The battle between telecom developers and municipalities rages on. After being turned down by Torrance, California, Crown Castle has fired back with a lawsuit, reports DailyBreeze.com. Torrance claimed that coverage in the area is sufficient. Crown Castle disagreed, noting that upgrades are essential with the advent of 5G.
“When we build (small cell nodes) now, it’s being used for 4G and 4G LTE,” said Crown Castle spokesman Mark Guillen. “Upgrades will need to happen to the radios that are in the small cells that will be used to build out the 5G network.”
Crown Castle’s lawsuit addressed five permits that were declined by Torrance, which the telecom company says was a violation of federal law. Hoping to resolve their legal matters and get back to work, Guillen added, “There is a great need for small cells to address the growing demand for data and access to the internet. We’re committed to working with the City of Torrance and any other municipality to make sure that we address that growing demand.”
Oscar Martinez, a planning associate for the city who oversaw the application process, told Southern California News Group that Crown Castle repeatedly submitted incomplete applications. After a year of revisions and appeals, the permits were ultimately denied by the City Council at the end of last year, the DailyBreeze.com reported. Telecom Law Firm, a legal firm hired by the city, said the areas Crown wanted to build in already had adequate cell service.
No trial date has been set.
April 4, 2019
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