For Immediate Release: Friday, October 7, 2016
Montgomery County Council
to hold informational forum
on small cell antennas and poles
in public rights-of-way
On Wednesday, Oct. 26, meeting will provide opportunity
to learn about tower applications and to ask questions;
new web site establish to address FAQs about towers
Release ID: 16-309ROCKVILLE, Md., October 25, 2016—The Montgomery County Council from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, will hold an informational forum at Ridgeview Middle School in Gaithersburg on a proposal that would allow for the installation of small cell antennas and poles in public rights-of-way. The meeting will provide an opportunity to learn about pending telecommunication tower applications and to ask questions about existing and proposed County regulations.
Ridgeview Middle School is located at 16600 Raven Rock Dr. in Gaithersburg. The school has a Gaithersburg address, but is actually located outside of the City of Gaithersburg, which is one of several municipalities in the County that would not be impacted by the potential zoning change.
The Council has established a new web site devoted to the issue. The site includes a section on Frequently Asked Questions. The site can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/gveybg2 .
The meeting will be recorded by County Cable Montgomery (CCM) and broadcast numerous times on Cable Channels 996 (high-definition) and 6 (standard definition) on Comcast; Channels 1056 (HD) and 6 (SD) on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon. Times of the rebroadcasts have yet to be determined. The recording of the meeting also will be available via streaming through the Council web site at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8 .
The Council is now considering proposed Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 16-05, sponsored by Council President Nancy Floreen, which would allow telecommunications poles no higher than 30 feet in various zones with standards for their construction. The Council held a public hearing on the proposal on July 19.
As people are disconnecting from the traditional wired telephone and use their cell phones for far more than voice communication, there is a greater demand for wireless services in residential areas. The telecommunications industry can meet this need with small antennas on short poles.
Under the Federal Communications Act and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, the County may not unreasonably discriminate among providers of functionally equivalent services, may not regulate in a manner that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the provision of personal wireless services, must act on new tower applications within 150 days and must make any denial of an application in writing supported by substantial evidence in a written record. The statute also preempts local decisions premised directly or indirectly on the environmental effects of FCC allowed radio frequency (RF) emissions.
Antennas may be placed on utility poles. Some neighborhoods have underground utilities without utility poles; however, most neighborhoods have street light poles. The new equipment cannot be supported on existing residential street light poles. An applicant intends to replace the existing street light poles with poles that could accommodate antennas and a street light. These poles would be less than 30 feet tall compared to the traditional oversized cell towers that rise high above the areas in which they are erected.
The current Zoning Ordinance requires a conditional use approval for every new pole, no matter how short the pole. Councilmember Floreen proposed the ZTA in the belief that standards for 30-foot poles will offer the community and the providers a more predictable approach to moving forward on improvements in County wireless service.
More information about ZTA 16-05 is available at: http://tinyurl.com/j6nx5cq .