mpany profiles, expert advice, VAULT CAREER career message boards, expert resume reviews, the Vault Job Board and more. LIBRARY Vault Guide to the Top Telecom Employers EchoStar Communications Corp. TiVo filed a patent infringement lawsuit against EchoStar in January 2004, stating EchoStar violated TiVo's "multimedia time warping system," an invention described by TiVo as one which "allows the user to store selected television broadcast programs while the user is simultaneously watching or reviewing another program." EchoStar offers set-top boxes with digital video recorders (DVRs), which use technology similar to TiVo's design. EchoStar first introduced DVRs in 1999 the same year as TiVo. In March 2004, EchoStar became involved in a nasty battle over programming fees with Viacom, causing millions of customers to lose Viacom-owned cable channels for more than 24 hours. EchoStar accused Viacom of charging unreasonable rates to pick up cable channels in exchange for the opportunity to carry CBS-owned stations. Viacom officials in turn urged DISH Network customers to switch satellite providers. But the two companies made up, negotiating a deal a few days after EchoStar's initial cancellation. One dish, two dish In May 2004, a House of Representatives subcommittee approved a bill requiring EchoStar and DIRECTV to offer local stations and specialty cable channels on one dish. Previously, EchoStar had addressed capacity restraints by requiring subscribers in 38 cities to own two dishes, provided free of charge by the company. The final bill gave EchoStar and DIRECTV a window of 18 months to complete the dish merger. The bill helps "to ensure that consumers where local-into-local is available have ready access to all local broadcast stations in their market," said a House chairman, and is an extension of a broader piece of legislation allowing satellite television companies to offer local broadcasts. Taking off Throughout the 1990s, EchoStar focused on enhancing its core products and gaining new subscribers. By 2000, Ec