Dish is now involved in six different programming disputes that has forced the satcaster to remove dozens of channels including such high-profile favorites as HBO, the NFL Network, the Fox regional sports channels and local network affiliates (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) in select markets.

The satcaster’s latest scraps with local broadcasters Scripps and Apollo Global, which triggered the removal of 74 different network affiliates, has intensified the debate among Dish’s subscribers over the company’s strategy.

Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen has long said he’s willing to allow certain channels to be blacked out if it means paying their owners less money when they return. (That is, if they return. Dish has been missing HBO now for nearly two years.) The Dish chief argues that playing tough at the negotiating table saves money and allows his company to provide lower prices than the competition.

The satellite TV service does offer lower prices than many pay TV operators, including longtime rival, DIRECTV.

For instance, Dish’s base plan, called America’s Top 120, features 190 channels and is available for $59.99 a month for two years. DIRECTV’s base plan, called Select, has 155 channels and is also available for $59.99. But that’s only for the first year. Unlike Dish, which offers the $59.99 a month rate for two years guaranteed, DIRECTV’s base price goes to at least $87 a month in year two.

That’s a significant difference. But is the price break worth the anguish of seeing your favorite channel blacked out for a period of time, or perhaps forever?

The Apollo and Scripps fee fights has triggered an outpouring of comments from Dish subscribers on social media sites with some backing Dish while others threatening to cancel their service.

Here are some of the more interesting viewpoints that have been posted in the last few days on Twitter:

Need to buy something today? Please buy it using this Amazon.com link. This site receives a small portion of each purchase, which helps us continue to provide these articles.

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann