Supreme Court rules against Roswell
As we reported a few months ago, T-Mobile US headed to the highest court in the land to get a final answer on a dispute with Roswell, Ga., that’s been brewing since 2010. Quick recap: T-Mobile US wanted to build a tower in Roswell, but the city rejected the request without any specific written reason, saying its meeting notes would suffice – and on top of that, didn’t make them available for 26 days. That left the carrier frustrated with municipal bureaucracy so decided in the interest of speeding up wireless deployment to take the city to court over it, fighting all the way to the Supreme Court.
This week the Supreme Court ruled in favor of T-Mobile US, deciding that carriers are owed a more timely explanation but that it doesn’t have to necessarily be included in the initial denial. It seems like only a half-victory to me, but the winning attorney was certainly taking it as a full-blown win:
“The decision is a win for the deployment of wireless infrastructure,” said attorney Joseph Palmore, former deputy general counsel at the Federal Communications Commission. “By requiring local governments to provide written reasons for their zoning denials, today’s decision makes it easier for those denials to be reviewed in court. That kind of judicial review is an important check against unreasonable road blocks to critically needed wireless infrastructure.”
If you read the small print, it says that cities have 30 days to respond to tower companies, but the whole reason this started in the first place was they sent their rejection 26 days after the denial … so how is this a big win?
Tower climber POV video
Ever wanted to see what it’s like to climb a tower from the climber’s perspective? Well now you can. One climber used his new GoPro camera and filmed the experience. While the tower may have been 500-feet tall, due to some technical issues this video only includes the first 200 feet, but is still worth watching to really get a feel for what it’s like climbing and using all of the equipment in the process:
Tower hand song
Finally, someone has put the trials and tribulations and day in the life aspects of being a tower hand into the form of a song. A song about tower hands, by a tower hand. It’s an acoustic, country blues number and worth a listen.
Tower news quickies
• Hubble Foundation releases its fourth-quarter recap newsletter.
• Cell towers going up near public schools are for mind control?
• PCIA setting wireless training standards.
Regional/local tower news
- Eugene, Ore., church offers to scrap cell tower for $750,000.
- Governor of Indiana eyes cell tower leases to fund bicentennial projects.
- AT&T seeks permit for new cell tower on Scott Mountain in Sweet Home, Ore..
- Cell tower controversy in Hernando, Miss..
- Captiola, Calif., says no to Verizon Wireless cell tower.
- Lookout Mountain, Tenn., finally approves plans for new dress-up cell tower at city hall.
- Judge to decide neighbors’ fate in cell tower suit in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
- Cell tower proposal spurs Jan. 22 public meeting in Clintonville, Ohio.
- Officials: Proposed Dunn, Wis., cell tower underscores problem with law.
- School board declines cell tower lease in Rappahannock County, Va..
- Cell tower plan finds resistance in Arlington Heights, Ill.
- Quechee, Vt., neighbors oppose cell tower.
- New Hanover County, N.C., planning commission meets about proposed cell tower.
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