Local Governments Blocking Expansion Of Georgia’s Communications Infrastructure
Broadband and wireless access is one of our major topics here at GeorgiaPol. After all, it’s necessary for you to be able to read us. One of the newer ways that this need is being filled is “small-cells“, which help expand cellular capacities and will be critical for the rollout of 5G service.
The issue is that many local governments are indifferent to this, and can literally take a year to approve basic permits, and/or add ridiculous surcharges that delay their deployments. Representatives Brett Harrell, Bruce Williamson, Don Parsons, Chuck Martin, and John Carson have proposed HB 533 to streamline the process for this critical infrastructure upgrade. Similar bills have already passed in North Carolina and Florida.
The following guest Op-Ed was penned by NC Representative Jason Saine in support of Georgia’s measure, and discusses why Georgia, like his North Carolina, must be pro-active in making sure we’re not leaving undue regulatory obstacles in the way of keeping Georgia’s communications networks at the cutting edge. He was recently named the 2018 National Chair for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and has is a Public Leadership Award winner by the North Carolina Technology Association as well as a a member of the FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee.
Wireless connectivity is essential in our daily lives.
Businesses, teachers, students, parents, seniors, and your social media addicts, we all rely on connections that we carry with us everywhere. These connections have become so reliable, that when we experience even the slightest interruption or delay, we become easily frustrated.
Fortunately, private industry continues to invest and innovate in the infrastructure and the products that will make those interruptions and delays in connectivity less and less frequent.
Today, the telecom industry and federal regulators are working together to define the next generation of wireless connectivity – 5G – that will bring higher speeds and the ability for consumers to share more data more quickly.
Small Cells are an essential part of enhanced capacity and the evolution to 5G connectivity. They are compact, unobtrusive cells that fit on traffic lights and utility poles and are helping telecom providers to improve service by complementing more traditional cell towers and “densify” networks.
For consumers, small cell technology is truly a game changer.
Whether you are viewing a mobile video, sending an email or looking for a route around rush hour traffic, we all want fast, reliable connectivity. Investment in small cells and the fiber-optic backhaul that serves them is a key component in the quick and efficient growth of 5G availability.
Unfortunately, as telecom companies are diligently working to provide the connectivity consumers demand, they are also working within an environment that significantly restricts industry’s ability to invest and deploy the technology necessary to meet consumer needs.
Often times, in a rush to generate revenues, local governments fail to recognize their taxation, permitting, fees and other policies are significant contributors to broadband deployment challenges.
We have a serious failure in this sector of the economy when it takes a telecom provider approximately 8 hours to install a small cell, but it takes that same company more than 8 months to obtain the necessary permits and approvals to do the work.
The scales are egregiously tipped by burdensome regulations and approvals processes to favor bureaucracy and not the consumer.
It is imperative that this change.
That is why during the 2017 legislative session, my colleagues and I passed legislation establishing a framework for small cell deployment in communities across North Carolina.
Since the legislation was signed into law, North Carolina’s communities are better positioned to attract significant investments in technologies that will densify our networks today, help usher in 5G connectivity and spur the growth of smart cities applications across the state – applications that lead to local cost-savings and revenue generation.
And, now, Georgia is where North Carolina was last year. Two bills have been introduced for the Georgia Assembly’s consideration during the 2018 regular legislative session.
I encourage the members of the Georgia Assembly and state governments across the nation to help facilitate small cell deployment and herald the future of connectivity by clearing regulatory obstacles that stifle investment, limit economic growth and block the connectivity consumers are eager to experience.
The future of connectivity is close on the horizon. Industry leaders are already investing in the infrastructure that will make that future a reality. Georgia has an opportunity now to keep pace with North Carolina and be at the forefront of the technology sector by enacting legislation that will allow for the efficient and rapid deployment of small cell technology throughout the state.
After all, capital flows where it is treated best.
About Author
Charlie
Founder of GeorgiaPol.com; Now weekly columnist Very interested in Georgia and Georginas. Interest in politics is waning daily.
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“Often times, in a rush to generate revenues, local governments fail to recognize their taxation, permitting, fees and other policies are significant contributors to broadband deployment challenges.”
Often times, local governments are looking out for their residents who are tired of new poles and new cell towers appearing. They are asking the private industry to use common sense and attach to existing poles rather than build a new one.
But the private industry thinks regulation like this is way too burdensome and difficult, and since they have strong lobbyists, they’re trying to pole vault over the local government.
In the proposed legislation, these regulations aren’t eliminated, but there are both time constraints and financial caps imposed to balance the local role vs the state’s interest in getting this done.
It’s all about local control. Until it isnt…
Very important to note that both North Carolina and Florida had already reformed their tax code by replacing franchise fees with a communications services tax (CST) before they passed small cell legislation. This is important because every technology used to deliver communications now has a different tax and fee treatment. In Georgia, traditional telecommunications companies pay a 3% franchise fee, cable and video providers (except satellite) pay a 5% franchise fee and mobile phone companies pay no franchise fee but do pay sales tax on a portion of the users total bill. A CST takes this issue off the table by taxing the service the consumer buys at the same rate no matter which technology is used to deliver it. Georgia should follow the example of North Carolina and Florida by modernizing its tax code with a communications services tax prior to passing legislation that would ease entrance into the right of way for a technology that may not pay franchise fees. Failing to do so will give an advantage to one competitor over another, which we should all agree is poor public policy.
Anything with ALEC and broadband is suspect out of the gate. These are the same folks that take legislation written by ISPs and submit it to become law. The same people who want to outlaw municipal broadband in areas the ISPs cant be bothered to serve. ALEC has no credibility on this issue from a consumer standpoint.
Charlie, you are just uninformed….