After seven months of litigation, a deal has still not been struck between the city of Rockland (ME) and Bay Communications III, LLC, over a 120-foot tower project. In late August, a motion was filed in the U.S. District Court in Portland with the intent to settle, but no agreement has been reached, reported the Village Soup.
The Rockland Planning Board voted against the tower in February, as residents opposed the project. Complaints included concerns over reducing property values, that the structure would cause an “aesthetic nightmare,” and that it would pose health risks.
In March, Bay Communications filed a suit against Rockland, asking the court to approve the tower, planned on a commercial lot. The lawsuit argues that federal law calls for national policy to “make available, so far as possible, to all people of the United States, without discrimination … a rapid, efficient, nationwide and world-wide wire and radio communication service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges, for the purpose of national defense, [and] for the purpose of promoting safety of life and property through the use of wire and radio communications.”
Due to a “significant gap in wireless service coverage,” an additional cell site is required in Rockland, according to Bay Communications. If no settlement is reached, the case is scheduled to go to trial February 1, 2021, according to the Village Soup.
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