Boston Considering Ordinance Banning TV Satellite Dishes

"Quick. How can you tell which way is south in Boston? Answer: Just look up to see what direction everybody's satellite TV dishes are pointed.

The proliferation of satellite television from companies like DirectTV and EchoStar has some city councilors here considering an ordinance to minimize the visibility of the dishes in the name of preserving the historic charm of neighborhoods.

Installers often forego roofs and backs of buildings, opting to bolt the receivers near windows facing streets. Rather than reusing or dismantling older dishes, companies usually tack on another dish for each new customer in an apartment. The result, as seen in photos at a city council meeting Friday, are mutliplexes that begin to look like the Star Ship Enterprise.

Beantown is the first major city to take on the issue, but it's unlikely to be the last, as gentrifying urban areas grow more sensitive to property values, and as the dishes accumulate with renter turnover. Less clear is whether federal rules allow municipal governments much leeway to regulate the matter."