Washington, D.C. (October 17, 2006)
-- Does that new High-Definition satellite TV dish look
good in your front yard, or on the roof of your house?
Well, if you live in Boston, you may soon be forced to move it -- away from the public view.
Boston City Council President Michael Flaherty has sponsored a measure that would force the satellite TV owner to move his dish to the back of the building. A city council subcommittee will hold a public hearing on the proposal this Friday.
"For some, it's an eyesore," Councilman Flaherty told the Boston Globe.
The proposal would include dishes of all sizes and shapes, ranging from the 18-inch dish to the new oversized DIRECTV HD dish to the old-style 10-foot dish still found in some rural yards.
Flaherty tells The Globe that he is particularly concerned about dish blight because many residents leave their dishes behind when they move.
"Where there's a large turnover of tenants, there are multiple dishes that are basically defunct," Flaherty said. "As a result, you're seeing buildings all across the city with multiple satellite dishes hanging off the fronts and sides of buildings."
If Flaherty's proposal is approved, other cities might be tempted to adopt similar laws to preserve the area's architectural design and feel.
However, the ban would have to comply with Federal Communications Commission rules that bar restrictions on dishes except for safety or historic reasons. The FCC rule says cities can require dishes to be installed in the back of the house if it doesn't interfere with their reception or add cost to the consumer.
Many satellite owners place their dishes out front because it's the best location to pull the signals from the satellites in the sky. Both DIRECTV and EchoStar, the nation's top satcasters, require an unblocked view of the southern sky to receive the signals.
DIRECTV spokesman Robert Mercer told the Globe that no other government has banned dishes from the front of buildings, although there are some restrictions for historic preservation reasons. He said Flaherty is unfairly singling out satellite for the prohibition.
"Why not force cable to bury their lines in the ground?" said Mercer. "What's so attractive about a bunch of cables?"
Well, if you live in Boston, you may soon be forced to move it -- away from the public view.
Boston City Council President Michael Flaherty has sponsored a measure that would force the satellite TV owner to move his dish to the back of the building. A city council subcommittee will hold a public hearing on the proposal this Friday.
"For some, it's an eyesore," Councilman Flaherty told the Boston Globe.
The proposal would include dishes of all sizes and shapes, ranging from the 18-inch dish to the new oversized DIRECTV HD dish to the old-style 10-foot dish still found in some rural yards.
Flaherty tells The Globe that he is particularly concerned about dish blight because many residents leave their dishes behind when they move.
"Where there's a large turnover of tenants, there are multiple dishes that are basically defunct," Flaherty said. "As a result, you're seeing buildings all across the city with multiple satellite dishes hanging off the fronts and sides of buildings."
If Flaherty's proposal is approved, other cities might be tempted to adopt similar laws to preserve the area's architectural design and feel.
However, the ban would have to comply with Federal Communications Commission rules that bar restrictions on dishes except for safety or historic reasons. The FCC rule says cities can require dishes to be installed in the back of the house if it doesn't interfere with their reception or add cost to the consumer.
Many satellite owners place their dishes out front because it's the best location to pull the signals from the satellites in the sky. Both DIRECTV and EchoStar, the nation's top satcasters, require an unblocked view of the southern sky to receive the signals.
DIRECTV spokesman Robert Mercer told the Globe that no other government has banned dishes from the front of buildings, although there are some restrictions for historic preservation reasons. He said Flaherty is unfairly singling out satellite for the prohibition.
"Why not force cable to bury their lines in the ground?" said Mercer. "What's so attractive about a bunch of cables?"