An ordinance approved by the Philadelphia City Council placing controls...
An ordinance approved by the Philadelphia City Council placing controls on satellite dishes and antennas is necessary because of the “uncontrolled proliferation” of both “in haphazard fashion throughout our neighborhoods,” the city said in a non-docketed filing at the FCC.…
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The city responded to a Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association petition asking the FCC to rule on whether Philadelphia’s antenna law is preempted by the commission’s over-the-air reception devices rule. The city’s ordinance limits installation of antennas to the area between the street and a building’s facade. “We believe that the City has crafted rules that will work for the benefit of our community, within the bonds of federal restrictions,” the city said. “The Commission should uphold this ordinance as a lawful exercise of traditional local government powers.” The council approved the ordinance in part because of historical preservation and public safety concerns, “but it also addresses broader and equally legitimate local government concerns of protecting and fostering viable communities, whose residents obviously care about their surroundings,” the city said.