LEWISTON – The Dish Network has become the first satellite TV system to offer local channels throughout Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties, offering new competition to cable TV.

Dish’s Colorado-based parent company, EchoStar Communications, announced the offering Thursday, alerting Maine dealers who jumped on the news.

Within minutes, a celebratory banner went up outside the Lewiston Mall’s Radio Shack, which sells Dish Network.

It’s too early to say what kind of boost the service will get among locals, Radio Shack manager Eric Smith said. The demand has been acute.

Some people have put off buying subscriptions until the local channels were offered, Smith said.

Competitor DirecTV says it too plans to offer the area channels to its subscribers in southern and central Maine in June. A new satellite, needed to carry the local signals, was launched earlier this week, said Bob Marsocci, a company spokesman.

Both services sell monthly program subscriptions, including many of the stalwarts of cable TV, such as CNN, MTV and ESPN. Instead of delivery by cable, programs are received with individual satellite dishes.

But until now, satellite subscribers have been unable to watch local news and weather forecasts or new shows from the broadcast networks, such as CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, Fox, UPN or WB.

People who subscribe to the Dish Network plan will get all but one of the local channels. The Portland ABC affiliate, WMTW, has yet to secure a deal with the satellite service.

The local channels are being offered through Dish Network in nine Maine counties: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, Sagadahoc and York.

Details of DirecTV’s planned offerings were unavailable.

A Dish network executive took new potshots Thursday at cable TV in a prepared statement.

“Customers who are fed up with the cable companies’ outrageous rate increases now have access to local news, weather and sports via all-digital satellite TV,” said Michael Schwimmer, senior vice president of Programming at EchoStar.

In general, it is cheaper. Dish Network offers a 60-channel package, including the local channels, for $29.99 per month.

Direct TV’s comparable package, which would include 115 channels, costs $38.99 per month.

Local cable company Adelphia Communications offers a comparable 70-channel package for $45.90.

Oxford Networks is also offering a digital cable package with more than 100 channels. Buy one of the other services – local phone, long distance phone or high-speed Internet – and the price is $79.95 per month. Sign up for three and the cost is $109.95. For all four, it’s $129.95.

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