Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • January 21, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 15 poles, well exceeding various PURA- mandated approval timelines. NetSpeed said the delays have hurt its ability to market its new broad- band service to potential customers. "As a result, the customer take rate has lagged behind the rates in other markets served by NetSpeed outside Connecticut," the company told PURA. "This has exacerbated the deleterious effect of delayed revenue arising from the [pole owners'] delay." Later in November, Frontier sued NetSpeed, claiming it installed fiber on its poles without permission. Frontier has also protested to PURA that it only has partial control over the pole process. United Illuminating has told PURA that a growing backlog of applications from companies seeking to attach equipment to its poles, as well as trou- ble communicating with its fellow pole owner Frontier, was causing delays. Meanwhile, Frontier has complained to PURA that it's been forced to absorb the cost of hiring outside contractors to process the applications. Katz's Office of Consumer Counsel has lent its support to NetSpeed and other companies that have complained about delays in accessing utility poles. If PURA fails to get pole owners to comply with existing rules, OCC said further dysfunction could result. "This would in turn cause the state to be one with a reputation for insurmountable hurdles to effective broadband pole attachment and ser- vice provision by new entrants," OCC wrote. "Connecticut cannot afford that reputation." Katz supports a push for 5G, but also hopes it might be paired with a strategy for bringing better internet offerings to the state's more rural areas. Siting small cells In 2017, PURA streamlined its process for approving the installation of small cells on utility poles, receiving praise from both municipalities and mobile carriers — parties that had largely been at odds over the issue in recent years. "That was a very good and impor- tant decision," AT&T's Emra said. However, he hopes state govern- ment will step in to do more. Emra said AT&T has many more small cells to build in the state, but it will need access to municipal and state property to do it, since a utility pole isn't always available in just the right spot for a small cell. Though Emra didn't name names, he said AT&T sometimes has to wait months to even hear back from mu- nicipalities it's contacted about siting a small cell on a government-owned building or structure. A bifurcated system of local and state approvals slows things down, he said. Emra said he wants the legislature to develop model licensing agreements, as has been done in several states, and direct cities and towns to follow them. "It shouldn't take six months to a year to have introductory discus- sions about trying to deploy small cells in the community," Emra said. The Connecticut Conference of Mu- nicipalities said cities and towns must have a role in the approval process. "Cities and towns want to be sup- portive of bringing 5G into Con- necticut, moving this process along in a timely way, but need a system that includes towns in the process for small-cell approvals, ensuring the protection of property rights," said CCM spokesman Kevin Maloney. Local residents have complained to officials about how small cells will im- pact the appearance of their neighbor- hoods. They've also expressed con- cerns that radiation small cells emit could have negative health effects. Federal law restricts the ability of state and local governments to block the installation of wireless facilities over radio-frequency concerns, a fact that PURA spelled out in its 2017 pole-access streamlining decision. Carriers say small cells are well under the exposure guidelines set by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC's website says "no scientific evidence establishes a causal link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses." However, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumen- thal and Katz have urged the FCC to update its radio-frequency standards, which are now about 20 years old. "Indeed, the No. 1 complaint from residents centers on concerns about the potential health effects of the increased [radio-frequency] emissions by the intensity, proximity, and num- ber of new antennas anticipated," Katz wrote to the FCC last year. John Emra, AT&T Connecticut president, said his company and other carriers could use some help speeding up infrastructure-siting discussions at the municipal level. PHOTO | HBJ FILE As a plan sponsor, don't let your fiduciary responsibility get hung up solely on fees. Our ar cle on benchmarking can help you discover why periodically reviewing your plans is an important step to take to ensure they con nue to be relevant to your company and its employees. Let our experts show you how your defined contribu on plan ranks against similar plans with a FREE benchmarking report. Learn more at hhconsultants.com/benchmarking DOES YOUR COMPANY'S RETIREMENT PLAN STACK UP? HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | 860.236.9998 ADVERTISING@HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM DRIVING YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH OUR GROWING DIGITAL TRAFFIC Limited E-news and website advertising opportunities available. Don't miss your chance, advertise today! Advertising@hartfordbusiness.com

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