Senator Duo: Probe Dish-News Dispute

SENATOR DUO: PROBE DISH-NEWS DISPUTE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Sens. Wayne Allard (R-CO) and Ken Salazar (D-CO) want Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. examined in connection with the company’s dispute with EchoStar Communications Corp. over the sale of Fox network programming to hundreds of thousands of rural satellite customers. EchoStar could be just a few weeks from shutting off “distant network” service, including Fox over-the-air programming, to many rural households under judicial injunction -- perhaps creating a political backlash from direct-broadcast satellite customers who end up losing access to their favorite primetime shows. The senators are concerned that News Corp. -- which owns 25 Fox Broadcasting Co. stations and controls DirecTV -- has refused to settle with EchoStar in order to help DirecTV woo angry EchoStar subscribers following the injunction. The Colorado lawmakers outlined their concerns in a Sept. 1 letter to Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). Sen Specter’s panel has jurisdiction over the nation’s fair competition laws. EchoStar is based in Englewood, Colorado.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6370105.html?display=Policy