Two Mil So Congress Can Watch TV?

This contract award notice was posted on FedBizOpps on Feb. 19, detailing the cost of the gear needed to receive DirectTV on three DC-9 jets operated by the 932nd Aircraft Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., for "Distinguished Visitor" (that would be congressional folks and other pooh-bahs).

The award -- to Rockwell Collins, which had a similar contract last year -- is for supplying DirectTV service to the aircraft, including the Continental Europe and Mideast packages.

Rockwell won the contract with a 20 percent discount for the TV service, but the contract said the cost of the receiving gear per aircraft will be $631,353. That rounds out to almost $1.9 million for three DC-9s the 932nd uses to haul pooh-bahs around in style.

Yeah, I know bolting a DirectTV dish onto a DC-9 is a more complex endeavor than lashing one onto the roof of my house, but I wonder whether the Air Force should have considered the Dish Network option.

I bet the Dish Network would even throw in some DVRs into its package.