Patrick Leahy: “I rise today to offer two pieces of legislation that would close a loophole that allows Federal regulators to overrule…”

“I rise today to offer two pieces of legislation that would close a loophole that allows Federal regulators to overrule local officials on the building of cellular and broadcast towers. I am proud to be joined by Senator Jeffords, and Senator Murray in introducing legislation that will return decision-making power on the siting of towers to local communities. The 1996 Telecommunications Act, which I opposed, contained a provision that allowed the Federal Communications Commission to preempt the decisions of local authorities. Over the last five years, a small loophole in the 1996 Act has spurred David versus Goliath battles across the country. Small communities that pride themselves in deciding what their towns will look like, now have few options when they try to stop or even negotiate a different site for broadcast or cellular towers. In Vermont, we have had several communities, Shelburne, Bethel, and Charlotte, run directly into this problem. What used to be their right to decide these decisions under zoning laws was up-ended. These communities understand that there will be new towers. Demand for wireless services has skyrocketed over the last few years. The mountains and hills of Vermont make many Vermonters joke that cell phones are more useful as paper weights than as a way to talk with friends and family.”