AAFES to take cash for renting AFN decoders

[unhappycamper]

AAFES to take cash for renting AFN decoders
By Jimmy Norris, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, January 26, 2008

SEOUL — AAFES no longer will require customers to use its in-house Military Star Card to rent American Forces Network satellite decoder boxes, officials announced Thursday.

Army and Air Force Exchange Service spokesman Master Sgt. Donovan Potter said in a brief e-mail that the stores will accept cash and other types of credit cards as payment beginning Feb. 1. The decoder boxes are required for customers to view AFN’s Direct-to-Home satellite service.

The announcement is timely. The Korean Broadcasting Commission ordered South Korean cable companies to stop broadcasting a pirated AFN Pacific Prime channel by June because U.S. companies complained they were unable to sell their programming to the Korean market.

Since off-base real estate agents offer free cable television as a perk when leasing to renters from the U.S. military community, many residents were able to receive the pirated AFN channel without purchasing the AFN satellite dish, paying to have it installed, and using the Military Star Card to pay the monthly fees.

Even though the Pacific Pri`me signal is still broadcast over the airwaves so U.S. troops within range can pick it up using an antenna, command and AFN officials have stressed that it would be best to use the paid satellite service.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51912



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