[May 18, 2013] Let them do the dishes Tweet May 18, 2013 (Boston Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A Federal Communications Commission watchdog is urging the regulator to immediately rule on the legality of an almost year-old Boston ordinance governing satellite dishes on residential buildings. Boston's ordinance --designed not only to limit where satellite dishes could be placed, but also to require their removal when no longer in use -- was blocked by the FCC almost immediately after it was passed. That's left the city unable to regulate the dishes, except in historic neighborhoods such as Back Bay and Beacon Hill, which have special protections against them being visible from public ways. The Intergovernmental Advisory Committee said the lengthy period of FCC inaction -- what's now been an 11-month suspension of Boston's regulations passed last June -- is inappropriate, especially absent any legal justification. The FCC's blocking of the ordinance was prompted by a challenge from the Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association, which has stalled similar ordinances in Philadelphia (for almost 18 months) and Chicago. The industry trade group, DIRECTV and DISH Network also want the FCC to limit city and local government placement restrictions on so-called "over-the-air reception devices" in favor of the rights of property owners and homeowner associations. Rulings on all three city ordinances should be a high priority for the FCC, and local governments should have authority over zoning issues, said Joyce Dickerson, chairwoman of the IAC, which was created to give guidance to the FCC on matters of importance to state, local and tribal governments. "We want them to take action as quickly as possible," Dickerson said. "It's been going on for some time. We think it should be up to the local government to have more of a say about how this takes place." An FCC spokeswoman would only acknowledge that the matter is before the commission. "It's frustrating on a couple of levels," said Mike Lynch, director of the city's cable office. "We thought it was a reasonable ordinance. It does not in any way limit or inhibit satellite customers in the city. The main focus really was to try to get control of the abandoned dishes that you often find on homes, particularly rental units." The city has contacted the FCC about the issue five times in the last year, but received no response, according to Lynch. City Councilor Sal LaMattina sponsored the ordinance to help clean up his East Boston community. "When you're driving through Saratoga Street in East Boston, and you have eight satellite dishes on the front of the face on one building, it's a quality of life issue," he said. "Some of them aren't even functioning. It's very frustrating because more and more of them are going up, and more and more of them stay." ___ (c)2013 the Boston Herald Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]