Satellite TV to be banned in apartment blocks in Belarus

People living in apartment blocks will not be able to watch satellite television.

In accordance with the ruling on the terms and procedures of mounting individual antennas and other devices on the roofs and facades of apartment blocks released by the Council of Ministers on May 16, 2013, individuals and legal entities will be prohibited from installing satellite equipment.

To mount a satellite dish an individual (or a legal entity) must apply to the local authorities for permission and prepare project documentation, AFN news agency reports.

“Mounting engineering equipment on the roofs and facades of apartment blocks shall be permitted only after getting permission from the local executive and regulatory body in compliance with the project documentation,” the ruling says.

In other words, people will have to file a pile of documents to the local executive committee and agree on the time when representatives of the authorities can visit the flat and the roof.

“An inspection report containing information about the technical state of the facade or the roof shall be made after inspection of the facade (the outside wall of the residential and/or non-residential building) or the roof of the apartment block (depending on the place of mounting the engineering equipment),” the ruling says.

The local authorities have a month to permit or forbid mounting a satellite dish. If permission is obtained, a project documentation development contractor submits the project to the local executive and regulatory body for consideration.

An individual receives the project and signs a contract on mounting the equipment. Unauthorised installation of engineering equipment is forbidden. It's worth noting that apart from being long and tiring, the process of receiving permission is rather expensive.