Verizon Urges New York, New Jersey Small-Cells Laws
State small-cells laws remain necessary even after last month’s 9th U.S. Circuit Court decision, said Verizon General Counsel-South Region State Government Affairs Dulaney O’Roark on a Wednesday webinar by New York state and New Jersey wireless associations. The 9th Circuit…
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mostly upheld the FCC’s 2018 wireless infrastructure orders on small cells and moratoriums (see 2008120048). The FCC was “extremely helpful,” but state laws provide additional and more detailed rules that lead to more deployment, including hard caps on rates and fees that allow providers to better predict costs, O’Roark said. New York and New Jersey need laws so industry can gain access to rights of way in difficult cities like Buffalo where talks have gone on for two years without success, the Verizon attorney said. Buffalo didn’t comment. New York proposed small-cells rules in the past two budgets, but local governments convinced legislators to remove them each year; now, industry is in talks with towns and other localities, O’Roark said: In New Jersey, industry and municipalities narrowed their differences on small-cells bills pending in committees of both chambers. Passing more state bills might take time, wireless industry officials predicted. The pandemic “has thrown a loop” into legislative schedules in most states, noted CTIA Assistant Vice President-State Legislative Affairs Beth Cooley. Industry isn’t set on passing small-cells bills this session and work will continue next year, said Wireless Infrastructure Association Senior Counsel-Government Affairs Arturo Chang.