A new law takes effect August 8, that allows wireless carriers – Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint – to install, operate and maintain small-cell equipment in the Paradise Valley city (Arizona) and town rights-of-way, reported the Town of Paradise Valley Independent. With no “objective design standards and reasonable stealth and concealment requirements,” municipalities within the state will have little say regarding where towers are located or their overall appearance.
Because the new state law allows carriers to erect infrastructure within public rights of way, officials want to solidify a process to protect their interests as well. With carriers now leasing this space, they believe the terms of the master license provision should be better spelled out.
The Paradise Valley Town Council is expected to discuss the matter during its August 8 meeting. “Ideally, what we are trying to get down to is creating a process that says if you check the boxes you can get approval and are moving forward in an administrative process,” said Town Manager Kevin Burke.
One part of the process that’s a focus is encouraging the best construction practices, especially relating to small cell placement. The community is concerned with aesthetics and safety measures while still desiring improved services amidst the mountainous terrain.
Paradise Valley Director of Administration & Government Affairs Dawn Marie Buckland told the Town of Paradise Valley Independent, “We want to make sure we are balancing the ability to rapidly deploy this technology because we do want to do a better service for our community. We want to make sure that we are providing an environment where the market can come in and deploy the new technology in a rapid fashion but do so within our aesthetic guidelines.”
July 25, 2017
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