Western Springs May Be 'Pincushion' For Telecoms: Official

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — Western Springs' village president is asking state lawmakers to give municipalities more regulatory authority over the installation of 5G antennas.

At village meetings, residents have come forward to oppose telecommunications companies' plans for antennas in town.

Shortly after the state enacted a law for such antennas two years ago, Western Springs officials saw a map of proposed sites for 5G wireless equipment around town.

"That map turned Western Springs into a pincushion with pins dotting virtually every block," Village President Alice Gallagher said in prepared testimony for the House Public Utilities Committee this week. "And that map was a proposal from just one of the telecom providers."

The facilities haven't been built yet because the village froze all permit applications during the pandemic, Gallagher said.

Many of the proposed 5G antennas are proposed for new, large utility poles using village rights of way and municipal infrastructure, as is allowed under the new state law.

"Legislators were told at the time of the 2018 debate that most installations would be on existing poles," Gallagher said. "In practice, that is proving to not be the case."

She said telecoms' "aggressive" tactics have revealed gaps in the 2018 Small Cell Wireless Facilities Act. The law, she said, includes a lack of aesthetic controls and any monitoring to protect the health and safety of residents if the equipment fails to comply with FCC radio frequency standards.

"Municipalities should have the ability to ensure environmental compliance on an ongoing basis, including noise monitoring and radio frequency monitoring within their borders," Gallagher said.

Gallagher offered to work with legislators, so Western Springs and other towns are at the table when a final 5G wireless bill is hammered out in May.

She noted vocal groups of residents in Western Springs, Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills are concerned about the proliferation of possible sites for antennas.