Telluride, CO is poised to corral its new 5G cellular service. After meeting with small cell infrastructure specialist, Toro Blanco, the Telluride city council gathered more information about installing 5G cell towers in a way that is both practical and attractive. As the Telluride Daily Planet reports, the Town of Telluride learned about Toro Blanco when representatives reached out to the city of New Orleans in hopes of seeing similar results in their own historic town. The 5G poles installed in the French quarter were designed by the vendor to disguise small cells as period-appropriate streetlights.
“We believe telecommunications is really important,” said Toro Blanco Spokesperson Terry Cope. “We also believe it shouldn’t take over cities. It shouldn’t unduly impact … the look of cities. We try to make it aesthetically pleasing and minimally invasive.” He added that his company specializes in “integrating telecoms infrastructure into historic or aesthetically-sensitive areas.”
Telluride Planning and Building Director John Strandberg said that the city first met with Toro Blanco back in 2022, and the two have discussed a number of possible options for 5G delivery throughout the city. In some cases, 5G equipment could be added to existing structures, but in others, aesthetic concerns mean that extra effort is needed to make sure that the new poles blend in with their historic neighborhoods. One council member suggested that in some less prominent locations, she would prefer to see fewer, taller poles, reported the Daily Planet.
“What I’m seeing and being presented with gives me a high degree of confidence that they are willing to work with us and I think it’s better to work proactively,” noted Telluride Council Member Dan Enright. “I understand change is hard, always. We understood that when we went into the process of creating our 5G regulations. I think it’s better to work proactively with a company that has a track record in the same space.”
Although no final decisions were made, the town council decided to keep working with Toro Blanco on a franchise agreement. Toro Blanco representatives said that they were committed to exploring all options with Telluride to give the town the best possible 5G coverage in the least intrusive manner possible.
“We understand this is a unique environment and we’re trying to be as empathetic about that as we can,” said Zack Hodgin on behalf of Toro Blanco.
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