In its complaint, EchoStar alleged that the two companies engaged in non-price discrimination and unfair practices. EchoStar had no immediate comment on the FCC ruling. The skirmish between the parties also is the subject of litigation in federal court. Meanwhile, EchoStar reported that it added 117,000 subscribers in May, taking its total to 2.492 million.
Digital overlay adds digital programming to an existing analog of cable channels.
In addition, BET Executive Vice President Curtis Symonds, TCI Great Lakes President Steve Bryan and Mediacom's James Carey agreed that an aggressive customer retention plan is needed to keep cable's current numbers strong. Ideas presented by the group included a dish buy-back promotion, customer rewards such as frequent flier miles, and special incentives offered to premium service subscribers. Web surfers can catch live webcasts of the four daily general sessions. DIVA and Chambers Communications announced that they have worked with Convergys to develop and commercially deploy a fully-automated VOD billing interface for cable companies. The system enables cable customers to order VOD services using their set-top box and remote control.