Florida’s Advanced Wireless Infrastructure Deployment Act allows mobile phone companies to install small 5G base stations without local government approval.
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa families are currently fighting for stricter regulations on where 5G cell towers can be built in their community.
At least two similar towers have already been built in Tampa’s Bayshore Beautiful neighborhood, with more planned.
Like regular cell towers, they are installed to boost wireless signal speeds throughout a neighborhood, but local residents say they are uneasy because they are close to their homes.
Kitty Solomon installed it in the driveway area of her front yard about a year ago.
“It’s so close! It really feels like I’m sleeping with Paul!” Solomon joked.
She said cell phone towers suddenly appeared.
“All of a sudden, without any warning, they started drilling,” Solomon says.
A similar 5G pole has been installed a mile away in the same neighborhood.
“It’s awful and it’s concerning,” said nearby resident Leslie Thomas. “I work from home and having this near my kids’ bedrooms slows down the internet.”
Morgan Watts, who lives deep in the neighborhood, learned that Verizon plans to install a 5G tower next to her home.
“I’m angry that I don’t have a say, I’m angry that I’ve asked questions and all I’ve been told is it’s safe. My research is inconclusive. Even the World Health Organization’s official statement on 5G says this new technology is still under investigation,” Watts said.
Attorney Matania Jahn specializes in zoning and land use.
“Local governments don’t have much discretion in this regard,” Jahn explained.
Jahn said this is due to Florida’s Advanced Wireless Infrastructure Deployment Act, which allows telecommunications companies to install small 5G base stations without local government approval.
“Imagine if FP&L or a utility had to go through a public hearing every time they put up a pole. It’s a very similar situation with small cells, because their range is very limited,” Jahn explained.
Now Morgan-Watts and her neighbors are working to change state law regulating 5G poles. They’ve started a petition on Change.org, asking state leaders to impose further restrictions on where and how many poles can be placed.
“What I’m trying to do here is nothing new. There are hundreds of municipalities, states and countries in Europe that have restrictions on 5G base stations and their placement,” Watts explained.
Their goal is to give local leaders regulatory powers or to make far-reaching changes to drive them out of their neighborhoods.
Another example Watts is focusing on is a bill currently going through the New Hampshire legislature that, if passed, would mean 5G poles would not be allowed within 500 meters of any home or school.
