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The Justice Department took the rare step earlier this month of moving to dismiss a $3.3 billion civil fraud lawsuit against Dish Network — months after founder Charlie Ergen and his wife donated more than $113,000 to President Biden’s re-election campaign late last year. Ergen, a former professional poker player who helped launch what was then called EchoStar Communications in 1980, has battled the federal fraud claim for nearly a decade. But the Tennessee native saw his luck change shortly after he and spouse Candy contributed $100,000 to Biden’s super PAC and maxed out with matching $6,600 donations to the...

U.S. satellite TV provider Dish Network Corp reported quarterly revenue below analysts' estimates as it lost more subscribers than expected in its core pay-TV business. The company lost 23,000 net pay-TV subscribers in the quarter, more than the analysts' average estimate of a loss of 13,100 customers.. ... Dish, which is grappling with subscriber losses like other pay-TV providers, has been increasing rates

I cancelled my DishTV service then changed my mind. Called DISH and was told I have to wait 60 days. Seems they would want a customer to sign back up.

Washington, D.C. (September 27, 2007) -- AT&T has offered to buy EchoStar, the nation's second largest satellite TV service. That's according to an article today from TheStreet.com. The web site reports that AT&T has offered $55 a share, while the satcaster may be holding out for $65 a share. The deal would seem to make sense for both companies. EchoStar is under pressure to increase spending on several initiatives, including High-Definition TV, to keep pace with rival DIRECTV and the cable operators. AT&T could supply the financing, for instance, for EchoStar to launch new satellite to expand high-def capacity. Meanwhile,...

Shares of America’s #2 satellite television provider, EchoStar Communications, have hit 17-month highs in recent days amid speculation that leading rival, DirecTV Group Inc., could try to purchase the company. Such a merger would likely face regulatory and antitrust hurdles, but many analysts believe that these problems would be relatively easy to overcome. After all, the combined entity could be a strong competitor in the triple play communications industry, now increasingly polarized between cable and telecom carriers. The decision to merge with DirecTV would rest solely with Charlie Ergen, EchoStar’s Chairman, CEO, and co-founder, who currently controls more than...

NEW YORK -- EchoStar Communications Corp. Chairman Charles Ergen, recently blocked by federal regulators from acquiring his main rival in the U.S. satellite-television market, has been talking with long-standing adversary Rupert Murdoch as well as Liberty Media Corp. about possibly selling his company, industry officials familiar with the contacts told The Wall Street Journal. There haven't been any formal negotiations, Mr. Ergen isn't commenting on his motives and it isn't clear what response these preliminary feelers have sparked. EchoStar currently has a market capitalization of $12.4 billion and debt of about $5.7 billion. The surprising twist could indicate that...

DETROIT - Hughes Electronics Corp. of El Segundo, Calif., and EchoStar Communications Corp. terminated their proposed merger of the nation's two biggest satellite television operations, the companies announced Tuesday. The government had taken steps to block the deal, and the companies said they called it off because it couldn't be completed within the time allowed. Hughes owns DirecTV, while EchoStar runs the Dish Network. The planned merger would have created a single powerhouse satellite TV service with 18 million subscribers. As part of the termination settlement, EchoStar has paid Hughes $600 million in cash, and Hughes, a General Motors...

WASHINGTON, Oct 31, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- The proposed merger of EchoStar Communications Corp. and Hughes Electronics Corp., creating the nation's largest subscriber television company, could untangle in a messy and expensive breakup following the government's suit to scuttle the deal. The companies issued statements on Thursday that they were considering their options to salvage the $22.6 billion deal. The government said the deal would eliminate competition between the two largest satellite television companies and hurt consumers. Only last week EchoStar offered to give rival Cablevision Systems Corp. a satellite frequency that would allow the company to...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - EchoStar Communications Corp. was dealt a potentially fatal blow on Thursday in its $16.2 billion bid to acquire rival satellite television provider Hughes Electronics when U.S. communications regulators moved to block the deal. The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted to refer the deal to an administrative law judge for review -- a process that could take months -- and gave little hope that any remedies proposed by the companies would resolve their concerns. "Based on the record, the commission cannot find that this merger is in the public interest," FCC Chairman Michael Powell said at a...

Federal regulators are poised to block EchoStar Communications Corp.'s $18 billion acquisition of rival Hughes Electronics Corp. in a vote that could take place as early as Monday, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. Barring a major, last-minute concession from the two satellite-television providers -- a prospect that many industry officials over the weekend said still was possible -- at least three of the four members of the Federal Communications Commission are set to cast votes rejecting the deal, according to people knowledgeable about the matter. FCC Chairman Michael Powell is among those opposing the...