Can I Buy Satellite Internet if I Live in an Apartment?
People who live in apartments, townhomes, etc. run by a property management company, managed by an HOA, or governed by a covenant may be able to buy satellite Internet service. The orientation of your residence and other rules may affect whether you can access satellite Internet. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has adopted rules to protect apartment dwellers who want to install an antenna.
“Restrictions that impair the installation, maintenance, or use of antennas used to receive video programming”* are prohibited according to the FCC. The rule goes on to explain that two-way satellite Internet dishes are included under this rule.
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Know the Meaning of Exclusive Use
Areas of your property that you do not share, like the patio and deck, are considered by the FCC to be exclusively yours, and so you may install Internet satellite there. It’s because you use this area to the exclusion of other residents that makes this possible.
Don’t question exclusive use just because your apartment management company can come into your apartment for repairs and can enforce rules such as no barbecue grills on patios. They still cannot prevent you from having a satellite dish. But according to the FCC that doesn’t matter. Your patio or deck attached to your unit is exclusive. You can install a satellite dish on your deck or patio and take advantage of high speed satellite Internet availability.
Understanding Common Areas
HOAs or property management companies can prohibit the installation of satellite dishes in common areas (roofs, common yards, etc.) Neither may you drill holes in shared or exterior walls to run cable for satellite dishes. These areas and walls are considered common areas. Finally, the rule does not include any installation that extends from an exclusive-use area into a common area. Make sure that your high speed satellite Internet access can be obtained by keeping the satellite dish on your property.
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Exclusive-Use Property Must Face South
If your patio, deck, or other exclusive property does not face south, you may not be able to access high-speed satellite Internet, no matter what FCC policies state. This is because the Internet satellite dish must face south in order to communicate with the orbiting satellite.
*http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
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