AllAmericanDirect.com Rallies behind TV Viewers Seeking Freedom to Obtain Distant Networks; CEO Testifies on Consumers Behalf.WASHINGTON -- AllAmericanDirect.com, a leading e-commerce provider of consumer electronics, distant networks and other satellite services, is announcing that on Tuesday, June 16, its CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , Mike Mountford, will testify before the House Subcommittee on Communications on behalf of consumers and satellite television providers in support of eliminating sections of the outdated Satellite Home Viewer Act (SHVA SHVA Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1988 ), which restrict consumer's access to distant network signals. AllAmericanDirect.com has launched the My TV Rights campaign to create awareness of consumer frustration with the outdated provisions of SHVA. The campaign is gathering signatures for a petition to Congress to give any satellite subscriber access to TV stations outside of their local market, which will give consumers greater choice and better access to the information they want. Thousands of consumers have already responded. "Why is it that from anywhere in the country you can purchase the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times or Wall Street Journal, but you can't purchase news from a distant network TV affiliate?" asks Mountford. "What if you wanted to watch the news of the state where your child goes to college or the state where your elderly parents live? Right now, you can'tOeven if you're willing to pay for it." Congress will vote on this matter by the end of the legislative session this year, but the House hearing on June 16, and Senate hearings later this summer, will be the final chances for Americans to make their case against local broadcasters who have lobbied to restrict their rights to obtain "distant" (out-of-market) broadcast programming. Since 1988, when Congress first enacted the Satellite Home Viewer Act, satellite subscribers have been battling restrictions imposed by the law about which TV stations they can obtain. The first barrier was to gain access to local broadcast stations, and now satellite subscribers are desperately trying to win the battle for access to distant network stations. These restrictions were said to preserve "localism lo·cal·ism n. 1. a. A local linguistic feature. b. A local custom or peculiarity. 2. Devotion to local interests and customs. ." In order to receive distant networks, satellite subscribers must continue to go through many hoops to prove they cannot get their local TV stations over-the-air. Broadcasters, in many cases, still have the final word over whether a satellite subscriber can receive a non-local TV station via satellite. And, although most households can access network programming through other media, such as digital streaming of network programming via an Internet connection or a even a station from a distant market through a Slingbox, restrictions on distant TV signals via satellite remain. "This is a fundamental right of consumers in the emerging media marketplace to get the programming they want," says Mountford. "Erecting these artificial barriers only serves to frustrate consumers and embitter em·bit·ter tr.v. em·bit·tered, em·bit·ter·ing, em·bit·ters 1. To make bitter in flavor. 2. To arouse bitter feelings in: was embittered by years of unrewarded labor. them towards their government that created these restrictions. The law needs to change with the times." Mountford would like to see the restrictions dropped in favor of a system that permits out of market broadcast stations to be retransmitted and monies paid into a pool to be distributed to the rights holders similar to that which the music industry uses. To learn more about My TV Rights or to sign the petition, visit www.mytvrights.com. A whitepaper discussing the issue is available online by clicking here, while further information on AllAmericanDirect.com is available online at this link. About AllAmericanDirect.com AllAmericanDirect.com is an established provider of consumer electronics and satellite services, founded in 1983 and acquired in April 2003 by CEO, Michael R. Mountford, and president & CFO See Chief Financial Officer. , Jon K. Pardieck. AllAmericanDirect.com is a privately held national retailer of DISH Network See DBS. , Verizon Wireless Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, owns and operates the second largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, based on total wireless customers. , HughesNet; and an e-commerce consumer electronics retailer, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. All American Direct is the sole provider of U.S. distant network television channels (ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. , CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. , and FOX) to DISH Network customers, currently serving more than 120,000 active distant network customers. For media inquires, please contact Christy Oberley at Dittoe PR at (317)202-2280 ext. 16. To learn more about All American Direct, please visit www.allamericandirect.com. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion