DISH or cable? That's what the Erie County Holding Facility was trying to decide last week, and it looks as if the prison wants to make the switch over to DISH.
According to DISH's website, a prison "had a budget for technology, so they purchased DISH's smartbox. DISH installed the smartbox in the equipment room just below a satellite dish and distributed channels throughout the prison through coaxial cable."
DISH proposed a package that would contain, "America's Top 120 and a Hospitality Plus packages." The package includes stations such as HBO, ESPN and more.
The website also added that the prison was, "struggling to receive a reliable signal for local channels in its remote location" and that the prison, "wanted quick service when channels or outages occurred to prevent restless inmates."
In a report posted to our website last week, inmates at the county level who choose to pass time watching TV don’t have much of a say on what they watch. Often, as many as 30-60 inmates are watching one TV together.
The installation and monthly costs will be paid from the inmate commissary “welfare account."
The move would have to be approved by the Erie County Legislation.
