What is Retransmission Consent?

Congress granted Retransmission Consent rights to local television stations as part of the 1992 Cable Act. The Act allows local stations to elect either “Retransmission Consent” or “Must Carry” every three years in determining how their station is to be carried by cable, satellite and other video service providers.

Am I going to lose access to WVLA, NBC33?

In this case Dish Network has refused to even make an offer to carry WVLA after December 31st. Keep in mind you currently pay Dish Network nearly $6 per month for local stations. We offered WVLA to Dish Network for less than two pennies a day. If Dish Network fails to reach an agreement with our station, you could lose access to the station’s programming as part of the package you are paying Dish Network to provide. However, our station’s signal will continue to be available over the air, via an antenna.

Dish Network says my bill is going to go up if they submit to your demands. Is that true?

Our station is requesting less than 2 cents per day from the 6 dollars you already pay Dish Network. If they drop WVLA, you should request a refund from Dish Network, or consider cancelling Dish and subscribe to an alternative provider.

Why are you asking video distributors to pay for your programming?

Cable, Satellite and other video providers have always paid for programming. They resist paying for local stations because they claim our programming is free. Think about this analogy, when you get a drink of water at a public drinking fountain, it is free, but when once the water is placed in a package, it is no longer free. The same holds true for local television programming, once you order it in a package, it is no longer free.

What can I do to insure no disruption to my service?

Call Dish Network at 888-284-7116 and tell them you think paying less than 2 cents a day for our station is fair. You can also consider switching to a different provider such as satellite or other alternative distributors.