Some Dish Network customers in Durango and other parts of the country could see some of their broadcast channels go dark, following a court U.S. District Court ruling against EchoStar Communications Corp.’s sale of distant network programming.
The Douglas County-based company must shut off its out-of market feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox on Dec. 1, based on a permanent injunction issued Friday by U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas.
The judge upheld a May appellate court ruling, despite EchoStar reaching a $100 million settlement agreement in August with independently owned and operated affiliates of NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox. Only 25 local Fox stations directly owned by Fox rejected the settlement.
EchoStar is expected to appeal.
“EchoStar will continue to do everything possible to prevent consumers from losing their distant network channels,” the company said in a statement Monday. “We will ask Congress to clarify the statutory language, and ask the courts to re-consider their decision.”
About 800,000 of EchoStar’s 12.5 million subscribers receive distant network signals. The ruling does not affect customers who receive local channels from area local stations. Customers must be unable to receive local programming from their area providers to qualify for distant-network access.
