Local, state, and federal governments have been working with leaders in the wireless industry to break down barriers companies have to face when looking to build a new cell site. The county commissioners in Pitkin County, Colorado said that they are willing to be more flexible in the land-use code so cell phone carriers and companies would be more likely to come to the area. Currently, the county doesn’t allow cell towers to exceed 40-feet, which limits the number of carriers the cell tower can hold.
While there are some people that are against the construction of cell phone towers, more and more people are starting to realize their necessity. Marc Ganzi, the former CEO of Global Tower Partners said at the PCIA 2013 Wireless Infrastructure Show last week, “It’s no longer NIMBY (Not in My Backyard), it’s YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard). People are now saying, ‘I work at home and I need to be connected.’ It’s part of the fabric of how we connect to our families and I think that’s been a mind shift at the local level. We exist to help accelerate the build out and reduce cost. To me, that’s why we worked hard on the hill to get that legislation passed.”
This is extremely true. When the wireless infrastructure isn’t capable of handling the demand, then networks become congested. Not only do people become frustrated when the networks are slow, but it also puts residents at risk because emergency services aren’t as quick to respond. There are more people now than ever before working from home, shopping from home, and doing many other daily activities that requires them to be connected, which is why lessening these restrictions will benefit everyone.
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