Date: Fri 13-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-home-rule-towers

Full Text:

Ed Ink: Towers And Home Rule

Home rule is the principle that gives communities the power to control those

things they hold near and dear - like the neighborhood school and the view

from the top of the hill. And because all politics is local, home rule has

been woven into many of our state laws and policies at the insistence of state

legislators, who can be, at times, the most local of all politicians.

Underlying the principle of home rule is the notion that there is a kind of

wisdom that is place-specific. No one knows our town like we do. There are

times when that notion is tested, and now is one of those times.

Two committees of the state General Assembly are considering legislation that

will give towns the option of drafting their own regulations governing the

placement of telecommunication towers within their borders. The measure has

generated strong opposition from the telecommunications industry, which wants

to leave jurisdiction for the placement of these towers solely with the

Connecticut Siting Council. The council, according to the industry, has the

expertise to establish a network using the fewest number of towers in the most

efficient way.

There is much to be said for expertise and efficiency, especially in the

design and implementation of new technologies. But when age-old rural vistas

and ridgetops are suddenly spiked with towers and their beacons, people don't

want to hear about efficiency, and it doesn't take an expert to understand

that people aren't going to willingly surrender their traditional rights to

shape the look and character of their town to the exigencies of a utility

company's capital-expansion plans.

Under federal law, telecommunications companies cannot be blocked from placing

towers in the countryside, but local concerns and preferences should be on the

agenda when placement decisions are made. The issue has been and will continue

to be contentious. Any town taking on a telecommunications company over tower

placement can expect to spend a lot of money on legal fees, but the state

should at least give communities that option.