House Approves Scaled-Down Cell Tower Bill - Still No Protection for Schools

Dave Williams, Staff Writer-
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Jan 31, 2014, 12:25pm EST

The Georgia House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation Friday that would streamline the process wireless companies must go through to gain approval to install cellphone towers.

The bill, which cleared the House 154-4, would limit the fees local governments can charge wireless companies to review applications for new towers or modifications to existing towers.

It also would give cities and counties no more than 150 days after receiving an application to issue or deny a permit.

“If you vote for this, you’re saying local control is 

not important,” (Rep. Dr. Karla Drenner) warned 

her House colleagues.

The overloading of cellphone networks that occurred during Tuesday’s snowstorm, as thousands of stranded motorists used their cellphones to contact family members, demonstrated the inadequacy of cellphone coverage in metro Atlanta, said Rep. Don Parsons, R-Marietta, the bill’s chief sponsor.

“[That] illustrated the need for cell towers to provide the band width needed for us to conduct our business, said Parsons, chairman of the House Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee.

Parsons introduced the bill last year, but it ran into stiff opposition from city and county officials worried about losing local control over permitting and land-use decisions.

Representatives of wireless companies met last fall with lobbyists from the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and Georgia Municipal Association to work out a compromise that would let local-government advocates take a neutral position on the bill.

The key change from last year was language dropping a provision that would have allowed permits to be approved automatically if the 150-day “shot clock” expired without a decision on an application.

The bill got some pushback Friday from lawmakers concerned that it has no provision banning cellphone towers from school property.

Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates, said DeKalb County voters overwhelmingly supported such a ban in a non-binding referendum on the 2012 primary ballots.

“If you vote for this, you’re saying local control is not important,” (Rep. Dr. Karla Drenner) warned her House colleagues.

The bill now moves to the state Senate.