DirecTV Brings Local Stations To Windham, Bennington
Leahy-Backed Satellite TV Law Opens Access To Vermont Stations

WASHINGTON (Friday, Jan. 27) – DirecTV announced this week that beginning Friday, local Vermont television stations will be available to satellite television owners in Windham and Bennington Counties.  The expanded access comes as the result of work by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to bring local television service to Vermonters and people across the country through the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA).

Under Leahy’s leadership, SHVIA restored and expanded access to satellite television to millions of households across the country, and thousands in Vermont.  When the bill was extended in 2004, Leahy included provisions to expand access to dish owners in Windham and Bennington counties.  Residents of the region have been unable to access local Vermont stations due to distance from Vermont transmission towers and interference from the Green Mountain range.  In recent months, DirecTV has launched an additional satellite, opening the market for dish owners in Vermont to access local Vermont network stations including Vermont Public Television and others.

“This is great news, long in the making, for the patient viewers of Bennington County and Windham County,” Leahy said.  “This means wider access to local coverage of community events and important emergency alerts, and it helps knit Vermont together, from border to border.”

“DirecTV is thrilled to offer, for the first time, the local Burlington broadcast stations to the entire state,” said Susan Eid, vice-president of government relations for DirecTV.  “Without Sen. Leahy’s leadership and persistence, DirecTV would not be able to provide this public service to Vermonters.”

With the expansion of the program to Windham and Bennington counties, well over 17,000 Vermont households will have the capacity to receive local stations beginning January 27 at no extra cost. DirecTV will also provide customers with a second dish necessary to receive the stations at no additional charge.  Beginning Monday, customers can call DirecTV at 1-800-531-5000 to schedule dish installation.

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