Abu Dhabi already has tough rules on satellite dishes which state that a maximum of four may be mounted on the Emirate’s roofs. The capital city’s administration has now called on residents to remove satellite dishes that clutter up building roofs and apartment balconies.

Abu Dhabi’s The Nation newspaper quotes Ahmed Al Mazroui, the director of the external centres department at the municipality, said satellite dishes that were distributed randomly on top of buildings and homes distorted the general appearance of the city, especially with wires left hanging from the buildings’ facades.

These dishes and wires were a risk to public safety since no regular maintenance work was carried out on them and they also made it difficult to clean rooftops on a regular basis. They were also an obstruction in case of an emergency.

The rules have been in place since 2012, but one of the problems argued by residents is that local cable and DSL services are expensive, while viewing satellite TV is generally free, or low cost if the viewer is watching signals from India.

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Categories: Blogs, Inside Satellite, Policy, Regulation