Satellite carriers would be able to put local TV station HD signals on a separate dish, according to a new draft of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act.
That is one of a few changes to the original June 12 draft of the bill. The latest draft still does not address getting local-into-local service to the remaining un-served markets-about 30-or delivering adjacent-market signals to so-called short or split markets. But that could all change when the bill is marked up Thursday.
The newest version says that a satellite operator can import a high-definition, distant-signal network affiliated TV station so long as it also carries the HD version-where supplied-of the local affiliate of that network. The bill requires all local stations to be carried on the same antenna, but says that the HD versions can be on a separate antenna, which was not part of the original draft.
The new draft also has additional language about how the FCC determines who qualifies for a distant signal.
The commission must come up with a new predictive model since the current one is based on a grade B analog signal that no longer exists for digital stations.
In the new draft, if a subscriber wants to challenge a determination that they are ineligible to receive a distant signal, the satellite operator and local station must pick a third party to test for signal strength. The test has to be conducted within 30 days and if it confirms that the signal does not meet the FCC’s new standard, the subscriber gets their distant signal.
SHVERA essentially renews satellite operators’ blanket license to retransmit distant network signals to subscribers who cannot get a sufficiently strong in-market affiliate of the same network.
House Communications Subcommittee chairman Rick Boucher (D-Va.) is hoping for the satellite and local TV sides to get together on a deal to deliver local TV signals to those remaining 30 markets without local-into-local, which include his own, chiefly rural, district.
But he also wants a bill free from potentially contentious issues since the bill must be reauthorized by the end of the year to prevent the blanket license from expiring.
It is still unclear whether the short-market or split-market issues will wind up in the bill. The first is delivering adjacent-market stations to markets that lack one or more affiliates. The other is delivering them to markets that cross state lines, so that viewers in, say, Arkansas don’t have to watch local TV news and sports from Tennessee.
Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark) has, for several years, been pushing a bill that would allow cable and satellite operators to import adjacent-market signals.
Some version of that bill could be amended to the draft. A spokesperson for Ross said they were still negotiating on the issue.

Bloomberg News

Dish Network was ordered by a federal judge to stop using a digital video recording service that infringes a TiVo patent.
Dish and EchoStar were also told to pay $192.7 million to TiVo in damages and interest as their software still infringes TiVo’s patent even after Dish had claimed it made changes to the product, U.S. Judge David Folsom said in an order Tuesday.
The new products were the same as the previous, leaving Dish and EchoStar in contempt of an earlier ban, Folsom wrote.
“The harm caused to TiVo by EchoStar’s contempt is substantial,” wrote Folsom, who oversaw the hearing in Texarkana, Texas, in February. “EchoStar has gained millions of customers since this court’s injunction was issued, customers that are now potentially unreachable by TiVo.”
The judge refused to further delay his order, saying “EchoStar has escaped this court’s injunction for over two years and further delay will be manifestly unjust to TiVo.” He said he would consider later how much Dish and EchoStar should pay for contempt of his order.
San Jose-based TiVo, the pioneer of digital video recorders, had won a trial and appeals court ruling that the Dish service violates its patent for technology that lets users record a TV program and play it back at the same time to allow, for example, instant replay or pausing.
“We are extremely gratified by the court’s well reasoned and thorough decision, in which it rejected EchoStar’s attempted
workaround claim regarding the TiVo patent, found EchoStar to be in contempt of court and ordered the permanent injunction fully enforced,” TiVo said in a statement.
Dish and EchoStar have said they began developing “a novel DVR” after a Texas jury ruled in 2006 that older versions of their software violated the TiVo patent.
Englewood, Colo.-based Dish, the nation’s second-largest satellite-television provider behind DirecTV Group, and EchoStar said changes were made that work around TiVo’s so-called “time warp” patent.
Dish and EchoStar said they would appeal the ruling and seek a stay with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.

On tuesday, collins stewart analyst tom eagan cut his fiscal year 2009 estimate for the dbs provider, saying that he does not see “a sustainable turn-around in sight.” eagan cited dish’s lackluster first quarter results and a potentially damaging decision in the company’s tivo lawsuit in the decision.

Eagan said he now expects dish to lose some 417,000 net subscribers this year, up from the 392,000 sub losses he had previously predicted, and report earnings of around $3.06 billion. The analyst had been expecting dish to bring in about $3.16 billion this year, but falling subscriber numbers have eaten away at that revenue base.

