Can the DISH Network retransmit distant signals again?
Yes, with conditions. In 2006, DISH (nee’ Echostar) was permanently enjoined from delivering distant network signals under section 119 by the U.S. District Court in Florida, which determined that the carrier “willful[ly] or repeated[ly]” violated the terms of the license by retransmitting programming from New York and Los Angeles stations to thousands of households that were considered served by local broadcast stations. DISH appealed the district court decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which affirmed the ruling of the district court. STELA restores DISH’s ability to retransmit distant network station signals to unserved households with the stipulation that it provide local-into-local service to all 210 DMAs in the United States under the section 122 license. STELA also establishes a mechanism for appointing a “special master” to examine DISH’s compliance with the unserved household provision.
