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."
