A Next Generation Kerfuffle for Telecommunications Infrastructure

The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board has produced the most recent editorial opposing California Senate Bill 649, which "would 'streamline' the approval process for putting small cell networking gear on public poles and lights," in support of 5G wireless network technology.

The editorial provides context for the controversy created by the bill by describing the potential benefits of 5G technology, as well as the opposition the technology has sparked in local communities that have already tried to implement the technology.

After explaining the situation, however, the editorial sides with local governments in what amounts to a question of local vs. state control of land use approvals. According to the editorial, other states are also wrestling with the issue, so California is far from the only state that will have to settle this debate.

Nina Beety, a writer, educator, and member of the California EMF Safety Committee, also penned an earlier opinion piece opposing the bill for the East Bay Times.

San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan L. Kelly Jr. also argued against the bill for the editorial pages of the San Francisco Chronicle.