Dish asks FCC to let it build wireless network

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

NEW YORK (AP) - Satellite TV broadcaster Dish Network Corp. wants to build a wireless broadband network as a way to help it compete more effectively with cable TV and phone companies that offer video services.

Cable and phone companies are able to bundle TV signals with Internet access services. Satellite companies cannot do so as well because satellites can't provide Internet services to many households, and speeds are slower.

In a filing late Monday, Dish asked the Federal Communications Commission to let it use the wireless spectrum of satellite company TerreStar Corp., which it bought last year out of bankruptcy, for ground-based broadband service.

Dish didn't say when it would build the network or how many people it would cover. It plans to use a network technology for which devices could show up in 2014. It said tablet computers would be one possible category of device to use the network, but it also mentions home terminals that combine satellite TV and wireless broadband access.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110823/D9PA14E00.html

[canoeist52]

1. Sheesh. People are going crazy with unrec. But on this? Why?

[madinmaryland]

2. Why don't you just comment on the post and not worry about whining about un-rec's. Unfortunately I

cannot un-rec your post.

Sheesh!

[madinmaryland]

3. Now does this mean that Dish will be setting up their own land-based network

or will the be piggy-backing off of others. It would be nice to see some addition ground based fiber networks being installed.

Hopefully this does not mean they just buy someone else out and repeat, repeat, repeat...

[groundloop]

4. If they're petitioning FCC I take that to mean they'll be building new infrastructure

Otherwise the bandwidth would already be licensed etc.

[SpankMe]

5. If they're going to spend money on infrastructure,

they should include an initiative to cover rural people with no broadband. The conventional wisdom is that some sort of broadband is available to 90-some percent of Americans, but I think that's funny math. There's a whole lot of people who can't get reasonably priced broadband - or any broadband - because of where they live. A friend of mine has HughesNet, and he says it's little better than 128 kbps old style ISDN, and that Skyping, VOIP calling and streaming video are essentially impossible.

[phantom power]

6. America would benefit hugely from a "rural broadband" initiative, like "rural electrification"...

from the early 20th. In our current political climate, I don't see it happening.

[PoliticAverse]

7. Cable and Phone monopolies could use some competition. n/t