On Thursday, February 21, two small cell bills had their public hearing in the House Economic Matters Committee. It was a lengthy hearing during which the wireless industry supported bill (HB 654) and the community coalition bill supported by MML (HB 1020) were debated. Local government officials and various land use and government transparency groups opposed HB 654 which would preempt local land use authority and circumvent the process of siting these small cells.
Today, Tuesday, February 26, the Senate cross files of those bills will have their public hearing in the Senate Finance Committee; SB 973 is the wireless industry supported bill that MML opposes, while SB 713 is the community coalition bill that preserves local authority. There are many moving parts behind the scenes so stay posted for more small cell updates!