South Carolina Small-Cells Bill Stalls; Alabama Senate to Vote Soon
South Carolina’s small-cells bill stumbled, missing this year's regular session deadline last week. This was the first year of the South Carolina legislature's two-year session. So January, the House-passed bill can be picked up where lawmakers left off in the…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
Senate Judiciary Committee, a House Republican Caucus spokesperson told us. “The fast track through the General Assembly took a detour,” a Myrtle Beach spokesperson emailed Tuesday. “It was headed for swift approval, but caution prevailed.” The city opposed HB-4262, which aimed to streamline 5G wireless infrastructure deployment by pre-empting local governments in the right of way. CTIA and wireless companies supported the measure, urging 2019 passage in a May 1 letter to Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee Chairman Thomas Alexander (R). “The bill is the result of deliberate negotiation and compromise by many parties, including the Municipal Association of South Carolina,” the industry allies wrote. “Delaying passage until next year, therefore, will not result in a better bill” but “will deprive local governments of the additional application fees, right‐of‐way access fees, and tax revenues they will receive under the bill,” and hold back wireless broadband investment. CTIA declined to comment Tuesday. The Nebraska Legislature passed a small-cells bill Monday (see 1905130025). A CTIA-backed Alabama bill (SB-264) was pending third reading Tuesday in the Senate.