Satellite : Dish Network spent $150K lobbying government in 4Q

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Dish Network spent $150K lobbying government in 4Q
Associated Press, 04.13.09, 03:26 PM EDT

Satellite TV operator Dish Network Corp. spent $150,000 in the fourth quarter lobbying on the nation's shift to digital broadcasting and other issues, according to a recent disclosure report.
Dish lobbied on the converter box coupon program, which subsidizes the cost of equipment to convert over-the-air digital signals to analog, so analog TV sets can still receive broadcast signals after the nation transitions to digital TV in June.

Dish sells digital-to-analog signal converters and accepts the government's $40 coupon to subsidize the cost of the box.
The Englewood, Colo.-based company also pressed its case on the "high-definition must carry" provision. After the digital TV transition takes effect, satellite TV operators have until 2013 to carry local TV stations' high-definition signals.
But if they choose to carry one local HD channel in a market, they must carry all local HD signals to prevent cherry-picking the more popular channels.