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Sal LaMattina dishes it out in East Boston
By adamg on Wed, 02/22/2012 - 12:06pm
City Councilor Sal LaMattina wants to slap some sense into Dish Network: Either they voluntarily clean up the eyesore East Boston has become with their goddamned satellite dishes haphazardly hanging everywhere or he'll introduce an ordinance to make them try to install the dishes somewhere other than the front of buildings across the city, the East Boston Times-Free Press reports. Apparently, the company was on the verge of joining a pilot program to de-uglify the neighborhood when Philadelphia moved to ban dishes from the fronts of residences and now the company is refusing to do anything at all until the FCC rules on the matter.
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Comments
Ditch the Dish!
Well, that's just great news! Let's see if our local leaders like Sal can pry their eyes off of the dishes, and down to the walls and gutters around East Boston too. Used to be they'd blame snowfall for the ungodly amount of trash in the streets in between "street cleaning" seasons. But, we haven't had any snow - never the less the streets are strewn with trash. Also, as usual, as fewer people are out at night our local "graffiti artists" have been at work on their craft, tagging buildings and anything else that doesn't move before they leave their signature. Get rid of the dishes for sure, but trash in the streets has been a problem since before satellite TV was even invented.
Snowfall and street cleaning
Just because there isn't any snow, that doesn't change the street cleaning schedule automatically. People have to start moving their cars again, and that requires getting a notice out.
Many neighborhoods, not just East Boston, have been complaining about the trash. It's been especially visible this year due to lack of snow. I think some areas are going to start street cleaning early, and they may have already sent out cleaners to some spots to do what they could do.
A lot of it has to do with
A lot of it has to do with pickers coming in on trash night and ripping open the trash bags then the wind blows it all over the place. If you can, try putting your trash and recycling out the morning of trash day rather than the night before. Pickers will have a lot less time to rummage through your garbage and get it all over the place.
Blight!
No doubt LaMattina will then do something about those horrible thick black wires and the ugly wooden poles that support them. Oh, and those garish big steel wheeled boxes that litter the streets...
Satellite dishes are no big deal
I don't see what the big deal is about satellite dishes. They're not really that obtrusive, offensive or that much of an eyesore. I live in East Boston and I can think of a lot worse things to look at here than satellite dishes.
Huh?
So you live in East Boston (Massachusetts) and dont find them obtrusive, offensive or that much of an eyesore? You must either be legally blind, live in East Boston, Texas, or are an ignorant noob. The problem with satellite dishes here is at epidemic levels from a combination of several factors: (a) illegal rooming houses where each "occupant" has their own own separate dish service and receiver; (b) a lack of foreign programming on local cable; (c) absentee landlords/irresponsible industry that do not care what the neighborhood looks like. Bravo to Councilor LaMattina - but don't stop at the dish companies. Next is addressing the problem of overcrowded tenements and rooming houses and the slum lords who allow it.
Cause or symptom?
Your problem is clearly not with satellite dishes or how they look, but rather with the cause of what satellite dishes may be a symptom of.
Satellites pose more than a visual problem.
There is the problem of them drilling hardware into people's property, then being ridiculously difficult to hold accountable.
This happened on our condo property when a former tenant got satellite service. Additionally, a resident in a neighboring property got satellite, and THEIR satellite was mounted to OUR roof. Direct TV provided ZERO assistance in even tracking down the renters, the installers, or that an account even existed. So of course, we were left with the bill for roof repair.
Federal vs. local rules?
Local jurisdictions have limited rights to regulate installation of TV antennas and satellite dishes, per FCC regulations.
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/over-air-reception-devic...
Not sure what the city councilor is proposing is legal.
Pretty sure it's fine: (1)
Pretty sure it's fine:
(1) unreasonably delay or prevent installation, maintenance or use; (2) unreasonably increase the cost of installation, maintenance or use; or
(3) preclude reception of an acceptable quality signal.
Forcing residents and/or installers to place antennas on the roof rather than on a facade does not *unreasonably* delay or prevent or increase the cost of installation and maintenance and will most likely assist with the reception of acceptable quality signal.
Verizon
Why doesn't the City Council grow some balls and talk the Mayor into allowing Verizon to come into the city so we all can go with FIOS?
Ditch the Dish II
Dishes are hideous. There's no doubt about that. If we travel around any town that "looks nice" chances are slim that they'll allow dishes to be "displayed" on the front of houses. In the city, we have the sight of multiple dishes - the modern era's version of the old school antenna on the roof. At LEAST in the old days antennas could be placed more discreetly on the roof. It's good that Sal is trying something, but trying isn't really much more than publicity until the desired result is achieved, which I'll be surprised to see. As for the rest of the mess, the graffiti, the trash blowing through the streets like tumbleweeds in an old western, one could argue the priorities are backwards. At least the Dish is some sign of trade/commerce, etc. The trash and graffiti are just a blight. Tackle 'em all at once, and people might be impressed by government for a change.
dish art
My favorite dish-art area in Boston: Hano st in allston:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=02135&hl=en&ll=42.35...
Our condo association won't
Our condo association won't allow dishes anywhere but back porches. We don't allow roof access to anyone either (only for repairs etc). Nothing says crappy like a dish hanging off a house.
RE East Boston trash: a lot of people who live in East Boston are litter bugs. Do the businesses do their share of sweeping in front of their locations. Don't think so.
Nice neighborhoods look that way because people who live there take care of their property.
You can always tell a shitty neighborhood by taking a drive around garbage day - is the trash neat, covered? Or is it piled in plastic bags & a mess and blowing everywhere?
Nuff said.
Yes, trash day in EB is
Yes, trash day in EB is pretty nasty. The amount of trash that can come out of what looks to be a small residence is amazing - and suspicious. I imagine many of them are illegal apartments (i.e., padlock on every bedroom) that are one extension cord or space heater away from taking out the neighboring structures.
Also, practically no one uses trash barrels... compound that with the litter (seriously, the amount of chicken bones and other food waste strewn about the streets is staggering at times), and we wonder why we have so many skunks.
(And I'm surprised I haven't seen much in the way of roaches, rats or raccoons.)
I grew up in some pretty woody suburbs, and I have never seen so many skunks my life.
This is my
This is my favorite:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=02135&hl=en&ll=42.35...
You can only see it from the intersection, albeit barely, but there are upwards of 14 on this one house. You can see 4 of them stacked on top of one another. It's nasty.
If you try to get closer, it's older imagery, and lo and behold, there are waaaay less than there are now. These things pop up like mushrooms after a rainstorm.
Princeton & Meridian St, East Boston
Oops. Wrong
Oops. Wrong link.
http://g.co/maps/e2r7c