Areas of agreement in this fractured political environment are increasingly rare, even when it comes to the topic of wireless technology. A pair of bills in the Florida State Legislature—SB 596 and HB 687— concerning the siting of wireless equipment in public rights-of-way has state politicians debating the bill’s potential effect on Florida communities, reports the Saint Peters Blog.
Tampa’s Democratic Mayor Bob Buckhorn has come out against the legislation, arguing it would prevent local governments from protecting the historical integrity of communities. Buckhorn penned an op-ed piece in the Tampa Bay Times, arguing the two bills unfairly strip local governments of authority.
“This idea tramples on the authority of the very local officials you entrusted to make decisions about how your community, and all others in Florida, look and feel,” Buckhorn wrote.” He wrote the legislation would “diminish communities” and “interfere with a community’s ability to maintain its unique character.”
Dana Young, a Republican Senator from South Tampa supports the bill, argues it will give wireless carriers the ability to innovate and quickly deploy improved technology becoming sewn into the fabric of everyday life.
Young countered Buckhorn’s claim that the bill would prevent local communities from preserving historic areas or determine the siting of new wireless equipment. He noted that the bill would only apply to public rights-of-way, where utility infrastructure is already present.
“If the mayors of our cities and towns want to stay on the edge of innovation and for their constituents to have access to the highest speed wireless services they will support this bill,” Young said in a recently released statement. “This bill will bring our state into the next generation of wireless technology with many applications.”
March 22, 2017
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