Hazleton, Pennsylvania, a satellite dish inspection ordinance is now in effect, and the city’s code enforcement office is experiencing a flow of citizens registering their newly installed dishes for inspection.
The $10 inspection fee covers new installations as well as existing dishes that are moved to a new location. The ordinance also mandates removal of old dishes that are no longer in service and establishes a $100 penalty for violations.
Mayor Lou Barletta said early indications suggest the ordinance is working well.
“It’s going well. We’ve had quite a few people come in for dish inspections,” Barletta said.
Code Enforcement Officer Richard Wech said approximately 15 citizens have come into the Office of Permits and Licenses to register new dishes for inspection in the three weeks since council approved the ordinance on Feb. 24.
“I had nine last week. I had five or six before that,” Wech said.
Barletta said the ordinance was developed out of concern for the safety of pedestrians and others after City Hall received numerous complaints regarding improperly installed dishes that hang precariously over sidewalks, dangle from utility poles, and crowd rooftops with multiple abandoned dishes.
Prior to its adoption, the ordinance was criticized by local representatives of satellite TV companies who claimed the ordinance is a violation of Rule 47 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which prohibits restrictions on the installation, maintenance or use of TV satellite dishes. They also claimed the $10 fee is unreasonable.
Barletta countered that the fee is neither a tax nor a franchise fee and is necessary to cover the cost of safety code inspection.
City solicitor Christopher Slusser said the ordinance is not in conflict with federal law.
According to Wech, the 15 inspections he conducted since the ordinance went into effect have all been new dish installations.
“All were done professionally by DN or DTV. None of them were done by someone who … bought a dish and installed it themselves,” Wech said.
The inspection is a simple visual review to confirm that the dish is securely attached to the structure in a safe location.
“I look at them to see that they’re not hanging out over the sidewalk or neighboring property,” Wech said.
None of the new inspections were for relocated dishes, Wech said, noting that it is more difficult to identify an existing dish that has been moved to a new location.
“There are so many dishes in the city it’s almost impossible to tell (when one is re-located),” Wech said.
According to Barletta, the city will depend on citizen reports or complaints about relocated or abandoned dishes to address those violations.
To date, Wech said the inspection process has been smooth and residential cooperation has been positive.
“We’ve been pretty good with it and people have been pretty good with coming in for permits,” Wech said.
Barletta said he expects most people to cooperate with the new law.
“Most people will. But like anything, there will be those that cheat,” the mayor said.