Another option for getting US television abroad is to setup a
Slingbox in the US and stream it to your laptop. I have mine hooked up to a Tivo so I can record my favorite shows and "sling" them to me wherever I am at.
Pretty soon the
Slingcatcher should be out which means you won't need your laptop. Just hook it up to your TV, the internet and your TV will stream to you wherever you are. Oh yeah, with the Slingcatcher you can take your remote with you and use it just like you were sitting in front of the TV in the States.
How is the connectivity in Panama. I look at spending some time in Costa Rica but the costal towns had spotty highspeed. I suspect it's much better in Panama. Do you use a cable modem or DSL? What is the name of your internet provider?