Big Brother Get Your Hands Off My Grey's Anatomy!

I received an automated telephone message today telling me that on December 1 I was going to lose my West Coast feed to ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox Networks that I receive through the DISH network system. When I called DISH TV the customer support representative confirmed that information and told me to go to www.savemychannels.com where I found this:

What's At Stake

What Happened in Court? On October 20, 2006, a District Court judge issued an order rejecting the joint settlement agreement between EchoStar (DISH Network) and broadcasters and entered a permanent injunction requiring EchoStar to shut off "distant network" channels to all customers no later than December 1, 2006. The court made its decision, even though a settlement was reached with seven of the eight plaintiffs, representing approximately 90 percent of all television network stations in the United States.

What is a Distant Network? Distant networks are the ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX broadcast channels that DISH Network customers receive that originate outside their local community. Federal law prohibits all satellite and cable companies from providing those channels to consumers except in very limited circumstances. For many Americans, particularly in rural areas, distant networks represent the only available option for residents to receive televised news and other critical information they depend on every day. Distant networks have also provided an invaluable service in times of both of national or local emergency. During Hurricane Katrina, when local channels went off the air and entire populations were displaced, EchoStar provided distant network channels to relief stations, police and fire stations, as well as military installations to provide a critical link to displaced families' home communities. Similarly, after 9/11, EchoStar supplied distant network channels crucial to relief efforts.

Are All DISH Network Channels Impacted? No, not at all. For many customers, the court's decision has no effect. For instance, this injunction does not affect or upset in any way the ability of DISH Network consumers to receive local network channels (i.e., local ABC, NBC, CBS, or Fox network channels) from their community where available. To that end, the good news is that DISH Network now offers local channels by satellite in 170 local markets, serving over 96 percent of the U.S. households. The court's action also does not affect any of the other great DISH Network programming, like ESPN, USA, Discovery and Showtime. Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of customers will be impacted by the shutdown of distant network channels.

What is EchoStar Doing to Reverse the Court's Decision? The court provided only a very few weeks to implement the decision and to seek out means to preserve distant network channels for as many DISH Network customers as possible before the December 1 shut-off date. EchoStar will continue to do everything possible to prevent customers from losing their distant network channels, as we are aggressively working towards a congressional and a judicial solution. Congress can pass legislation to protect consumers, and we will ask the courts to reconsider their decision.

Can DISH Network Customers Try to Help Keep All Their Channels? You too can alert Congress to the pressing need for action and to the importance of distant networks before the December 1 shut-off date. The window for congressional action in this session will be very short when Congress returns on November 13. As a result, it is critical that your voice is heard on Capitol Hill today.

RVers with satellite service, this is going to affect every one of you--make yourselves heard.