Dish TV Answers

Are local channels available with a satellite TV ?

Yes, DIRECTV does offer local programming channels in most major United States cities. This question about getting the “free” local channels with a satellite TV service comes up often. The objection is either the customer is not getting local programming at all or that the companies are charging for them.

Most DIRECTV installers agree that sometimes you can’t receive all the channels you’re paying for. The most common problem is location. If the dish is blocked by your neighbor’s tree or home, you won’t get some channels.

There must be an unrestricted view of the satellite from the dish. Since dishes work by line-of-sight, the signals just don’t have the ability to bounce around corners.

Some installers might aggressively recommend you cut down well-established trees or suggest putting up a ten-foot pole in your front yard and draping the cables through the landscaping. If you tell them NO, then they say you can’t get local and that’s that.

But in most communities and on most sites, local channels are at least available. And a big advantage of watching local channels through the satellite TV provider is that they are broadcast in digital quality.

Local stations are available through DIRECTV to over 92% of the country’s households. There are a variety of programming packages available, each with different channels to access including local channels. You will need to compare these packages to find the one that has the channels you are most interested in receiving.

So how do you know if your area has access to local channels?

DIRECTV has a look up page on their site where you can check whether or not local channels are available in your area. Simply go to: http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/see/LocalChannels.jsp?init=true and enter your zip code.

Are local channels free?

Another major complaint frequently heard about satellite TV is the fact that “you have to pay for local channels”. However, even with your traditional cable service you are paying for local channel programming. The difference is, with DIRECTV, the bill is broken down so you can actually see what you pay per channel.

This is a much better policy for you. DIRECTV does this is to make sure that customers living in limited programming areas who are not able to receive local channels don’t end up paying for them. With satellite TV you see exactly how much you pay for the local channels. With cable, the cost is included in the basic services, so you don’t really know what the cost of local programming is!

Federal law limits you to receiving local channels only for the geographical area you are in. This means that if you get satellite TV service for your RV, the law won’t permit you to get the local channels. For example, if you’re in Atlanta, you can only receive Atlanta local channels. However, in some areas, DIRECTV can still get you non-local broadcast feeds of the major networks.

There are several satellite TV packages offered through DIRECTV. The “Total Choice” package costs about the same as a basic cable package, and provides 155 digital quality channels and between 60 and 90 analog channels, along with your local channels for a single monthly price.

It is important to compare the DIRECTV package service that is most similar to your cable package. The monthly fee does include the local channels as long as they are available in your geographic area. And, you will know exactly how much you are paying for these local channels.