Dave Platt wrote:
Unfortunatly, I can't mount an outdoor antenna. I rent,
and the landlord won't allow it.
Isn't there a federal law allowing TV antennas?
Or did you sign a personal contract agreeing
not to install a TV antenna?

The OTARD rule (to which you're referring) allows installation of an
over-the-air TV antenna, but it only applies if the antenna is
installed in an area which is exclusively for the tenant's use.

People who rent houses are usually able to take advantage of it.
Apartment dwellers often can't, because they aren't renting the whole
building and thus don't have "exclusive use" rights to the roof or
exterior.


It's considerably more subtle than that, since there are large
commercial interests at play (unlike for ham antennas)..

Go to the FCC OTARD page and get the real scoop.
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

As a practical matter, the courts/adminstrative law judges have held
that the landlord's control does not cover, for instance, the air space
outside your window, so if you can mount the antenna within the window's
dimensions(either inside or outside), you're good to go. It is ok for
the landlord to prohibit, say, attaching to the wall outside, though.
Whether the window frame itself is "under your control" is another question.