Some find AT&T cable boxes in Alameda unsightly - Inside Bay Area

Some find AT&T cable boxes in Alameda unsightly - Inside Bay Area

"Alameda brings in a lot of business because of the charming period houses and associated aesthetics. Homeowners spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore and keep up these houses not just for themselves, but for all of Alameda," said Alameda Avenue resident Pat Payne, who wrote the Journal about a box to be placed there. "The City Council and AT&T seem to be ignoring this; there is something terribly wrong with this lack of sensitivity."

The company has the legal right to place the cabinets in the public right-of-way on sidewalks, for example, but its deal with the city says they have to try to come to an agreement with neighbors over the placement of cabinets if there is a dispute. If the neighbors and the company can't resolve the placement of a cabinet, the city could ask AT&T to put it elsewhere.

Residents and business owners who are within 300 feet of where the cabinets are being installed will receive letters from AT&T detailing the work to take place and containing a photo of what the cabinet will look like. The letters contain a phone number people can call if they have questions about or problems with the placement of a cabinet.