Satellite Providers Sidestep Hill Request for Subscriber data

DirecTV owner AT&T and DISH Network both dodged giving specific breakdowns to House Judiciary Committee leaders about how many subscribers rely on a satellite law involving the importation of broadcast signals, which expires Dec. 31, 2019. The key justification in private responses: “competitively sensitive.” Lawmakers want this data as they debate whether to reauthorize the expiring satellite law, known as STELAR. “The total number of DISH and DirecTV subscribers that currently receive one or more stations through a distant signal license … are approximately 870,000,” DISH wrote.

Broadcasters derided the letters as inaccurate and argue only about a half-million subscribers may rely on these signals. “It is disappointing but not surprising that DirecTV and DISH are refusing to provide the House Judiciary Committee with adequate answers to evaluate the impact of this expiring law,” National Association of Broadcasters spokesman Dennis Wharton said. Broadcasters want the law to simply expire and have been downplaying the impact of that happening, in part to avoid a likely bigger fight over media marketplace rules.