Our Local Fox Station has been out for over a year...

Dang it!  Still out.  Missed a big Creighton v Marquette game. 😩

You can check on station status at TV Promise

And we're missing ANOTHER Super Bowl.  Thanks DirecTV!  Oh, great, thanks for the 'TV Promise' link.  It's so insightful and helpful.  For those who don't want to waste their time by reading it, allow me to summarize:  "The owner of your local FOX channel wants to raise your monthly bill by $1.40.  We, at DirecTV, aren't standing for it and are fighting with your wallet in mind.  As of today, the owner of your local FOX channel has cut off all communication unless we accept their increased pricing.  You DO have other options to watch your local FOX channel.  You can pay $110 for a monthly subscription to YouTube TV, $85 for a monthly subscription to HULU, or search your local AM radio so you can LISTEN to the big game.  Oh, we at DirecTV are being forced to increase the costs of our TV packages due to unforseen costs.  Most will only see a small $15/month increase but rest assured, we are doing everything we can to avoid that $1.40/month increase for your local FOX channel.".

...and you are putting all the blame on DirecTV! Where is your criticism on the broadcast owner? It's a 2 way street you know! No one wants a price increase.

Deservedly so....I have not had my local FOX channel for over TWO f'ing years.  I pay DirecTV over $200 per month and expect access to EVERY channel in the package that I'm purchasing.  I'm not paying FOX am I?  It's truly an embarrassment that this has gone on for as long as it has.  As the CUSTOMER, give us the option to pay an extra few dollars in order to watch this channel.  They have no issues passing along random price increases, for God knows what, yet they're supposedly negotiating on OUR behalf.  It's a total joke and it is 100% DirecTV's fault.  And when was the last time DirecTV offered a discount for not having this channel in the promised lineup?  Yep, the same channel that we've been paying for every month even though it's blacked out.  

So, please stop sticking up for the company at the root of the problem. 

@thebigeasy88 

Channels are subject to change. No channels is promised to always be in the package.

Packages include access to local channels, but do not guarantee any specific local. As long as you receive a single local channel than you are getting EVERY channel in the package you are supposed to. That is the reality.

It is NOT 100% DirecTV's fault. Channel owners raise costs of the networks to TV providers, which in turn they must raise our bills. Why should any TV provider, and any customer for that matter, keep paying more for channels that are free over the regular airways?

There is no promised lineup, only what is the current lineup (subject to change per the Terms of Service of ALL TV providers). Problem is you are expecting more from the service than any TV provider offers. Time to understand how it really works.

Not saying you have to like the situation, only to actually understand the reality of it instead of the fantasy you've made up.

Then go to a different service. No one is "forcing" you to pay Directv for their service. 

@thebigeasy88 

The channel isn't "blacked out". DirecTV does not have the rights to carry the channel at this time. If Lifetime weren't available would make no difference to me. I am not locked into any particular channel. Locals are free over the air, so I would plug in a regular antenna if I really wanted the channel. I didn't go to pay TV for locals, but for what my locals didn't provide.

You are NOT paying for a local DirecTV doesn't have. You are only paying for the channels DirecTV currently has, which is subject to change. Neither you or DirecTV are paying for the channel, that is the whole point. DirecTV doesn't have the channel, so nobody is paying for it.

So yes you are making up a fantasy because the reality of how it works and what the situation is, is not what you want. If you suffer so because of a local channel then either plug in a antenna or go with a provider that currently has it. But quit trying to claim you are paying for a channel when you actually aren't. DirecTV doesn't have the channel so you are not paying for it. You just pay a flat rate for whatever locals they currently have.