A_Duff
Regarding the Amazon Firestick, have you tried turning off, or pausing, the Video Data Saver while streaming with such? Without doing so almost anything streamed in HD will buffer. What is Video Data Saver? Keep in mind, though, that streaming in HD uses up to 3GB or more per hour. You may still be in the relaxed bandwidth state given to new residential account holders for the first twenty days of service, so you may not be seeing any data usage on your account, at this point.
Though the service can be affected by inclement weather, including snow, like any home satellite service, it's not like anytime the dish gets snow on it the service doesn't work. I live in one of the snowiest parts of the country and my service works just fine, though I do have to clean the dish of snow every now and again.
It's a little hard to tell from your description of the Early Termination fees, as Residential Plans have a maximum ETF of $400 for the service and $240 for Voice (if one has such), but if you have a Business Plan please call 800-347-3272 for support, as this site is for Residential Account holders. I only bring this up due to your stated ETF of "$800+".
I'm sure the Reps will reply. They're on M-F from 8AM to 5PM EST, though it can take them a day or two to reply.
Liz
Amanda