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<\/a>Palm Beach Town Hall, site of the utilities task force meeting to discuss 5G<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
By William Kelly
\nPalm Beach Daily News<\/p>\n
Town Manager Tom Bradford said Tuesday that Palm Beach and some other coastal communities have been exempted from legislation that would limit local control on the installation of\u00a05G transmission equipment<\/a>.<\/p>\n The legislation has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting Gov. Rick Scott\u2019s signature, Bradford said at a meeting of the Underground Utilities Task Force.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been carved out,\u201d Bradford said. \u201cThat law does not apply to us.\u201d<\/p>\n The exemption or \u201ccarve out\u201d is welcome news in Palm Beach, where Bradford and Mayor Gail Coniglio have warned the new law would be an\u00a0aesthetic disaster<\/a>.<\/p>\n The legislation severely limits state and local government control over of public rights-of-way where 5G, or fifth generation wireless technology, is being installed. The legislation\u2019s sponsors, Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Palm Coast, and Rep. Mike La Rosa, R-St. Cloud, say it will promote the use of much faster digital service throughout Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cWe in essence could have every public right of way marred by a utility we have no control over,\u201d Coniglio has said. Coniglio traveled to Tallahassee last month to lobby for the exemption and against a flurry of bills\u00a0that attack home rule\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 the ability of counties and municipalities to exert local control.<\/p>\n Bradford said the exemption means the town will have much more control in regulating where the 5G equipment \u2014 \u201csmall cells\u201d that are the size of a suitcase or small refrigerator \u2014 will be located. Coniglio could not be reached for comment Tuesday.<\/p>\n Last month, Town Council declared a moratorium on applications to place wireless communications on public property and in public rights of way. Had the town not been exempted, the moratorium would not have protected the town against the state law after it takes effect July 1, Town Attorney John Randolph has said.<\/p>\n The ban temporarily blocks all applications to place wireless facilities on public property, in the public rights of way or in public utility easements while the town crafts new regulations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need rules and procedures on the books,\u201d Bradford said. \u201cWe have 180 days [from mid-April] to work all that out, to find a manner to make it acceptable, whether it\u2019s camouflaging or putting [equipment] on roof tops.\u201d<\/p>\n Bradford said that to position itself to take advantage of 5G wireless technology, the town needs to lay additional conduit as part of the\u00a0town-wide undergrounding project<\/a>.<\/p>\n The conduit, which could be used for greater bandwidth, has been removed from the underground utilities budget\u00a0to cut costs<\/a>, however.<\/p>\n \u201cIf people agree, then I need to find the money to make it happen,\u201d Bradford said. \u201cWe would be remiss if we don\u2019t do it now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConceptually, it makes sense and is worth exploring,\u201d task force member Harry Wolin said.<\/p>\n He asked Bradford if he was proposing the conduit for main roads only or into every neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a minimum we should do the backbone,\u201d Bradford replied.<\/p>\n