Dish Network 2001 Annual Report Download - page 3

1
DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
We make “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995 throughout this document. Whenever you read a statement that is not simply a statement of historical fact
(such as when we describe what we “believe,” “expect” or “anticipate” will occur, and other similar statements),
you must remember that our expectations may not be correct, even though we believe they are reasonable. We do
not guarantee that the transactions and events described in this document will happen as described or that they will
happen at all. You should read this document completely and with the understanding that actual future results may
be materially different from what we expect. Whether actual results will conform with our expectations and
predictions is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited
to: our proposed merger with Hughes Electronics Corporation may not occur as a result of: (1) the failure to
obtain necessary Internal Revenue Service, which is referred to as the IRS, tax rulings, antitrust clearance, Federal
Communications Commission, or FCC, approval or the requisite approval from General Motors’ stockholders, (2)
shareholder litigation challenging the merger, or (3) the failure to satisfy other conditions; while we need
substantial additional financing, we are highly leveraged and subject to numerous constraints on our ability to raise
additional debt; we may incur unanticipated costs in connection with the Hughes merger financing or any
refinancings we must undertake or consents we must obtain to enable us to consummate the Hughes merger;
regulatory authorities may impose burdensome terms on us as a condition of granting their approval of the Hughes
merger or the acquisition of Hughes’ interest in PanAmSat, and legislative and regulatory developments may create
unexpected challenges for us; we may not realize the benefits and synergies we expect from, and may incur
unanticipated costs with respect to, the Hughes merger due to delays, burdensome conditions imposed by regulatory
authorities, difficulties in integrating the businesses or disruptions in relationships with employees, customers or
suppliers; we are party to various lawsuits which, if adversely decided, could have a significant adverse impact on
our business; we may be unable to obtain patent licenses from holders of intellectual property or redesign our
products to avoid patent infringement; we may be unable to obtain needed retransmission consents, FCC
authorizations or export licenses; the regulations governing our industry may change; our satellite launches may be
delayed or fail, our satellites may fail prematurely in orbit, we currently do not have traditional commercial
insurance covering losses incurred from the failure of launches and/or satellites; and we may be unable to settle
outstanding claims with insurers; weakness in the global economy may harm our business generally, and adverse
local political or economic developments may occur in some of our markets; service interruptions arising from
technical anomalies on some satellites, or caused by war, terrorist activities or natural disasters, may cause
customer cancellations or otherwise harm our business; we face intense and increasing competition from the cable
television industry, new competitors may enter the subscription television business, and new technologies may
increase competition; DISH Network subscriber growth may decrease; subscriber turnover may increase; and
subscriber acquisition costs may increase; sales of digital equipment and related services to international direct-to-
home service providers may decrease; future acquisitions, business combinations, strategic partnerships and
divestitures may involve additional uncertainties; the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and changes in
international political conditions as a result of these events may continue to affect the U.S. and the global economy
and may increase other risks; and we may face other risks described from time to time in periodic reports we file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All cautionary statements made herein should be read as being
applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear. In this connection, investors should consider
the risks described herein and should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.
PART I
In this document, the words “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to EchoStar Communications Corporation and
its subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. “EDBS” refers to EchoStar DBS Corporation and its
subsidiaries and “EBC” refers to EchoStar Broadband Corporation and its subsidiaries. “General Motors” or
“GM” refers to General Motors Corporation, “Hughes” refers to Hughes Electronics Corporation, or a holding
company that is expected to be formed to hold all of the stock of Hughes, and “PanAmSat” refers to PanAmSat
Corporation, in each case including their respective subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires.