| The original concept of satellite television started | | | | for free. The Federal Communications Commission |
| over 50 years ago with the vision of writer | | | | (FCC) was governed by its open skies' policy, |
| Arthur C. Clarke, who was the first to suggest a | | | | which indicated that users had as much right to |
| worldwide satellite communications system. | | | | receive satellite signals as broadcasters had the |
| Following his vision, the U.S. government began | | | | right to transmit them. |
| developing the for satellite technology in the | | | | Direct to Home (DTH) satellite receivers or Direct |
| 1950s, during the historical space race. The very | | | | Broadcast Satellite (DBS) were developed in the |
| first satellite, Sputnik, was developed and launched | | | | early 1980's. This technology enabled the more |
| into orbit above the earth on October 4, 1957 by | | | | rural areas in the United States to receive signals |
| the Russians. The first communication satellite, | | | | and television programming that was previously |
| Syncom II, was developed and launched by a | | | | unavailable with standard television broadcasting |
| consortium of business and government entities in | | | | methods. DBS, then a new service, consisted of a |
| 1963 and achieved an orbit at 22,300 miles over | | | | broadcast satellite in geostationary orbit, which |
| the Atlantic. On July 26, 1963, the first satellite | | | | facilitated transmitting signals to the satellite and |
| communication between a U.S. Navy ship in the | | | | the equipment needed for viewers to access the |
| harbor of Lagos, Nigeria and the U.S. Army | | | | signals. At this stage of the game, piracy and |
| located at the naval station at Lakehurst, New | | | | illegally accessing the satellite was a common |
| Jersey made history. | | | | problem for the broadcasters and methods were |
| Telephone companies started using satellite | | | | developed to scramble and encrypt the signals |
| communication long before television. This | | | | from non-paying viewers. In order to legally |
| developed out of necessity, as communicating by | | | | access the signals, the user purchased a decoder |
| land based distribution methods became | | | | (the DTH receiver) from a licensed satellite |
| overloaded with too much data information. | | | | program provider. These packaged programs |
| Television began using satellites on March 1, 1978 | | | | were similar to the programming packages |
| when the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) | | | | provided by Cable TV systems. From 1981 to |
| introduced Public Television Satellite Service. From | | | | 1985, the big dish satellite market soared, |
| 1978 to 1984, Broadcast networks adopted | | | | providing service and signals to these rural areas. |
| satellite communication as a distribution method | | | | Successful early attempts to launch satellites by |
| with early signal broadcasts from HBO, TBS, and | | | | Japan and Hong Kong in 1986 and 1990, |
| CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network, later The | | | | respectively, provided service to the mass |
| Family Channel). Television Receive Only (TVRO) | | | | consumer market. The first successful attempt in |
| system prices dropped, and the trade | | | | 1994 by the United States was led by a group of |
| organization, Society for Private Commercial Earth | | | | major cable companies and collectively named |
| Stations (SPACE), and the first dealerships were | | | | Primestar. Later that year, Direct TV was |
| established. Network executives realized the | | | | established followed by Echostar’s Dish |
| potential of this developed satellite technology | | | | Network in the Spring of 1996. |
| could provide broadcasting service to customers | | | | Written by David Johnson. |