Homeland security secretary janet napolitano and canadian minister of public safety peter van loan met to formally sign the pact at a cargo facility at the ambassador bridge, which connects detroit and windsor, ontario.

The agreement, known as the shiprider program, allows officers from the royal canadian mounted police and u.s. Coast guard to ride each others’ vessels for joint patrols and specific enforcement operations.

Vessels have been required to stop at the border and call the other nation’s agencies for help, but the pact allows ships carrying joint enforcement teams to operate in each country’s territory.

The signing gives u.s. And canadian officials the authority to train each other’s officers and establish the program permanently. During a 57-day pilot program in 2007, the joint effort led to the seizure of contraband cigarettes, marijuana and the recovery of an abducted child, van loan said.

The move came less than a week before new border-crossing rules take effect. The western hemisphere travel initiative, which starts monday, tightens documentation rules for entry into the u.s. From canada, requiring everyone to have passports or special driver’s licenses.

Napolitano said one reason for her visit was to review preparations for the new rules. She said she understands concerns the change could impede travel and trade, and she is working “to make sure the law … Is implemented as smoothly and efficiently as possible.”

napolitano said boosting security “doesn’t mean closing ourselves off from other countries - it means working together as neighbors and allies.” she said the agreement promotes security while preserving commerce and each nation’s sovereignty.

“we have to be able to share information … And put more security at the border, which helps us keep track of what is going back and forth,” she said. “these new measures ultimately are part of our joint battle against those who would seek to harm us.”

van loan said people who say there must be a trade-off between security and trade “are simply wrong.”

“because of the integration of our north american economies … Effective management of the border is essential to the health of both of our countries’ economies,” he said.

The two officials also toured port operations on both sides of the border, and napolitano is scheduled to meet with van loan and other canadian officials in ottawa on wednesday

Time For The Next FTA Solution, The Viewsat Solution

The Viewsat 2000 Ethernet web unit is one of a kind with a fully secure internet web server already up and running by Viewsat. With the Viewsat 2000 ethernet unit you can have the receiver change its own key codes by using the Viewsat sever setup. This unit is creating a lot of buzz and talk in the FTA world so some of what you hear may not be correct. Many are saying the reason for this new unit is because of new satellite provider changes and saying that old Viewsat units will not work in 5 months. This rumor says that older viewsats won’t be able to always beat the new changes and that nagra3 will be fully working on Viewsat 2000 Ethernet. At this time, that is nothing more then rumors. The great thing about the new Viewsat internet sharing box is that it can be used just like every other Viewsat unit and can be loaded by data-cable.

Want Premium Channels? This software gives over 120 right now including Comedy Central, MTV, Discovery Channel, Broadway Network, Game Network, MovieStat Network, National Geographic, Food Network, Cartoons, Show TV…and even HDTV (high definition television) channels!

The Viewsat 2000 Ethernet differences lies in its great hardware and unbeatable software support. Users will often compare other units with similiar capabilities such as the nFusion Nova or the Neosat IPro 2000 both of these boxes are good units, in fact both of these units share the SAME hardware and are made in the same plant. Users that buy nFusion Nova are some times really mad once they get the unit and find out they MUST install the newest software and that there unit is NOT 100% self updating. This is and other faults and truths are said about nFusion Nova Neosat iPro 2000 because of some dealers. Like the Viewsat 2000 Ethernet, the nFusion Nova allows you to use IKS internet key sharing which allows the internet to change your key codes. Most users love the Viewsats for lots of reasons, great support, great hardware and really great prices for their FTA receivers. If you are looking for a new age FTA satellite receiver for new upcoming changes such as nagra3 key changing support and much more we suggest you look into this great new unit.

The Viewsat 2000 Ethernet is Coming Out This Month in May and will range around $200 - $250.

FTA FILES
FTA FORUM
FTA KEYS

With the recent advent of PPV, MOVIE and some premium channels going Nagra 3, Lots of GoodFTA users and people on the internet have many questions on whats going on.

What you should know

Viewsat like many FTA receivers are scrambling and freezing on the PPV Movie Channels, International Channels, Canadian Channels and some Premium Channels.

