Whether it’s a concert, rally, Pope’s election, sporting event or an attempt to cope with gridlocked traffic during Atlanta’s recent snow jam, one conspicuous aspect of virtually every modern-day event has changed dramatically over the last 10 years: The presence of mobile devices.
As Georgia consumers take their data mobile, the infrastructure to keep up is in high demand. Cell towers are popping up around the state. The potential is there to allow consumers to experience lower prices due to competition between carriers and more reliable access to strong cell tower signals. Progress, however, has run into unnecessary government intrusion that slows new tower construction, and government regulation that drives up the costs of building infrastructure and of mobile services.
This is on the verge of changing. House Bill 176, the Mobile Broadband Infrastructure Leads to Development (BILD) Act, tackles obstacles that stand in the way of inexpensive consumer access to mobile technology.
The bill passed swiftly through the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee on Jan. 23 and is on the fast-track for passage in 2014 with a House vote scheduled soon.
It does three things: limits fees and compliance costs imposed by local governments on builders of wireless technology infrastructure; limits bureaucratic red tape that lengthens the application review time for a cell tower project, and streamlines the review process.
The fee limitations include limits to costly rental or lease fees companies often incur when placing wireless facilities on public property. Local governments often charge higher-than-market rates when leasing public land. Mobile service providers are forced to eat the cost or pass it to consumers. This drives up the cost of cell service for everyone.
Local governments also tend to cobble along slowly through regulatory hurdles that draw out the clock, often up to two years on a tower project that usually takes no more than six to eight weeks to build.
HB 176 adds a new “State Shot Clock” for new sites that matches the existing “Federal Shot Clock” and speeds up the process. The state clock requires a final decision on new tower applications within 150 days, unless the application is incomplete. An application would be deemed complete within 30 days of its submission unless the local authority advises the applicant otherwise.
Safeguards remain for evaluation of sites, clean-up of existing sites, FAA air space safety protocols and proper placement of cell towers. The process to meet Georgia’s 21st century telecommunications needs will be vastly expanded by the passage of free-market legislation like the Mobile BILD Act.
(Editor’s note: The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, whose members initially had concerns about the bill, reached a compromise with wireless providers regarding the current legislation. The Senate could take up the bill as early as next week.)
Joel Aaron Foster is communications coordinator for Americans for Prosperity Georgia.
