Pay extra for MDU line access?

[dlindsay17]

I've been reading the threads on MDUs (like my apartment). It seems like these setups actually cost MORE than going through DirecTV or a DirecTV reseller -- even though I don't have much of a choice as my apartment is wired up to a central dish. Is it standard for these MDU installers to charge a per-month 'line access' fee of what I think might be as high as $12/month?!

 

[JosephB]

I think that's illegal according to the FCC's rules. If they setup a central antenna they have to give you access to it at a very low cost. I think you could get them to come down off of that price. That comes out to be $144 a year!

 

[ADent]

You don't face south?

You can put up your own dish if you want.

 

[dlindsay17]

You don't face south?

You can put up your own dish if you want.

Don't have a balcony or anything to stick a dish on and the building is all wired up already for this central dish because I guess the last guy who put a dish on the roof put some holes in it and caused some damage. Going through the big communal dish is probably easiest, I just don't know why there's costs associated with it. That $12 extra makes even Adelphia cable cheaper...

Is it true that the FCC deems excessive charges like this illegal?

 

[Hogarth]

Dunno, but when I had directv in an MDU in 1997, I had to pay $7 / mo for receiver lease and access to MDU line.

The installer/MDU provider has to pay for their own multiswitches and stuff -- so they have to make the money back somehow.

 

[JosephB]

tell 'em to stuff the receiver lease and bring your own. Although $5 a month isn't too unreasonable. Thats only $60 a year