How to refuse a television antenna in an apartment in 2021?

Each city apartment has a cable connected to a common antenna, which is installed on the roof.

This antenna provides a signal to the televisions, and residents can enjoy watching a certain package of channels. The number of channels and the cost of cable television vary in the regions of the Russian Federation.

Payment for this service is usually included in the cost of utility bills. But in recent years, more and more residents want to turn off this expense item and abandon the collective antenna.

But how to do that? Just unplug the cable from the TV? The channels, of course, will disappear, but payments will still come. Next, we’ll talk about how to turn off the television antenna in an apartment in 2021.

Who maintains the collective antenna

The equipment belongs to common property. Therefore, the service organization (MC) or the residents' association (HOA) is responsible for it. Of course, among their ranks there are no specialists who know the technical features of the device. Therefore, the role of the management company is reduced to mediation between consumers and the service provider, for example, Rostelecom.

Antenna maintenance in an apartment building can be carried out directly without the participation of management organizations. In this case, residents will receive a separate payment for television broadcasting. To refuse a service, it is important to understand where to go. You can find out who services the television antenna at the address in different ways (see below).

Problems with collective connection

In modern conditions, communal equipment for receiving a television signal loses its meaning. The quality of collective antennas from Rostelecom or other companies is noticeably inferior to standard individual packages or even a regular signal receiver, which can be bought for little money along with a TV. Collective equipment has many problems:

• fewer channels;
• more accidents;
• you have to pay for it;
• The antenna is connected automatically when purchasing a home, and in order to refuse it, you have to perform certain actions.

People most often do not use the equipment, but continue to pay a subscription fee for it. Or they refuse to pay. Because of this, debts accumulate with all the ensuing problems.

Is it legal to charge a fee?

The service is optional. You can always refuse it by submitting an appropriate application. Therefore, from the point of view of the law, automatic connection of all residents is not an imposition of service. However, it is worth remembering that refusing to actually use the antenna does not remove the obligation to pay for it. The fee is charged specifically for connecting and providing access to broadcasting. Therefore, in utility bills the cost of the antenna is indicated on grounds that are understandable from the point of view of the law.

Disconnection algorithm through State Services

In order to be able to disconnect from a collective antenna through the State Services portal, the organization providing this service must be in a single register. Since Rostelecom is included there, you can disconnect from the service online.

Having determined that the shutdown will take place remotely, you need to perform the following steps:

1. First of all, you need to log into the portal by filling out your account information. It is important to have registration, otherwise nothing will be done. In any case, upon initial login you will have to register and create a personal account. Login is possible through any browser.
2. On the main page of the portal, you should find the search bar and enter the sentence “disabling your home antenna” into it.
3. The requested tab opens to the user, and a questionnaire is located on it. It will need to be filled out, but it will first be downloaded to the user’s PC. After filling it out, it is loaded into a special program. The form is standard, you don’t need to look for anything else. Filling out the form is simple, the system gives hints. In fact, all that the subscriber must fill out is the reason for refusing the service to provide a collective antenna.
4. In order for the service to be disabled, you will have to pay 60 rubles. This can be done immediately on the portal; a receipt is generated automatically and displayed to the user. There are two options for paying a receipt - Internet banking or an electronic wallet of any payment system. After payment, the receipt is uploaded to the portal in the same way as the previously completed application form.
5. Finally, you should check everything and submit your application. After it is submitted for consideration, you will need to wait for some time. The answer comes in the form of a notification to the personal account of the State Services portal.

Applying for 2021

There is no single correct form of document. The application is drawn up randomly. However, it should include important information:

• name of the organization whose employees the applicant is applying to;
• Full name of the owner who wants to give up the antenna;
• registration address directly on the living space that needs to be disconnected from antenna television broadcasting;
• a note indicating that there are no debts on the subscription fee is indicated;
• the applicant's immediate request is written down - to turn off the TV antenna.

The document must be signed and contain the date of preparation. An application to disconnect the Rostelecom antenna may take several days to be considered. The applicant will be notified of the decision.

Disconnection problems

Sometimes difficulties arise when performing this procedure. This happens for several reasons:

1. Inaccuracy in filling out the application, the absence of some data in it, or the submission of false information.
2. Existence of debt for the provision of television broadcasting services.
3. Lack of timely payment of state fees.
4. A citizen who tries to turn off a collective antenna is not the owner of the apartment. Only the person who is the real owner of the apartment can make such decisions.

In order for the service to be completed successfully, you must fix the problem and try everything again.

Service company

Since collective television antennas are part of an apartment building, they are essentially common property and their maintenance is usually carried out by management companies or HOAs. But usually the provider is a local telecom and telecommunications service operator with whom an agreement has been signed to provide the service. If the equipment stops functioning, then this company must restore its functionality. Before filing a refusal, it is necessary to clarify which organization maintains the public antenna.

MTS cable TV packages

When connecting to MTS digital cable television, the user can choose one of two main tariffs. You can add a number of additional ones to get access to more films and shows.

