NCTA, NAB Battle EchoStar HDTV Legislation

The cable and broadcast industries are teaming up to undercut an HDTV plan supported by EchoStar Communications Corp. that was included in satellite legislation awaiting a vote in the Senate. ¶ The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the National Association of Broadcasters, in a letter Friday to two Senate leaders, complained that EchoStar’s plan was “a government giveaway” that would injure local TV stations and put cable at a competitive disadvantage. ...¶... The bill (S. 2644) would permit satellite carriers to sell out-of-town HDTV versions of ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox to consumers around the country who can’t get the same programming locally with off-air antennas. ... Multichannel News link