DirecTV, NRTC, Pegasus come to billing agreement

-- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/21/2000

DirecTV has agreed that the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative and Pegasus Communications can provide their customers with one bill for all DirecTV services, including premium cable channels and pay-per-view movies. NRTC and Pegasus have exclusive agreements to distribute DirecTV in many rural areas.

Since DirecTV bought premium-channel provider U.S. Satellite Broadcasting, the companies have squabbled over who gets to provide the higher-end services-including HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and The Movie Channel-to NRTC's customers.

NRTC last June sued DirecTV in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. This agreement does not settle the lawsuit, noted NRTC President Bob Phillips in a statement.