[Satellite TODAY 01-28-10] DirecTV and Dish Network have filed a lawsuit against the State of Massachusetts for imposing a statewide 5 percent tax on satellite services, the companies announced Jan. 27.
    The suit, filed Jan. 26 at a Massachusetts state court, called the tax "discriminatory" because it applies only to satellite and not to rival cable TV operators. DirecTV and Dish Network said that the tax would also steer customers away from their services to cable TV.
    DirecTV and Dish Network are also arguing that they shouldn’t pay an additional tax because their programming is beamed directly from satellites and not from landlines that require roadside digging and construction. Cable TV operators pay fees to municipalities for public property access in order to lay cable lines.
    The two companies have filed similar lawsuits in Florida, Ohio and Tennessee.