
>
> Leahy, the ranking Democratic member of the
> Judiciary Committee - and the
> panel's incoming chairman for the 110th Congress -
> Thursday introduced the
> Satellite Consumer Protection Act, joined by
> Senators Daniel Inouye
> (D-Hawaii), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Wayne Allard
> (R-Colo.), Jay Rockefeller
> (D-W.V.), Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), Ken Salazar
> (D-Colo.), Hillary Clinton
> (D-N.Y.) Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Mark Pryor (D-Minn.)
> and Michael Enzi (R-
> Nev.).
>
> Leahy over the last decade has co-authored two laws
> that have expanded home
> satellite service to millions of viewers in Vermont
> and nationwide. One of
> the earlier Leahy initiatives has fostered
> local-into-local satellite
> service, enabling Vermonters and others to receive
> local channels in their
> home satellite program packages.
>
> Leahy's new bill would preserve satellite television
> service for roughly
> 800,000 EchoStar consumers around the country, and
> in Vermont, who are
> expected to lose it December 1 as a result of a
> federal court injunction.
> EchoStar is expected to suspend service to these
> consumers following a
> ruling that it violated federal law by providing
> distant signals to areas
> that did not need satellite to receive that
> programming.
>
> The bill strikes a balance between consumer
> protection and tough enforcement
> against EchoStar for violating the law. The
> legislation requires EchoStar
> to deposit $20 million to be used to cover any
> future violations.
>
> "This is a reasonable solution that penalizes
> Echostar for violating the
> law, while protecting the people who are the real
> victims of this serious
> problem: the consumers who are paying for these
> services," said Leahy.
>
> The bipartisan bill provides a targeted solution by
> permitting the service
> to continue under specific criteria, including:
>
> Where local stations are not available from a
> satellite provider,
> EchoStar could bring in a distant network station if
> it compensates the
> local station.
> In areas that do not have affiliates of all four
> networks (ABC,
> CBS, FOX, NBC), EchoStar could bring in a distant
> signal of the missing
> network affiliate because no local station would be
> harmed.
>
> Stations from neighboring that are considered
> "significantly viewed"
> by the Federal Communications Commission, and
> generally treated as local
> stations, could be carried, such as the Albany,
> N.Y., stations which serve
> Vermont's Bennington County and the Boston-area
> stations, which serve
> Windham County.
>
> Here is the statement of Senator Patrick Leahy on
> introduction of the
> Satellite Consumer Protection Act:
>
> Today I am pleased to introduce the Satellite
> Consumer Protection Act of
> 2006, and I am proud that Senators Inouye, Snowe,
> Allard, Rockefeller, Byrd,
> Salazar, Clinton, Pryor, Roberts and Enzi are among
> those joining me in
> sponsoring this important bill. I regret the
> necessity of this legislation,
> but I am determined to protect consumers -
> especially consumers in rural
> areas such as Vermont.
>
> This is a pro-consumer, bipartisan bill that
> addresses a problem that soon
> will face millions of Americans who subscribe to
> satellite TV services. I
> realize full well that this bill may not please the
> major corporations
> affected by this remedy, but its intent is not to
> help them, but to help
> home satellite viewers.
>
> A federal court recently found that EchoStar
> willfully, flagrantly and
> repeatedly violated federal law, and I believe that
> EchoStar should be held
> to account for its decade of illegal activity. The
> situation is ultimately
> quite complicated, but the simplest version is this:
> EchoStar has been
> bringing distant network signals to areas that did
> not need satellite to
> provide access to that programming. But the penalty
> for such actions is
> harsh, and the court that heard the lawsuit had no
> choice: EchoStar will be
> required to stop retransmitting any distant signals.
> EchoStar flouted the
> law, but it is consumers who will suffer. Unless we
> pass this bill, many
> rural subscribers around the country will lose
> access to news and
> entertainment programming from the free,
> over-the-air broadcast networks.
>
> The Satellite Consumer Protection Act is a
> practical, narrow, and -- most
> importantly -- pro-consumer solution to a problem of
> EchoStar's creation.
> The court-issued injunction, set to take effect
> December 1, will prohibit
> EchoStar from providing any distant network stations
> to any of its
> customers. Under the Satellite Consumer Protection
> Act, the injunction will
> apply to the roughly 95 percent of the country where
> EchoStar provides
> residents their local, over-the-air stations. Our
> legislation would only
> permit EchoStar to bring in distant network stations
> in three situations.
>
> First, where local stations are not available from a
> satellite provider,
> EchoStar could bring in a distant network station if
> it compensates the
> local station. Second, in areas that do not have
> affiliates of all four
> networks, EchoStar could bring in a distant signal
> of the missing network
> affiliate because no local station would be harmed.
> Third, stations from
> neighboring localities that are considered
> "significantly viewed" by the
> Federal Communications Commission, and are generally
> treated as local
> stations, could be carried.
>
> This legislation would not be complete without an
> enforcement provision that
> will truly curb EchoStar's practice of illegally
> providing copyrighted
> content. The Satellite Consumer Protection Act
> therefore imposes real
> monetary penalties for violating the Act and
> requires EchoStar to put
> sufficient funds in escrow with the copyright office
> to cover any future
> violations.
>
> This bipartisan bill respects the legitimate
> interests of broadcasters who
> have been harmed by EchoStar's actions, while it
> serves the interests of the
> people who are the innocent bystanders and the real
> victims of this emerging
> problem: the consumers who are paying for these
> services.