April 23, 2002

PAXTV coverage of WUSA games is not available as promised

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"I am very upset that I am unable to watch the WUSA games this season. My cable Co, Charter cable, in Madison WI. Doesn't even carry PAX. Many other
cable companies that I have checked do not carry it either. I am unable to get a satellite dish. I am also unable to watch CNNSI because charter cable doesn't carry it. Please try to make these soccer games more accessible. I recently moved from Boston and I miss the games very much.

Thanks
Rebecca"

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It is an exaggeration for WUSA to continue to call the games televised by PAXTV as nationally televised. As you can see, by the above example of the letters received by us, there are many parts of the USA where the matches are not accessible to fans.

It is dissapointing that a religous based television should have misled so many by claiming that they are seen in 86% of households in the USA, and thereby suggesting that when they became a WUSA sponsor the games will be available in those households. Apparently they are mainly available on the small dishes which are still in a minority and have not yet met parity with the cable services.

Soon after PAXTV made its deal with small dish services they took away PAXTV from those across the United States who depended on the C-Band sateliltes for their viewing. Presumably that was part of their agreement because according to the small dish advertising programs seen on C-Band they are trying hard get rid of those large dish viewers, and become a monopoly.

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