Clarke: No more sat dishes out front, or else you have to paint them

**ArcticSplash** · 09-22-2011, 04:09 PM

Councilman Clarke is on the warpath again...

Philadelphia bill could regulate satellite dishes | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/22/2011

**Titus** · 09-22-2011, 04:51 PM

They're a horrible eyesore, but I doubt painting them would make much of a difference.

**3rd&Brown** · 09-22-2011, 04:51 PM

It sounds ridiculous, but I'm not opposed to this. These things look like hell, especially when perched out in front of row upon row of rowhomes.

I assume his constituency is affected because many get DISH for Spanish Language programming, but it still looks like ass. DISH can do a bit more work to hide these things.

**DavidT** · 09-22-2011, 04:52 PM

Have fun with the FCC, Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule | FCC.gov

**gren** · 09-22-2011, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by DavidT

Have fun with the FCC, Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule | FCC.gov

Well, if it's on the front of your house and you have a lawn I can see why that would apply. But I imagine on a row home if it's encroaching on city right of way then they have a greater say?

**DavidT** · 09-22-2011, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by gren

Well, if it's on the front of your house and you have a lawn I can see why that would apply. But I imagine on a row home if it's encroaching on city right of way then they have a greater say?

Basically the FCC rules work something like this
- If you can only get line of sight to the satellite from the front side of your house, you're allowed to mount it there
- If mounting it on the roof will require significant cost (e.g. some contraption that cost $$$), you don't have to put it on the roof if the front is available. (Not sure what the criteria are)

Basically the way it's worked since it's been implemented is that one should try to mount it where its the least intrusive, but if that's not an option in order to get it to work, then you can mount it anywhere.

This issue has already been rehashed thousands of time by HOA (home owner associations) in the burbs where they tried to restrict people from putting a satellite dish on their roof, and the HOA tried to stop them.
This has a similar ring to it. Hopefully it'll put some of the lazy/shoddy installers on notice to put some effort into mounting it higher/out of sight, but don't hold your breath.

**raider.adam** · 09-22-2011, 05:22 PM

If they want to fix eyesores in Philadelphia, start making people fix their sidewalks. Or sell off vacant land and condemned buildings.

Seriously, of all the things that bother the eyes in Philadelphia, satellite dishes are so far down the list... Plus, some places are just as annoying with all the phone and cable lines.

Dishes already on the front of single-family homes could stay put. But owners or renters of those properties would have to register their dishes with the Department of Licenses and Inspections to prove they were there before the legislation took effect.

So in other words, find a buddy at L&I and slip them $50 for a waiver.

**raider.adam** · 09-22-2011, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by DavidT

Basically the FCC rules work something like this
- If you can only get line of sight to the satellite from the front side of your house, you're allowed to mount it there
- If mounting it on the roof will require significant cost (e.g. some contraption that cost $$$), you don't have to put it on the roof if the front is available. (Not sure what the criteria are)

Basically the way it's worked since it's been implemented is that one should try to mount it where its the least intrusive, but if that's not an option in order to get it to work, then you can mount it anywhere.

This issue has already been rehashed thousands of time by HOA (home owner associations) in the burbs where they tried to restrict people from putting a satellite dish on their roof, and the HOA tried to stop them.
This has a similar ring to it. Hopefully it'll put some of the lazy/shoddy installers on notice to put some effort into mounting it higher/out of sight, but don't hold your breath.

Yeah, Clarke thinks he is being slick by not outright banning them on the front of the house, but hoping it slips by legally by just making them paint it.

**hammersklavier** · 09-22-2011, 09:02 PM

Couldn't the paint mess with the reception? And mightn't painting them invalidate the warranty?

**StrangeTanks** · 09-22-2011, 09:04 PM

Wow, I guess every other problem in Philly has been solved. We're on to eliminating these most vile of quality of life issues.

**gren** · 09-23-2011, 07:04 AM

Originally Posted by DavidT

Basically the FCC rules work something like this
- If you can only get line of sight to the satellite from the front side of your house, you're allowed to mount it there
- If mounting it on the roof will require significant cost (e.g. some contraption that cost $$$), you don't have to put it on the roof if the front is available. (Not sure what the criteria are)

Basically the way it's worked since it's been implemented is that one should try to mount it where its the least intrusive, but if that's not an option in order to get it to work, then you can mount it anywhere.

This issue has already been rehashed thousands of time by HOA (home owner associations) in the burbs where they tried to restrict people from putting a satellite dish on their roof, and the HOA tried to stop them.
This has a similar ring to it. Hopefully it'll put some of the lazy/shoddy installers on notice to put some effort into mounting it higher/out of sight, but don't hold your breath.

I understand all of that in the suburban or front yard context. But if the front of your house is your property line I don't see how the FCC can say you are allowed to put it off of your own property. All of those rules only apply if it's hanging on my property, right? The city might have a hard time since they allow other encroachments like window boxes etc. But that wouldn't be an FCC issue, would it?

**brandywine** · 09-23-2011, 07:57 AM

Everytime Clarke introduces legislation, I wonder who will benefit? I suspect that one of his buds has a satellite dish painting business. Nothing he does is what it looks like on the surface, there is always...always something behind the curtain.

Although I hate to see dishes slapped on the fronts of buildings, Raider Adam made a good point.......there are other things the King of all Poverty Pimps could do the improve his distrcit. Keepin 'em poor, dumb & dependent is a proven political strategy for this boob.