This is not your receiver being broken or a hardware error or not having the latest FTA FILE. This is due to the new encryption system called Nagra 3.

What is Nagra 3?

Nagra 3 is the new encryption being used by Bev and Charlie. This is the 3rd Iteration of Nagra. It BREAK Nagra which has not been done yet, a Hacker must analize the hard and physically develop source code. Once the source code is written the FTA CODERS take this code and tailor it so when ECMS happen, the coders write the files. Hackers make a TON of money for short term work. Then Move on.

If Nagra 2 was hacked, why is not Nagra 3 Hacked Yet?

Nagra 2 was hacked due to a disgruntled Charlie Employee that stole the source code from work and sold it for 2 million dollars to Viewsat. We will all have to wait and see, rumor has it, there was a Nagra 3 hack, but the hacker was arrested.

Why do some Receivers have N3 Fixes and not Viewsat?

Its called IKS or Ethernet Card Sharing. It basically makes your receiver talk to the internet either wirelessly (like your laptop connecting to your router) or through ethernet cable (like your pc to your modem)

Some FTA Receivers have built in IKS and some have External IKS add-ons such as the Sonicview I-HUB (i-hub details)

Will Viewsat have a IKS FIX?

Yes, is releasing the new Viewsat Ethernet 2000. It is a new Receiver that has a built in Ethernet Port to connect up to the Viewsat Servers, so it will have all N3 channels available very soon

Read more about the Viewsat 2000 Ethernet Here -

Viewsat is working on a Serial IKS Dongle solution for the back of the receiver for their current models. They are more than likely releasing new models as well.

Just to let everyone know, the smart card slot on the Xtreme and Ultra could also be used for an ethernet connection. When you hear about a new Viewsat Network IKS receiver model or a Network IKS model coming out - this is all about business and not adding capabilities.

Will I have to buy something for my Viewsat to work?

If you want to keep your existing receiver you will more then likely have to purchase a network adapter that will be comming out sometime in June or July.

Ideally you will want to buy a newer receiver such as the Viewsat Ethernet 2000 or the HD device it will release later this year. New Receivers are comming as well.

Short story, to get a n3 fix in the next few weeks or month, you will have to AT LEAST invest in their network adapter, the new receiver will be out soon.

Thanks GoodFTA! Your the first forum to tell it like it is!

We are GoodFTA Belive in sharing the information we have, with you guys! You are paying for a service and we really want to deliver more then just FTA FILES (which will always be our #1 priority)

We belive in Helping you guys and sharing all of our experiences to make your FTA Experience bit more easier. We will be around for a long time stick with us, and you will continue to enjoy the latest FTA Files, FTA GUIDES and FTA TUTORIALS as well as new Video Tutorials we continue to upload and our Live Chat Service to get one on one help!

We really are proud of our FTA community you guys are some of the nicest people online from any community and we would like to give you all props for continuing to support our FTA FORUM

Thank you

The GoodFTA Admin Team

Most international channels (Asian, Latino, etc.)
XXX Porn channels
Most HD channels

The following channels have moved to Nagra 3 as of May 28 2009

Echostar 110

111, 113, 115, 119, 121, 133, 141, 145, 146, 147, 149, 152, 153, 163, 167, 175, 177, 178, 179, 187, 190, 192, 193, 194, 195, 198, 199

203, 206, 207, 211, 273

301, 302, 304 ,305, 307, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 327, 328, 329, 330, 332, 333, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356

400, 401, 410, 412, 413, 439, 455, 456

560 to 572

873, 876, 877, 882, 888, 891, 892, 893, 894, 898, 899

905 to 981, 987

5440, 5441, 9575

Many Sirius Music channels

FTA Keys
FTA Forum
FTA Files

Besides introducing a new look to Microsoft’s search interface, Bing adds a spruced-up navigation for search results, including a new left-hand navigation bar, a hover feature that lets users preview Web pages before visiting them, and a categorized search feature that groups search results by topic category.

Among Bing’s core improvements over Live Search, according to Microsoft, are its ability to scour the Web more deeply and to deliver more-relevant search results faster. But the most striking feature of Bing–setting it apart from Live Search and what Google and Yahoo deliver–is the way it parses and displays search results.

What do you guys think? Microsoft hopes to Unsurp Yahoo and Googles dominance online.