After state edict, cities scramble on 5G rules
- Commerce
- Jim Langfelder
- Telecommunications
- Economics
- Computer Science
- Springfield
- Technology
- Cell Phone
- Capacity
- Deal
- Data
- At&t
- Telephony
- Statement
- Telecommunication
Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder talks about 5G
technology
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Cities across Illinois are bracing for the next steps to get
5G cell phone technology in place, and the capital city could be among the
first to get it.
The 5G, or small cell, technology is expected to
substantially boost cell phone data capacity.
Earlier this year, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill to bring
about uniform standards for the deals local governments can make with
telecommunications companies.
Local governments may charge a one-time fee of $1,000, but
they can't charge annual recurring rates, the law states.
Stakeholders in Peoria, Naperville, Mount Prospect and
Forest Park reportedly are some of the areas investigating the technology, and
how to best regulate it locally under the new state law.
"The City of Rockford recently adopted an ordinance
governing the installation of small cell wireless facilities in anticipation of
the expansion of 5G technology," Rockford Legal Director Nick Meyer said.
"The City has not been contacted by any telecom companies at this
time."
Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder said he didn’t like the
bill because it took away local control, but the city will follow the law.
However, with its publicly owned electric generation utility, he said
Springfield is a bit unique.
“You can put [small cell sites] on our poles but we still
provide the infrastructure to provide the electricity for usage, so that’s the
other piece of it where we’d be able to offset our costs where other
municipalities don’t have the added cost that we do.”
He said a deal between Springfield and AT&T could come
together as early as next month.
“Everybody wants 5G because of faster internet usage and
things of that nature,” Langfelder said. “We’ve had discussions with AT&T
and their implementation, and I think they’ve identified 50 sites within Springfield.”
"We’re planning on deploying mobile 5G in a dozen U.S.
cities this year. We’ll update you when we’re ready to announce our 5G
plans for cities in Illinois," AT&T spokesman Phil Hayes said.
"The new small cell law in Illinois will help pave the way for 5G
technology in the state."
A July 20 statement online from the telecommunications
company doesn’t list anywhere in Illinois as a possible spot. That statement
names Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, Dallas and Waco, Texas, and
Atlanta, Georgia.
“We’re deliberately launching with a mix of big and
mid-sized cities,” the AT&T statement said. “One competitor recently
boasted 'New York matters more than Waco' when discussing their future plans.
We politely disagree – all Americans should have access to next-gen
connectivity to avoid a new digital divide.”A spokesman for Verizon said the company announced it will
launch 5G residential broadband service in four markets, none in Illinois.
“To date, we’ve announced Indianapolis, Houston, Los Angeles
and Sacramento,” Verizon spokesman Andy Choi said. “We're focused on launching
those markets for the time being.
Sprint “recently announced plans to launch its 5G mobile
network in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New
York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.” in the first half of 2019, according
to a statement on the company's website. “Additional markets will be announced
as Sprint continues the roll-out of its blazing-fast mobile 5G service."
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