5G Tower Vote Tuesday: County Council To Decide Fate Of Proposal

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A County Council vote tomorrow could open the door for 5G telecommunications towers in Montgomery County, a proposal that some residents have opposed.

Under the new guidelines antennae would be allowed on telephone poles that already exist or replace existing utility, streetlight, or parking lot lighting poles, some as close as 30 feet to homes. The bill was introduced in October 2019 after the Federal Communications Commission said that local governments cannot prevent cell providers from offering 5G service.

Montgomery County’s Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee has voted in favor of the proposal, with some recommendations for increasing the community’s say or opportunity to object to new towers near their homes.

The Montgomery County Coalition to Protect Neighborhoods, a local group that stands against the 5G towers, has protested the council’s vote and asked councilors to postpone it until after their August recess, which begins after this Thursday.

Critics of the proposal say that the 5G towers are unsightly and could have unintended environmental consequences, and the effects they could have on vulnerable communities has not been studied thoroughly.

“We are concerned that the increase in the number of 4G and 5G small cell towers in neighborhoods could result in an increase in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Montgomery County, as well as a significant reduction in the tree canopy throughout the county,” the coalition wrote in a letter to the County Council dated July 21, 2021.

What is 5G?

5G is the “fifth generation” of wireless cell technology, which is faster than previous generations and was introduced in 2019. The FCC says that 5G can deliver speeds up to 100 times faster than 4Gtechnology,

The FCC wrote in a 2019 ruling that local governments cannot prevent cell companies from providing 5G service to customers by withholding permission for towers, and that everyone in the United States should have access to 5G.

“The FCC will keep pressing ahead to ensure that every community in the country gets a fair shot at the opportunity that next-generation wireless services can enable,” the report says.

See the vote

Watch the vote at the County Council meeting Tuesday morning online.

Read the full report here.