IP: Echostar (Dish) / DirecTV merger vs. the public interest

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

> Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 10:15:01 -0800 (PST)
> From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>
> To: dave@farber.net
> Subject: Echostar (Dish) / DirecTV merger vs. the public interest
> Cc: lauren@pfir.org
>
> Dave,
>
> In the course of an e-mail exchange on technical satellite issues, I
> received a note from a very disgruntled Echostar (Dish Network) subscriber.
> He gave me permission to anonymously excerpt from his message, which I have
> done below.  He gives a good "ordinary user" perspective on concerns
> regarding the Echostar / DirecTV merger.  As it happens, I also am an
> Echostar customer (in fact, since the earliest days of Dish Network).  I too
> have become increasingly dissatisfied with Echostar, and I'm currently in
> the process of switching to DirecTV.
>
>    --- Forwarded Message Begins ---
>
>    From:    [ ]
>    Date:    Sat, 29 Dec 2001
>    To:      "Lauren Weinstein" <lauren@vortex.com>
>
>    Dear Lauren,
>
>    Dish Network seems to have a policy that prohibits making existing
>    customers happy.  It's almost as if they would rather have new customers
>    than keep their loyal existing customers.  I am, at this point, losing my
>    grip as a Dish Network customer.  They continually hit me with one thing
>    after another.  As it stands right now, I am planning on canceling my
>    Dish Network service as soon as my pre-paid service is up.
>
>    ... their new customer promotions are not fair to existing customers.
>    They are discriminating against their old customers, and their
>    price-gouging policies which are in place help new customers, while they
>    hurt older customers (Dish Network transfers the new customers savings to
>    the old customers pricing.  Effectively raising the cost of our (old
>    customers) equipment even more).  I'm getting very disgusted with how Dish
>    Network has changed over the years...  They used to be such a nice
>    company..  Now I'm just sick of em...  Their constant "Credit Card
>    Autopay" nagging is also one of my pet peeves, along with forced
>    professional installation ...
>
>    What I'm really worried about is this.  DirecTV doesn't maintain a
>    monopoly on their receiver hardware, as Dish Network does.  Therefore, if
>    you subscribe to DirecTV, you can have a Hughes, RCA, Sony, DirecTivo
>    etc., receiver.  With Dish Network (Echostar), you can only use Dish
>    Network (Echostar) receivers.  If Dish Networks proposed buyout
>    (takeover) of DirecTV is a success, it will give Dish Network a total
>    monopoly over the digital satellite television market.
>
>    I wouldn't be upset over this if Dish Network was the company they once
>    were.  However, Dish Network has changed.  They are no longer easy to deal
>    with -- unless you're a new customer.  It's terrible how they don't listen
>    to their (old) customers.  I'm in a bind because I can't get cable in my
>    area.  If I could get cable, I would have already dumped Dish Network.  I
>    am thinking about switching to DirecTV.  I haven't done this yet because
>    of the proposed merger (takeover) ...
>
>    --- Forwarded Message Ends ---
>
> As you can see from the above, he is not a happy camper.
>
> --Lauren--
> Lauren Weinstein
> lauren@pfir.org or lauren@vortex.com or lauren@privacyforum.org
> Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
> Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
> Co-Founder, Fact Squad - http://www.factsquad.org
> Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet
>                      Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org
> Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
> Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy

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