McCandless council takes steps to keep new 5G cell antennas from being eyesores
While local municipal officials don’t have the authority to stop cellular telephone service providers from installing antennas for their new “5th Generation,” or 5G networks, they do have the power to try to keep them from being eyesores.
McCandless council this week exercised that power by voting unanimously to create a set of guidelines that regulate the location and appearance of the new systems.
Town manager Bob Grimm said the original intent of the ordinance was simply to bring the town into compliance with the most recent regulations issued by the Federal Communications Commission for 5G networks.
Grimm said the town has “expanded that (the federal regulation) to include items regarding stealth technology and other aesthetic considerations.”
Councilman David Smith explained that failing to create the guidelines would leave the location and appearance of the antennas up to the service providers.
“If the town doesn’t step in with any kind of guidance, then it would be kind of the wild west with respect to this stuff,” he said.
During an Aug. 24 public hearing on the proposed ordinance, the town’s planning director RJ Susko noted that while the town can create rules governing the location and style of the antennas, the regulations cannot be so restrictive that the systems cannot function.
The new rules provide service providers with examples on how to so-called “stealth technology” can be used to disguise the antennas by placing them behind banners on utility poles or by shrouding them in materials that match the style and color of the poles on which they are erected.
The examples Susko provided also show how the equipment needed for the networks can be kept out of sight by requiring that they be installed in underground vaults.
To reduce the number of new poles needed to mount the antennas, providers will be required to place the new equipment on existing utility poles whenever possible.
The ordinance also gives the town the authority to update the provisions as standards for 5G networks evolve so long as the changes are published ahead of time.
In a separate measure that also was approved unanimously, council set a fee schedule for applications seeking to install 5G antennas and equipment.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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