Hold the Phone (Lines) Says Apartment Owners by Lew Sichelman
Intent on keeping a valuable stream of revenue all to themselves, apartment owners and managers are going to Congress to keep from being forced to open their buildings to telecommunications companies. Specifically, an 11-member industry group known as the Real Access Alliance says it intends to "vigorously oppose" telecom industry proposals that would require private real estate owners to provide unlimited, uncontrolled and free access to service providers. The Federal Communication Commission has already ruled that renters should be permitted to install individual satellite dishes of one meter or less in diameter within their leased premises with prior approval of the owner. And the agency, along with several federal lawmakers and some state legislators and regulators, is now seeking even broader access. But the National Multi-Housing Council and the National Apartment Association maintain that the free market is already working to ensure tenant access to advanced telecommunication services. "Forced approaches," they also argue, "more often than not result in higher prices and less competition." The two organizations will take their case to Congress later this month when they meet for their annual legislative conference. They also will advocate a better balance in the nation's housing policy between the rental and for sale sector. "For a variety of reasons, we are seeing a growing number of households who could afford to buy homes instead renting apartments," said Clarine Nardi Riddle, senior vice president of government affairs for the two groups. "In fact, in 1998 and 1999, the fastest growing segment of renters was households making $50,000 or more a year. As apartments become an increasingly desirable alternative to single-family houses, we need state and local policies that better reflect these general lifestyle changes." Other major issues on the apartment industry's agenda include: Bankruptcy reform: For five years, landlords have been working to change a portion of the code which allows renters who file for bankruptcy to remain in their apartments rent-free for months. Both the House and Senate have passed bills that would end the practice, and NMHC/NAA will be working to ensure that the provision remains in the compromise measure that eventually will be sent to the White House. Accessibility: The industry is hoping to speed up the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Justice Department's review of model building codes for accessibility compliance, and will be working to eliminate ambiguities in HUD rules that it says have created widespread confusion and inadvertent non-compliance. Lead-based paint: Conference attendees will urge their elected representatives to support reforms in existing regulations that create a more cost-effective way to implement the law banning lead-based paint. They also want to stave off what the industry says are new, more onerous rules that will only serve to drive up rents. | 
