Dish Network in the News

EchoStar Raises Rates

LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) - EchoStar Communications Corp. will raise rates on two of its Dish Network packages Feb. 1.

The monthly price of the satellite broadcasting company's basic package, now called America's Top 40, will go up 10 percent to $21.99. It is the first time the company has raised its bottom-line rates since 1996.

The package will be renamed America's Top 50 because it has included 50 channels for about a year, spokesman Marc Lumpkin said.

EchoStar, which has 5 million subscribers, will also raise the monthly price of the America's Top 100 package by $1 to $30.99. The rate for the premium package, America's Top 150, will remain the same.

The company had to raise its rates because some of the channels it offers, such as ESPN, have increased their prices by up to 40 percent, Lumpkin said.

AT&T used the same justification for a national rate increase of about 4.8 percent due to take effect Feb. 1.