Mobile home owners told they can't have cable

DENVER - It's something many of us just assume - that we can have whatever television, phone and Internet service we'd like as long as we pay for it. But thousands of Colorado residents who live in mobile home communities just found out that's not true for them.

They are no longer allowed to have access to services provided by Comcast and Qwest.

Equity Lifestyle Properties, which manages 11 mobile home communities in Colorado, says it can't reach a deal with Comcast and Qwest to lower rates for its tenants.

According to legal experts, this is a common practice in many mobile home communities. In some instances, it can even happen to other tenants who live in apartments, condos and townhomes.

In Denver's Bear Creek Village communities, neighbors tend to know when something is right. About a week ago, they received letters from Comcast, telling them their landlord decided to part ways with their service to go with a different service called Primecast, associated with DirecTV.

"It's communistic," Mary McDaniels, a resident from Bear Creek Village, said. "They don't own my home. I bought and paid for it!"

Even though ELS doesn't own their homes, it still owns the lots they sit on. Meaning, it can refuse to allow a cable company to run its lines through the community.

"I feel like I'm being ripped off!" Don Chambers, a mobile home owner, said.

The information wasn't exactly spelled out in the lease.

"The lease just tells you about the rights you have. It doesn't tell you about the rights you don't have," Jerry Orten, an attorney from Denver, said.

According to Orten, that really doesn't matter; even if you're a tenant with a condo, apartment or townhome.

"One of the lessons here is that there is some importance to ownership. And if you're a tenant, it's important to recognize you're going to be subject to the rights the landlord has," Orten explained.

The landlord has the right to refuse a certain company from wiring its way through his or her property. Orten says this rarely happens in townhome, condo and apartment communities.

He says it happens frequently in mobile home parks.

ELS says it is committed to reaching a deal with Qwest and Comcast. It says it's only doing this so its tenants can have cheaper services.

Tenants are still allowed to go with a different satellite provider, since the satellites can attach to their homes.

Johnna Hoff, Qwest spokesperson, released a statement on Wednesday regarding the issue:

"Qwest believes customers deserve the opportunity to choose their communications provider. At this time, we have no plans to terminate the services being provided to our customers, and are taking immediate steps to address this issue to our customers' benefit. Qwest believes that neither ELS, Connexion nor Primecast have the authority to terminate Qwest services or interfere with Qwest customers and facilities."