New apartment developments' disappearing TV choices

What happens when you've bought an apartment in a block which has an 'exclusive' TV supply deal with a company you didn't want? Worse, when the TV picture freezes and pixellates every 15 minutes? That's the situation facing angry residents in one new apartment development in Finglas, Prospect Hill. The developer signed a monopoly provision deal with Smart Telecom. But residents aren't exactly chuffed with the service and have been complaining in their droves.
Tough luck, though -- they're stuck with them. NTL? They're not 'allowed' lay cable into the property. Sky dishes? Not 'allowed' on the balconies.
One curious by-product of these local monopoly deals -- and it's also the likes of Magnet and NTL which are signing them -- is the gradual dissolution of Eircom's universal service obligation (USO). If a developer signs a monopoly deal with a rival telecoms company, and Eircom 'isn't allowed' on the premises, where does that leave the consumer's USO rights? This affects thousands of people in the greater Dublin area.

Comments

[Evert]

It's plainly unbelievable that people are willing to pay inconceivable high prices for property to than also accept this kind of rubbish from the developer. It's just blatant greed and to be quite honest I would love to hear a legal opinion on this subject.
What's next? The developer signing an exclusive deal with a major supermarket?

On the other hand there are ways around this. IPTV can be brought into a development like this quite easily, wether it is cabled or through wireless. Using the Ruckus units that we distribute you can then distribute this signal throughout the complex with no need for cables, dishes or any other nonsense like that.

If any of the residents read this and want to know more they can contact me directly (/end blatant plug)...

E.

[Antoin O Lachtnain]

How are they doing this contractually? Is it in the lease or what?