When Verizon Communications Inc. proposed dozens of small wireless cells [Distributed Antennae Systems or DAS] along streets in Doylestown Borough, the reaction was a defiant no.
Residents thought the boxy equipment that sprouted five-foot antennas on traffic lights or telephone poles would mar the borough's Norman Rockwell charm, along with the artsy aura of its Victorian homes.
Pa.’s 5G wireless bill stirs up fears that it will cater to telecom and gut towns’ zoning. Others feared for their health with intensive 5G wireless services zapping them.
Doylestown officials spent $150,000, held 10 public hearings and fought the small cell proposal in state and federal courts over more than a year, defending their right to say where the small cells would go — a David-vs.-Goliath tale of a small Pennsylvania town taking on a big corporation.
"We didn't feel they had the right to come and do what they want," council president Jack O'Brien said Monday.
When Doylestown finally settled the case last month, the town won the right to reduce the number of poles and camouflage and relocate some of them. It also surprisingly won a share in the revenues from each cell.
But the borough's victory may be hard for other towns to replicate, as telecom companies are canvassing Pennsylvania towns to locate thousands of new wireless cells for the new 5G high-speed mobile networks.
State lawmakers are considering [Bill 1620] that would largely strip municipalities of zoning oversight when telecom companies seek permits for small cells on utility poles and traffic lights. If enacted, the measure also sets small fees — from $25 to $100 — for small cell permitting.
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*At the May 25, 2022, Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting there was a lively debate regarding whether or not to send the 5G wireless JMZO amendment back to the JZC with the changes, corrections, additions suggested by the CKS, the Township Planner. There was a disagreement as to whether and WHEN other changes such as those suggested by Mr. Andrew Campanelli, ESQ. (read "An Expert's Critique of the JMZO 5G Wireless Ordinance") should be passed on to the JZC.
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