Basic

The main MTS cable television tariffs are called “Basic” and “Optimal”.

Monthly subscription cost:

• Basic – 160 rubles/month;
• Optimal - 120 rubles per month.

Prices are relevant for Moscow and the Moscow region.

The basic package provides access to 138 TV channels, including 22 in high definition. To this tariff, the subscriber can connect additional packages and order individual channels in the Personal Account.

The “Optimal” tariff includes 89 TV channels, including 10 in high definition.

Having decided to connect cable television, the user can immediately select the desired tariff. You can change it later in the Communications Salon or in your Personal Account on the company website.

Additional

Having chosen a basic tariff on MTS digital television, the user can add additional packages to it. The cost of connection is free; on the 25th of each month the subscription fee for using the package is charged.

Contacts Rostelecom

If you have any additional questions or don’t know where the nearest office is located, you can contact the specialists directly. This can be done by phone or through technical support on the official website:

• hotline: 8 (800) 1000800 - throughout Russia;
• all sales offices are located on a convenient interactive map at: //rt.ru/sale-office;
• The official website ( //rt.ru ) provides a special feedback form.

Why do they refuse the service?

In accordance with current television and radio broadcasting standards, telecom operators and providers currently do not install public antennas, which are obsolete equipment, but only continue to operate existing ones. Persons wishing to file a refusal can write an application directly at the company’s office or via the Internet.

If the client contacts one of the local telecom operators and telecommunications services for the first time, he will be offered to connect to digital television, for which he will only need to purchase a small set-top box.

Help: Users connected to a fixed antenna are required to pay for it monthly. Regardless of whether the subscriber uses it or not, payments should be made regularly, unless an official refusal is issued.

Users highlight the following disadvantages of a common house antenna:

• a small number of TV channels;
• inability to sort videos;
• the image quality is significantly lower than that of cable television;
• Uncomfortable navigation, inability to rewind video.

The line for payment for a common house TV antenna is included in the general receipt for utility bills. Sometimes the company servicing the antenna sends separate payments.

Advantages of Rostelecom

Cooperation with Rostelecom guarantees many advantages:

1. Excellent value for money at reasonable prices. In addition, there is always the right to choose: the subscriber chooses only those services that he will use.
2. Stable operation and reliability of equipment.
3. Free access to some instant messengers and social networks.
4. The benefits go to those subscribers who simultaneously connect to a full package of services: television, home telephone and Internet.
5. Constant availability of bonus programs and promotions.
6. The presence of a functional personal account, in which you can independently select the necessary functions and disable those that are no longer relevant. Also, at any time here you can change the tariff plan and study in detail the parameters of the already established tariff. If desired, you can install parental controls, antivirus, Office 365 and Yandex. Disk. Using your personal account, you can block your home Internet and change your home phone tariff plan (or block it as unnecessary). All this is done independently without prior agreement with the operator.
7. There are advantages for corporate clients, since Rostelecom provides cellular communication services. But for this you need to use some other services from this company.
8. Rostelecom coverage area. This includes almost every region of Russia, there are 65 in total.

Obtaining a detailed report will allow you to determine how traffic from Rostelecom was used for a certain period.

How to pay less for utilities

Yes, with a few simple steps you can significantly reduce your utility costs. For example, install meters, use energy-saving lamps, check what services you pay for without actually receiving them.

If you are a citizen of Russia, Belarus or Kyrgyzstan, you have permanent registration in Moscow and more than 10% of your family’s total income goes to pay for housing and communal services, and the income itself does not exceed the level established for receiving a subsidy, you can qualify for compensation for part of your expenses for housing and communal services . You can find out more about how to receive a subsidy for housing and communal services in our instructions.

You can also get advice, clarify the list of required documents and submit documents to receive a subsidy at.

If it is technically impossible to install meters in your apartment and you have been away for more than five full days, you can request a recalculation of your utility bills from or from your management company, depending on who sends you the utility bill. To recalculate you will need:

• an inspection report confirming that meters cannot be installed in your apartment;
• a document confirming your absence;
• a statement that you can write at an appointment with or at your management company.

You can read more about how to make a recalculation in our instructions.

• water meters will allow you to pay only for the water you used, and, for example, not pay for hot water when it is turned off in the summer to prevent pipes;
• Make sure you have a multi-tariff electricity meter. With it, you will be able to pay for electricity at reduced rates during the half-peak zone (from 10:00 to 17:00; 21:00–23:00) and night zone (from 23:00 to 07:00);
• General house heat meters should be installed in all residential buildings, if technically possible. If, in addition to such a meter, you install regulators on the radiators in the apartment, then in winter you will be able to set a comfortable temperature in the apartment not with the help of an open window, but with the help of these regulators, thus saving heat. Do not cover radiators with screens, furniture, or thick curtains so that heat can spread unhindered in the room. Do not leave windows and doors in hallways open. The more heat loss in your home is reduced, the less you will pay. Check with your management company about the possibility of installing regulators. You can find her contacts on the Moscow House portal.