DISH Network provides satellite television to millions of consumers, but it's not just subscribers who are being dished out cozy deals. Charlie Ergen, company co-founder and a prominent Democrat donor during the 2014 midterm, is being rewarded handsomely courtesy of a federal government-backed deal that leaves taxpayers bankrolling nearly 25% of a $13.3 billion transaction. "Using subsidiaries to capitalize on an FCC designation designed to help small businesses, DISH was able to purchase nearly half of the wireless licenses sold at the government auction, known as AWS-3," explains The Washington Free Beacon. "DISH secured $13.3 billion in wireless spectrum at the auction by bidding through smaller companies that qualify for the FCC's 'designated entity' program (DE), which is intended to foster competition by allowing smaller and minority businesses to compete." Ergen gave $253,000 in political contributions to Democrats last year, which explains why he's in bed with the feds. The Left will claim there's nothing to see here, but would a Republican donor get the same treatment? Quite the opposite -- the cries of discrimination against small businesses would be deafening. More...