Wheaton blocks new cable boxes

Wheaton believes new city laws will make AT&T's Project Lightspeed move slower than a slug in a grease pan when the company begins to infiltrate the city's borders.

The city council passed new laws Monday night mostly banning the utility boxes that deliver AT&T's new television technology from most residential areas.

Residents in communities throughout the suburbs that already have the utility boxes have complained about their gaudy appearance.

The boxes are 5 feet tall and roughly "the size of a compact car," said City Attorney Jim Knippen.

Councilman Phil Suess was interested in the city's ability to block AT&T from putting a utility box in or near the yard of a private home.

"I think if someone came home and saw one of these things planted in their front yard, they wouldn't be happy," Suess said.

Indeed, the city's new laws prohibit AT&T from placing the utility boxes in front or corner yards of homes and in the public right of way adjacent to such yards.

The only place the boxes may exist in a residential area is in a rear yard or side yard in a special-use district. Even then, AT&T must have, or acquire, an easement from the city or property resident.

The boxes will be allowed in other zoning districts, such as downtown, by applying for an administrative permit from the city.

A new fee on your cable bill

The Wheaton City Council also approved a new law that will at least attempt to charge a 1 percent fee on gross revenues received by Comcast and any cable television providers entering the Wheaton market.

The fee would be used only for capital expenses incurred by the city's cable access channel.

City officials did recognize that the imposition of the fee would likely be passed on to cable television customers on their bills. The fee may also be challenged in court and prove difficult to collect, city staff said.