Lawmakers Seek Changes in Cell Tower Law

State and local officials are taking steps to update the state’s process for approving cell towers in an effort to keep up with changing technology that someday may provide a smaller, less intrusive communication system for shoreline communities.

State Rep. Lonnie Reed (D‑Branford) is collaborating with Rep. Pat Widlitz, (D‑Branford and Guilford), and Rep. Deb Heinrich (D- Guilford and Madison) to introduce legislation regarding the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC) — - the agency that oversees cell tower placement.

The CSC has already held hearings on a Pine Orchard site in Branford and one in Madison. In addition to the site that is already on the state docket, at least eight other towers are in the early planning stages throughout Branford.

Proposals for cell towers in Short Beach and Stony Creek are still ongoing. Residents and town officials are searching for alternate sites for a 120-foot cell tower in Short Beach and residents in Stony Creek have hired an attorney to aid their opposition to a 75-foot tower proposed from 84 Thimble Island Rd.

The three shoreline legislators are asking the General Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee to introduce cell tower legislation as soon as possible and they are looking for community input. 

“Our plan is to work on crafting legislative language that will update the Connecticut Siting Council’s process to reflect our new reality,” said Reed, who is a member of the Energy and Technology committee. 

Reed, Widlitz and Heinrich have attended numerous local meetings where residents have expressed outrage about the proliferation of cell tower proposals along the shoreline. Many of the proposals are in direct response to Amtrak’s desire to increase cellular and WiFi coverage for train passengers.

“What we want people to know is that we hear them and that we are responding,” Reed informed the Eagle. ​“We agree that the cell phone tower issue has entered a whole new era. Modern communications are demanding far greater band width and more reliable quality. We are dealing with federal and state laws that mandate progress. We are trying to come up with a workable compromise that refines the current siting process to encourage miniaturized communications technologies that minimize aesthetic and environmental impacts.”

Branford First Selectman Anthony ​“Unk” DaRos said he supports the legislation that Reed is proposing. 

DaRos is already taking a regional approach to the cell tower dilemma. He has formed a local advisory panel and has contacted officials in shoreline towns eastward to Old Saybrook to discuss ways to minimize the impact of the impending cell towers. 

“We’ve been talking back and forth,” DaRos said. He has also informed the other communities that Branford is in the process of hiring a consultant ​“to guide us through this.”

The advisory panel recently created a survey that is being sent to shoreline towns to ascertain their experience with cell towers and to see if they want to share in the costs and expertise of a consultant. DaRos lauded the advisory panel for their efforts. ​“They’re gathering this whole thing together so we can share information with the public.”

The legislation that Reed, Widlitz and Heinrich are hoping to create would:

—Require the Siting Council to keep informed about the latest technological options and that those options be factored into the decision-making process.

—Encourage regional cooperation by giving town zoning boards the right to participate in the siting process if their town chooses to join in a regional plan.

—Require public disclosure of any master plans for upgrading coverage in geographic areas, such as Amtrak’s corridor.

Widlitz said Amtrak has not shared its master plan for cell tower expansion with communities, and that it is important for towns to have that information. ​“Without it, our region can’t make smart decisions about how to improve service without littering the whole landscape,” she said in a press release.

The CSC supersedes all local zoning boards when it comes to cell tower placement. Towns and residents can currently partake in the process by expressing their concerns at public hearings. Reed explained that the new legislation could allow towns who commit to a regional plan to have more zoning input.

“Our shoreline towns are being bombarded with cell phone tower proposals three, four, five at a time. Town leaders and residents complain to us that the process has become random and chaotic,” the legislators said in a press release. ​“It is time for us at the state level to take the reins and to address the situation in a responsible, cost-neutral way that provides clarity, calms concerns and helps the system work more efficiently. The process must make more sense.”

Heinrich said the need for regional approaches to solving problems is becoming more evident. ​“We are entering an era of regional cooperation where towns seek more ways to work together to make wiser choices that do a better job of protecting our environment and serving our citizens,” she said in a prepared statement. ​“The CT Siting Council process must be modernized to reflect that new reality.”

In Branford, a decision from the CSC is expected soon regarding a proposal to build a 125-foot cell tower at 123 Pine Orchard Rd. Since the Dec. 15 hearing, additional information has been added to the CSC docket for the proposed tower.

Included was a response from an Amtrak project director stating that Amtrak’s catenary structures in Connecticut cannot be used as a base for cellular antennas and equipment because they are not designed to handle the additional weight. A catenary structure, which is made of cables, is found in railway systems.

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