What is the purpose of connecting the receiver to a telephone line? You should connect the receiver to a land-based phone line for sports programming viewing and pay per view ordering purposes. This connection sends information from the receiver to the satellite tv dealer’s computer system. You cannot connect a cellular phone to your receiver; it must be a land-based phone line. With this phone connection, viewers can order pay per view movies and events with their remote control, get popular sports subscriptions like NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, and have the programming subscription on their main receiver "mirrored" to other receivers that are connected to the same phone line. Customers who don't have a continuous telephone connection are not authorized to receive certain sports programming, must call to order pay per view, and must pay a separate subscription price for each receiver.

Will the telephone connection interfere with regular telephone usage? Not at all. This connection does not interfere with your phone. A modem inside your receiver makes a toll-free call to our computer system in the middle of the night. If the modem senses that you are using the phone, it will try again later. The modem's call lasts just a few seconds.

What happens if the receiver is not near a telephone jack, and it is not convenient to install a line near it? Many consumer electronic retail stores carry a device known as a wireless phone jack, which allows you to connect your receiver to a nearby phone line without wires. Prices and models vary, so check with your local retailer for more information. Again, a cellular phone connection will not work.

If there is more than one receiver, do you have to pay a full monthly subscription for each receiver? No. You may connect more than one television in a single household to a satellite tv dealer’s services. If your receivers are connected to the same phone line, your subscription can be “mirrored.” In other words, the programming you request for the primary access card in your receiver is copied for all of the access cards in the other receivers and you are authorized to receive this same level or programming on these televisions.

Is direct tv programming available on more than one television set in a single house? Buying separate receivers for the various television sets in your home gives you the flexibility of watching different directv programs on different television sets. To do this, you'll need to have at a minimum a dual-LNB DIRECTV System. The dual-LNB DIRECTV System (sometimes called a "deluxe system" or a "multi-room system") allows you to use one additional receiver so the members of your household can watch different channels or pay per view programs in two different rooms at the same time. The DIRECTV Multi-Satellite System allows use of up to four receivers. Additional equipment can be purchased to expand the number of receivers that can be independently connected to your system.