Yes, you can put up that antenna
— -- Question: The homeowners' association in my "planned community" does not allow rooftop TV antennas. What are my options?
Answer: You should point the management of your HOA to a lengthy document on the Federal Communications Commission's website titled "Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule." And then politely tell those people to stuff it.
This rule — written to enforce a provision of the Telecommunications Act of 1996— is neither new nor hard to interpret.
Since October 1996, it has banned "restrictions that impair the installation, maintenance or use of antennas used to receive video programming." The FCC has since extended it to protect the right of renters to set up antennas within areas they control, such as balconies or porches, and to cover wireless-broadband receivers.
Yet I still sometimes hear from readers who say their homeowners association or condo or coop board won't let them park a TV antenna or satellite dish on a roof or balcony. These restrictions often leave viewers handcuffed to a single vendor, the local cable operator, for TV service.
(People living in or near a city can often receive local broadcasts with an indoor antenna — I've been doing that since 2009 just outside of Washington — but those farther afield will usually need an outdoor antenna.)
Should your home's quasi-governing body be among those still confused, you can comfort its leadership with the knowledge that they can still prohibit satellite dishes larger than one meter wide (except in Alaska) and TV antenna masts that reach higher than 12 feet above a roofline. The FCC also allows antenna bans for safety or narrowly-defined historic-preservation rules.
If a building has one central antenna positioned for everybody's use — and which would provide reception as good as an individual model in one person's abode — its management can also block residents from setting up their own.
But everything else, from requests to wait while the FCC reviews your HOA's petition to "unreasonable" advance-notification requirements or permitting fees, amounts to nothing but static in the ears of the law.
The FCC's note ends by advising frustrated viewers to call the commission for assistance: 888-CALL FCC (888-225-5322).
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Tip: "HDMI CEC" can stop remote-control pollution
If you've connected an HDTV with other audio and video devices using HDMI ("High-Definition Multimedia Interface") cables, you're getting the best possible picture and sound and eliminating the clutter of separate audio and video cables.
(You do know not to pay extra for name-brand HDMI cables, right? Like any other digital connectors, either these work perfectly or not at all. I've had zero issues with generic cables bought for $2 or $3 a pop at sites like monoprice.com.)
Your HDMI cables may also reduce the number of power buttons you have to tap to enjoy your home-theater setup. Check to see if your TV, cable or satellite box, Blu-ray player, receiver or other living-room device includes an option for "HDMI CEC" in its settings. It may go by another name; Samsung, for example, calls this feature " Anynet+," Sony uses the terms " Bravia Sync" and "Control for HDMI," LG has named it " SimpLink" and Panasonic labels it " EZ Sync."
You're not guaranteed to have everything sync up via CEC, short for Consumer Electronics Control; just as with allegedly-universal remote controls, it can help to have your hardware come from the same manufacturer. But with some luck, activating this option on all of your devices will then allow one to signal another about its status and request appropriate action.
In our living room, for example, turning on our Blu-ray player automatically switches our audio/video receiver to the right input and boots up the TV as well. But it's still up to us to pop in the disc and make any popcorn.
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Rob Pegoraro is a tech writer based out of Washington, D.C. To submit a tech question, e-mail Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/robpegoraro.
