Hey Roy:

What about competition ? The local on air stations do little or nothing to compete with the offerings of the satellite or cable providers, so they get certain well paid senators to run interference with laws that protect their income by simply sayin that satellite providers must carry the locals like a cable system. Only problem is that there is nowhere the bandwidth on DSS systems as is in the
cablevision system, so DSS cannot comply with the must carry rules.  Besides, most TV stations like some of our managers absolutely will not permit network programming on DSS even where their local signals totally suck, like in my area. I cannot receive any of the locals clearly even with a large outside antenna due to local interference of several kinds.

The locals will soon go the way of the dinosaurs. Many of us l;ocally who have DSS services have desided that if we are cut off the network feeds, that we will NOT watch local air broadcasters, period. The only thing they offer me is local news, which is better on the newspaper website and delivered anyway. With exception of FOX and UPN, I don't watch network programming, and the former "big three" because they program for brain damaged 13 year olds, not adults. Locally the UPN affiliate runs about 1000 watts UHF on a low tower and is unreadable unless within 2 miles of the transmitter. The Fox affiliate is also UHF and not much better quality signal either. Moral: local TV sucks. They most certainly DO NOT have a "right" to stay in business; the have a right to compete in a free market and die if they cannot match the competition. RV folks are not the enemy, just "collateral damage" as are all consumers forced to accept substandard services by governmental decree. By the way: on air local network feeds are free, satellite feeds are not, because the provider and the subscribers pay fees to carry the networks. The whole problem is the locals fear loss of market share to the superior products of the satellite broadcasters and cable. This is why all your local stations MUST be carried on the cable systems... they whined to the government to "protect them", and as a result of those laws get free rides on the cable systems.

Doug