Background
Subscribers to satellite television service
today have options for receiving broadcasts from local TV
stations. Since 1999, many satellite subscribers have been able to
receive local stations from their satellite TV provider using
their satellite systems. This option, called “local-into-local”
service, became available with the enactment of the Satellite Home
Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 (SHVIA).
SHVIA permits satellite TV companies to
provide a local TV station’s signal to the company’s subscribers
in that station’s market, or Designated Market Area (DMA), as
defined by Nielsen Media Research. SHVIA also permits satellite TV
companies to provide “distant” TV stations, or stations outside
the subscriber’s local television market or DMA, to eligible
subscribers. For example, satellite TV companies can provide an
eligible subscriber living in Billings, Montana a station from Los
Angeles, California. In 2004, Congress enacted the Satellite Home
Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004 (SHVERA), which
expanded programming options by allowing satellite TV companies to
offer certain “significantly viewed” distant stations.
Another alternative for a subscriber to view
local stations, regardless of whether or not their satellite TV
company offers local-into-local service, is to install a
traditional “rabbit ear” or roof-top antenna in conjunction with a
satellite antenna to receive local TV stations for no charge. A
subscriber’s ability to receive such over-the-air signals,
however, depends on several factors, including geographic location
and antenna quality.
Reception of Local TV Stations
SHVIA and SHVERA do not require satellite TV
companies to offer local channels. Rather, they permit satellite
companies to provide “local-into-local” service.
A satellite TV company that chooses to
provide local-into-local service must provide subscribers with all
of the local broadcast TV stations assigned to the subscriber’s
DMA that have asked the satellite TV company to carry them.
Typically, satellite TV companies also include local Public
Broadcasting System (PBS) and other noncommercial stations in
their local-into-local service offering. If a TV network has more
than one local TV station affiliated with it operating in a
particular state within the same market, the satellite TV company
is required to carry only one of the stations. Check with your
satellite TV company to determine your DMA, whether the company
offers local-into-local service, and what stations are included in
the service.
Remember, if your satellite TV company
doesn’t offer local stations as part of your subscription, you
can always install a rabbit ear or roof-top TV antenna to
receive local stations over-the-air. To receive stations in this
manner after the digital television (DTV) transition is
completed on June 12, 2009, however, you may need additional
equipment. Do not wait until June 12th to be ready. Your local
broadcasters may be transitioning early, and you need to be
prepared. Contact your satellite TV company to find out. You can
get more information about the DTV transition for satellite TV
service by viewing the FCC consumer advisory at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvsatellite.html, or visit
www.dtv.gov.
Receiving Stations Outside the Local Market or
“Distant” Signals
If your satellite TV company does not offer
local-into-local service and you are deemed “unserved,” you may be
eligible to receive distant signals, or stations that originate
outside of your DMA.
The term “unserved household” includes a
household or subscriber that:
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cannot receive, through the use of a
conventional, stationary, outdoor rooftop antenna, an
over-the-air network signal of Grade B intensity as defined by
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC);
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has a satellite dish that is permanently
attached to a recreational vehicle or a commercial truck; or
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is subject to a waiver granted by the local
TV station, if the household or subscriber is not predicted to
be unserved. (The satellite TV company must request this waiver
from the television station for the subscriber.)
Using a computer model, your satellite TV
company can tell you if you are predicted to be “unserved.” If you
are not predicted to be unserved, you will need waivers from local
TV stations to receive distant signals. You may be eligible to
receive distant digital signals if you are “unserved” by
over-the-air analog signals.
As with local signals, your satellite TV
company determines whether to provide distant signals to eligible
subscribers and which distant signals to offer. Satellite TV
companies also may charge an additional fee to local subscribers
for these distant signals. If you qualify as an “unserved
household,” you are eligible to receive no more than two distant
network-affiliated signals per day for each TV network. Even if
you qualify as an unserved household, you cannot receive digital
programming aired at an earlier time than it would be aired by
local stations in your time zone.
The 2004 SHVERA statute changed distant
signal eligibility in some circumstances:
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If, as of December 8, 2004, you received
distant signals because you lived in an unserved household, you
may also receive local stations if the satellite TV company
currently offers them, or introduces new local-into-local
service in the future. If, as of December 8, 2004, you did not
receive or try to receive distant signals, you are not eligible
for distant service if local channels are offered.
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Alternatively, you may be receiving distant
signals because you are a “grandfathered subscriber.”
Check with your satellite TV company to determine whether you
are grandfathered and what distant and local signals you may
receive.
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You may be receiving distant signals
because you received a waiver from one or more television
stations that are predicted to serve your household. If you have
such a waiver, you may continue to receive distant signals with
any necessary additional equipment after completion of the DTV
transition on June 12, 2009, and you also may subscribe to
local-into-local service.
Reception of “Significantly-Viewed” Stations
If you subscribe to local-into-local service
and don’t qualify as an “unserved household,” you may be eligible
to receive some distant stations if those stations are considered
“significantly-viewed.” Your satellite TV company decides whether
and which significantly-viewed stations to offer. You must be
subscribing to local-into-local service to be eligible to receive
significantly-viewed stations. Check with your satellite TV
company to see if you qualify and what stations are on the
significantly-viewed list for your area.
Receiving Digital Signals
Satellite TV companies are offering
local-into-local digital signals, including high definition (HD)
signals. If a satellite TV company is offering local-into-local
digital signals, it is not allowed to offer you distant digital
signals, unless you were receiving them prior to December 8, 2004.
If your satellite TV company does not offer local-into-local
digital signals, you may still be able to receive them, including
HDTV signals, over-the-air using a “rabbit ear” or roof-top
antenna. Additional equipment may be required. If you are an
“unserved” subscriber, you also may be eligible to receive distant
digital signals, although your satellite TV company is not
required to offer them.
Filing a Complaint
If you have a problem with your satellite TV
service, first try to resolve it directly with your satellite TV
company. If you can’t resolve the problem directly, you can file a
complaint concerning issues other than the availability of local
and distant broadcast network signals with the FCC. You can file
your complaint using an FCC on-line form found at
esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm. You can also file your
complaint with the FCC’s Consumer Center by e-mailing
fccinfo@fcc.gov; calling
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC
(1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to:
Federal Communications
Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
What to Include in Your Complaint
The best way to provide all the information
the FCC needs to process your complaint is to complete fully the
on-line complaint form. When you open the on-line complaint form,
you will be asked a series of questions that will take you to the
particular section of the form you need to complete. If you do not
use the on-line complaint form, your complaint, at a minimum,
should indicate:
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your name, address, email address, and
phone number where you can be reached;
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name, phone number, and location (city and
state) of the company that you are complaining about; and
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any additional details of your complaint,
including time, date, and nature of the conduct or activity you
are complaining about and identifying information for any
companies, organizations, or individuals involved.
For More Information
If you have questions about the availability of
local-into-local service in your area, receiving distant TV signals, waiver
requirements, or other specific information about your satellite service,
contact your satellite TV company.
For more information about SHVERA, visit the FCC’s web site
at:
www.fcc.gov/mb/policy/shvera.doc.
For information about other communications issues, visit
the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Web site at
www.fcc.gov/cgb, or contact the FCC’s Consumer Center using the information
provided for filing a complaint.
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