If one thing is true about today’s market for television broadcasting, it’s that consumers face an overwhelming range of technology and packaged viewing choices. While each type of service provider offers different benefits and associated costs—cable companies and subscription satellite are only the most common solutions—one often-overlooked option is a free-to-air (FTA) satellite system.
FTA satellites function with technology very similar to what is used by major subscription satellite providers, however there is a crucial difference. Whereas subscribing to satellite TV through a dish company entails regular payments in return for a chosen programming package, FTA satellites offer independent, customizable access to a variety of stations made freely available to the public by channels and broadcasters around the world.