Hi everyone,
I have a question regarding Spectrum and how they handle competing providers. I live in an apartment complex and chose to get Dish Network tv service. Our complex deals with Spectrum and Dish Network only, and the dishes are already installed. All it takes is work through the cable box outside to switch stuff over from one to the other.
I paid for Dish service last Monday and scheduled an appointment for install today. The box outside our complex is owned by Spectrum (or so Spectrum says), and they put a lock on the box. Only they have a key to the box, and when my landlord requested they come out to unlock the box so the Dish Network guy could do my install, they refused. According to her, the guy asked why he should send out one of his techs to unlock a box for a competing tech to get into and start service. From what I could gather law-wise, the people who own this property own the wiring within the building, which starts inside that box. I read an FCC regulation that said no provider can impede or prevent a competitor from providing service to a MDU, including denying access to any part of the MDU property. I would think refusing to unlock a box only Spectrum has a key to qualifies as prevention of competitor service.
I was finally able to get Spectrum to send a tech this Friday to unlock the box, but Dish didn't have any open appointments until Saturday afternoon. I doubt I could convince the Spectrum guy to keep the box unlocked for two days, or even leave the key with my landlord until Dish Network is finished with the install. My question is can Spectrum lock this cable box and deny the property owners access to their own internal wiring, or is what they are doing illegal? My landlord told me that if I could find a law or something concrete that states they can't do that, she could get authority to cut the lock off without Spectrum's permission. Yes they own the box and the external wiring in the box, but the owner of my property owns the internal wiring, which they can't access because Spectrum won't allow it. Even Spectrum's Terms of Service state internal wiring is the property of the MDU property owner. Is there a law or something concrete that I can show her where she can cut the lock without worry of legal action, and if so, where can I find it? I paid for Dish service on June 12th, and still haven't gotten service because Spectrum wants to basically bully my landlord.
Thanks for any possible help with this matter.
Ryan
I have a question regarding Spectrum and how they handle competing providers. I live in an apartment complex and chose to get Dish Network tv service. Our complex deals with Spectrum and Dish Network only, and the dishes are already installed. All it takes is work through the cable box outside to switch stuff over from one to the other.
I paid for Dish service last Monday and scheduled an appointment for install today. The box outside our complex is owned by Spectrum (or so Spectrum says), and they put a lock on the box. Only they have a key to the box, and when my landlord requested they come out to unlock the box so the Dish Network guy could do my install, they refused. According to her, the guy asked why he should send out one of his techs to unlock a box for a competing tech to get into and start service. From what I could gather law-wise, the people who own this property own the wiring within the building, which starts inside that box. I read an FCC regulation that said no provider can impede or prevent a competitor from providing service to a MDU, including denying access to any part of the MDU property. I would think refusing to unlock a box only Spectrum has a key to qualifies as prevention of competitor service.
I was finally able to get Spectrum to send a tech this Friday to unlock the box, but Dish didn't have any open appointments until Saturday afternoon. I doubt I could convince the Spectrum guy to keep the box unlocked for two days, or even leave the key with my landlord until Dish Network is finished with the install. My question is can Spectrum lock this cable box and deny the property owners access to their own internal wiring, or is what they are doing illegal? My landlord told me that if I could find a law or something concrete that states they can't do that, she could get authority to cut the lock off without Spectrum's permission. Yes they own the box and the external wiring in the box, but the owner of my property owns the internal wiring, which they can't access because Spectrum won't allow it. Even Spectrum's Terms of Service state internal wiring is the property of the MDU property owner. Is there a law or something concrete that I can show her where she can cut the lock without worry of legal action, and if so, where can I find it? I paid for Dish service on June 12th, and still haven't gotten service because Spectrum wants to basically bully my landlord.
Thanks for any possible help with this matter.
Ryan
