The state wants to make it easier for telecommunication companies to upgrade their cell towers.
When Vermont first wrote its rules for cell towers, regulators didn’t want companies applying for smaller footprints and then adding on to their facility without seeking a permit. So currently, telecom companies have to get approval when they upgrade equipment.
Clay Purvis, the director of the Vermont Department of Public Service's telecommunications and connectivity division, said the permitting process adds costs and slows down network improvements.
“It kind of provides a significant barrier compared to what the kind of benefit is,” Purvis said.
Now the Public Utility Commission is considering a change to the telecom rule, which would allow for a relaxed permit process for minor alterations. Purvis said as technology advances, the cell tower improvements require less and less bulky equipment.
“General upgrades are so small that, you know, it’s not something that you would even notice from the ground,” Purvis said.
The FirstNet network — a national high-speed communications system for first responders — will be built out across Vermont, and the PUC said it’s important to streamline that process.
The PUC is accepting comments on the proposed changes through the end of August.
Clarification 8/23/2018 4:03 p.m. Details have been added to clarify that the proposed rule change would relax the permit process in some cases, not eliminate it.
