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What is FTA Free to Air TV
FTA systems can be defined as a satellite system primarily designed to receive "in the clear" or unscrambled satellite signals At the present time there are 100's of channels of news sports networks special interest programming & ethnic channels & foreign language channels that are available without a subscription The selection is also constantly changing with new channels coming online In the past 5 years most broadcasters have switched their broadcasts to digital although there are still a number of analog broadcasts mostly in the C band range that are available
The FCC oversees policies rules procedures and standards for licensing and regulating satellite space and earth station facilities both domestic and international
Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999
The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 "SHVIA" significantly modifies the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1988 the Communications Act and the US Copyright Act SHVIA is designed to promote competition among multichannel video programming distributors such as satellite companies and cable television operators while at the same time increasing the programming choices available to consumers
How does SHVIA affect programs that is available to subscribe to Sat TV service?
SHVIA permits satellite companies to provide local broadcast TV signals to all subscribers who reside in the local TV station’s market also referred to as a Designated Market Area "DMA" as defined by Nielsen Media Research This ability to provide local broadcast channels is commonly referred to as "local into local" service SHVIA also permits satellite companies to provide "distant" network broadcast stations to eligible satellite subscribers
Must a satellite company provide local channels to any subscriber who wants the channels?
No The satellite company has the option of providing local-into-local service but is not required to do so Some satellite companies are already providing this service in selected markets Subscribers should contact their satellite company to determine whether and when the service will be available in their specific DMA and which DMA applies to them
What are Free To Air channels?
FTA channels are digital channels that are not encrypted by the service provider and require no subscription or monthly payment They are provided free of charge by the provider and are perfectly legal to receive with an FTA receiver
Where can I find out what channels are available?
There are many free to air channels available in North America on satellites such as G10R - AMC4 - Galaxy 25 - AMC 3 etc These channels are from the USA and from around the world Some channels listed are DVB FTA Free-To-Air and some are encrypted Pay TV Note that these lists can become out of date quickly as frequencies and channels change often With an FTA system you can only watch the unscrambled clear DVB channels with an F Other scrambled channels are not free and require a subscription from their provider
Are there any DBS/DSS channels that are FTA?
Almost all of the channels provided by these companies are NOT FTA The channels are encrypted & require an authorized receiver & monthly subscription
What is FTA Television?
Free to air satellite systems can be defined as a satellite system primarily designed to receive "in the clear" or unscrambled satellite broadcasts At the present time there are 100's of channels of news sports networks special interest programming and ethnic channels and foreign language channels that are available without a subscription The selection is also constantly changing with new channels coming online and some old ones going offline or changing their broadcast schemes In the past 5 years most broadcasters have switched their broadcasts to digital although there are still a number of analog broadcasts mostly in the C band range that are available
Introduction
The concept of receiving FTA signals dates back to the inception of satellite broadcasts in the mid 1970's and 1980's where large C/ band satellite systems were a popular way of tapping into hundreds of available channels from the sky The downside to these systems were extremely large dish sizes and expensive equipment These made satellite systems prohibitive for many people However over the years increasingly powerful commercial satellites and improvements in technology have brought prices and dish sizes down quite dramatically The mid 1990's saw the introduction of digital direct to home technology which for the first time allowed main stream users to access a wide variety of channels not available via their local cable company while enjoying incredible picture and sound quality all from a dish far smaller than had ever been seen before The small dish revolution nearly caused the extinction of the large dish industry which simply could not compete on dish sizing price or ease of installation The late 1990's saw the digital revolution spread to the large dish industry with services such as 4DTV which brought the same digital picture and sound as the small dish systems to large dish users although a new and expensive decoder was required for reception The last several years has seen most broadcasters switch their broadcasts to digital which allowed broadcasts to be compressed allowing more channels per satellite transponder and also a superior picture and sound quality As well a common digital standard known as MPEG2-DVB has been adopted by many broadcasters which allows all free to air satellite channels that use the Digital Video Broadcast standard to be received from one satellite decoder Over the years the FTA market has begun to see a small comeback primarily due to an abundance of programming not available anywhere else such as international and foreign language channels as well as improved picture and sound quality As the number of FTA enthusiasts grows the more broadcasters will take the market seriously make more and better programming options available
Did you know you could watch ABC - NBC - CBS - PBS - MYTV & FOX Networks via satellite for FREE LEGALLY Remember the days you watched TV with your TV Antenna for FREE Well you still can do it on satellite Plus hundreds of other networks and individual channels with popular movies and shows FOR FREE !
Which receiver?
FTA receivers are like cars There are lots of different models most of which perform basic functions the same way There are lots of opinions about which one is best but very few people have significant experience with more than 1 or 2 models If you're just getting started I'd suggest that you make sure your first receiver has blind scanning to help you find channels Even if you don't have a motor you might feel like adding one later so it's generally a good idea to make sure your receiver can drive one After that it's a question of which cool features you want & how much you want to spend
Where can I have a dish on my my property?
In general a satellite dish that is 1 meter or less may be installed on an area that you own or where you have exclusive use There are some restrictions that apply For more information please refer to our fact sheet on Over-the-Air Reception Devices
Can I use my existing 18" DBS/DSS dish?
No FTA Ku channels are available on satellites with much weaker signal than DSS The minimum is 30" FTA & DBS / DSS satellites require different LNBs
What is Free To Air(FTA) channels
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