Hartenstein says push is on for Congressional approval of satellite pickups

Tuesday, July 20, 1999 | 9:19 a.m.

Eddie Hartenstein, president of DirecTV, said the proposed legislation "will give consumers the right to receive their local channels from satellite TV." His comments came Monday in the keynote speech at the annual National Satellite Convention and Exposition.

Separate bills have passed the U.S. House and Senate that would make local television news, weather and sports broadcasts available on satellite TV systems.

The bills would let DirecTV, EchoStar and other companies beam local broadcast signals to customers who use either pizza-sized satellite dishes or big "backyard" dishes, no matter where they live. Under existing law, companies are barred from doing that.

Satellite companies are hoping a House and Senate conference committee can reconcile one bill before Congress adjourns this summer.

Hartenstein said his industry is pushing for a proposal that can be enacted quickly "and give as many consumers as possible an apples to apples alternative to cable television."

The measures being considered in Congress are intended to resolve a dispute between satellite companies and broadcasters over conditions under which viewers who get their television from satellite can watch broadcast TV programs.

Under the bills, satellite TV customers wouldn't be forced to use rooftop antennas or subscribe to cable TV to receive local broadcast signals. They would be able to get them directly from a satellite company, probably for a small monthly fee.

Eventually, the companies would have to carry all local broadcast stations in a given market.

The satellite and broadcast industries generally support the legislation.

Hartenstein's comments came at the 1999 National Satellite Convention and Exposition, which began Monday and runs through Wednesday. Sponsored by the Alexandria, Va. based Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association,(SBCA), the convention is designed to provide a view of the satellite television industry today, and a look at its growth into the next century.

Hartenstein was upbeat about that growth, saying that five years ago, not one person in a thousand would have even understood the term "direct broadcast satellite (DBS)."

Hartenstein has headed DirecTV since its inception in 1990 and has been responsible for assembling the DirecTV management team and guiding its strategic efforts. Additionally, he serves as corporate senior vice president of Hughes Electronics Corporation, DirecTV'S parent company.

DirecTV is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and delivers more than 210 channels of programming to owners of the DirecTV system.

The company currently has some 7 million customers.

SBCA is the national trade organization representing all segments of the home satellite industry. It is comprised of direct broadcast satellite service providers, programmers, equipment manufacturers, distributors, retailers, encryption vendors and national and regional distribution companies.