Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Mayors lobby against cell phone tower bill

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 10:43:36 -0400

Mayors lobby against cell phone tower bill

They are concerned about a House bill that would make it easier to put
up more antennas on towers, buildings and poles.

By Associated Press
Published April 28, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - When several mayors from around the state visited the
Capitol for some lobbying this month, of all the tough issues they could
have talked about, one rose above the rest: cell phone towers.

Cities are concerned about a bill they worry will make it easier for
cell phone providers to put up taller towers and more antennas on more
buildings.

Cell phone companies say they are worried about dead areas in coverage
that lead to dropped calls. And they say those dead zones could endanger
the state's plan to implement a wireless 911 system.

"If you ain't got no signal, you ain't going to get no help," said Rep.
Dave Murzin, R-Pensacola, sponsor of the House bill (HB 1495) that would
ease restrictions on putting additional antennas on towers, buildings
and poles.

But city officials say cell companies are simply seeking to get around
restrictions on the kinds of structures that can go up.
"The wireless industry is using the issue of public safety to ram a bill
through the Legislature that would allow them to place cell phone towers
and antennae nearly anywhere," Ocala Mayor Gerald Ergle said at a news
conference here Tuesday.

The Senate bill (SB 2774) has been pulled out of committees and placed
on the calendar and could come up for discussion this week. Its
prospects in the House are uncertain; the legislative session ends
Friday.

Cell companies are trying to allay fears that they seek to put a tower
in every field. They acknowledge they're trying to make it easier to put
up antennas, but say the true aim of the bill is to be able to more
easily increase coverage without having to build more ugly towers.

That can be done, they say, through the use of existing towers and
buildings for new receivers.

"What this bill is supposed to do is minimize towers," said Charles
Rehwinkel, Sprint's vice president for Florida.
The bill says new antennas could be put up on existing structures with
just a regular administrative review and a building permit review. It
also allows existing towers to be increased in height or replaced with a
taller tower without additional hearings.
"You should not have to go through the hearing process all over again,"
Rehwinkel said. "This is just for places where there's already an
antenna. It doesn't make it easier to go to other buildings and put
something else up."

City officials also worry about a provision prohibiting them from making
certain areas off limits to towers or antennas. Some cities have tried
to create such exclusion areas for aesthetic reasons.

"The bill would cripple local communities' ability to protect
neighborhoods from visual intrusion," Ergle said.
Murzin said if cities and counties want reliable cell coverage, they
can't make certain areas antenna-free.
"The number one complaint against the cell industry is dropped calls,"
Murzin said. "You know why calls are dropped? Because there are dead
zones."

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/28/State/Mayors_lobby_against_.shtml
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