Advanced Television

Belarus bans sat-dishes

May 23, 2013

Home owners in Belarus can no longer install satellite dishes.  The Belarusian Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on May 16th stating that the rules also apply to residents of apartment buildings who must obtain permission from local executive committees for installing satellite dishes (and air conditioner units) on the facades or roofs of their houses, the Belapan news agency stated on May 21st and BBC Monitoring reported.

Even if the installation of a satellite dish or air conditioner is permitted, people are still required to have their design approved by the local authorities, the agency said. People who had such equipment installed before the directive’s entry into force are required to seek retroactive permission for that. If they fail to obtain such permission, the equipment could be dismantled at their expense, Belapan said.

The head of news programmes of the opposition Poland-based Belsat TV channel, Alyaksey Dzikavitski, has said that the resolution is aimed against his TV channel, the pro-opposition Charter-97 website reported on May 21st.

“Similar restrictions were already introduced in 2007, but now they have been toughened. A person will have to obtain permission from the authorities, draft project documents and then hire a company that installs satellite dishes. It is likely that only a few people will do what the Belarusian bureaucratic system suggests. Of course, this is seen as a blow to Belsat, because we broadcast via a satellite,” the website quoted the journalist as saying.

The website emphasized that the new rules do not allow people to install satellite dishes on their own.

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