Correction: This post was updated Feb. 27 to correct the name of a state legislator. It is Rep. Meghan Lukens, not Rep. Megan Lukens.
A proposal to speed up cell tower construction, part of Colorado lawmakers鈥� efforts to close gaps in wireless service, cleared an important vote in the state House of Representatives Wednesday.
When a telecommunications company wants to build a cell tower or other wireless infrastructure, it has to apply for a permit from the area鈥檚 local government. Under , that permit would be automatically greenlit if it isn鈥檛 approved or rejected within 60 days.
Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat and one of the bill鈥檚 sponsors, said it鈥檚 about having reliable rules 鈥渢o provide our neighbors with a clear sense of expectations of when and how they will get cell service.鈥�
鈥淲e cannot have neighbors, from urban to rural, who do not know why their cell phone doesn't work or is taking an additional couple of months, in an unclear manner, to get them that service,鈥� Bacon said Wednesday on the House floor.
All sorts of Colorado communities are impacted by unreliable cell service. Bacon said it鈥檚 an issue in cities, where the number of existing towers can鈥檛 keep up with growing populations.
But the problem is especially acute in rural areas. In the mountains, topography can make it hard to send signals long distances. Small and spread-out populations can also be an obstacle. , a national advocacy group, found that it takes about 1,000 people for a company to justify building a cell tower, and there are many Colorado communities smaller than that.
Another sponsor of House Bill 1056, Rep. Meghan Lukens, a Democrat from the rural northwestern corner of Colorado, said a lack of reliable cell service is a public safety issue.
鈥淭he people that are driving throughout the mountain regions, but also just rural Colorado in general, are usually driving without cell phone connectivity, which is a huge safety concern for my district,鈥� Lukens said.
Lukens also said it鈥檚 important to make it more appealing for cell phone companies to build infrastructure in Colorado. Wireless providers specifically requested the reforms included in the bill.
鈥淭he request was, please provide clarity in Colorado, so that we know what is expected of us when we are deciding which states to invest in,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want investment to come to Colorado so that we can increase cell phone connectivity in our state.鈥�
Some Republican lawmakers spoke out against the proposal on the House floor, arguing that it would amount to state overreach and infringe too much on local government control.
鈥淚'm concerned about the bill taking from the top down work and taking away local governments decision-making rights,鈥� said Rep. Larry Don Suckla of Cortez, in southwest Colorado.
Another freshman House Republican, Fort Lupton Rep. Carlos Barron, read from a letter he said was sent to him by the Denver Metro Mayors Caucus in opposition.
House Bill 1056 needs to pass a final vote in the House before it can move over to the Senate for further consideration.
The measure is one of three bills referred to the legislature by the Cell Phone Connectivity Interim Study Committee, which was created last year to find solutions to the state鈥檚 unreliable service. The other two bills are meant to create more industry incentives and streamline the state's public alert system.
