Calif. Wireless Siting Bill Irks Local Officials
A California 5G bill to reduce local siting review for small-cell wireless infrastructure rankled speakers at an NATOA webinar Tuesday on wireless siting. The state legislator sponsoring AB-2788 has said the bill is meant to speed upgrade of wireless infrastructure…
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to support consumer 5G services (see 1606200043). But Ken Fellman, an attorney for local governments, told the webinar that such a measure would take away a community’s authority to decide what infrastructure can be installed. NATOA members “better be prepared to advocate for local control at the state capital,” he said. “If your state legislature takes it away from you, all bets are off and the poles go up.” Local governments don’t seek to stop installation of wireless facilities, and do understand the need to promote broadband deployment, Fellman said. “This is about balancing the interests of community and siting facilities that work in a particular community. … We, the broader local government community, are trying to deal with this in an effective way that balances the aesthetic and public safety interests in our communities with the need to get more broadband deployed quicker.” The California Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee plans to hear AB-2788 at a hearing Monday.