99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB2785

 

Introduced 2/17/2016, by Sen. Terry Link

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act. Provides that an authority, defined as a city, village, incorporated town, township, or county and each department or agency thereof, may not prohibit or regulate the collocation of small wireless facilities or small facility networks. Provides that small wireless facilities and small facility networks shall be a permitted use in all authority zoning districts. In provisions concerning building, electrical, and public use permits, provides that an authority may: require a person to obtain permits for the collocation of small wireless facilities and small facility networks to the same extent permits are required for other construction, activity, and uses; not require applicants to provide information not required of other applicants; not require an application fee greater than the amount charged to other telecommunications providers. Sets out fee exemptions and fee limits related to collocating small wireless facilities and small facility networks.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB2785LRB099 19189 EGJ 43581 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Small
5Wireless Facilities Deployment Act.
 
6    Section 5. Legislative intent. Small wireless facilities
7will be critical to delivering wireless access to advanced
8technology and information to homes, businesses, and schools in
9Illinois. To ensure that small wireless facilities may be
10deployed efficiently and cost-effectively, the General
11Assembly is enacting this Act, which specifies how local
12authorities may regulate the collocation of small wireless
13facilities and small facility networks.
 
14    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
15    "Antenna" means communications equipment that transmits or
16receives electromagnetic radio signals used in the provision of
17any type of wireless communications services.
18    "Authority" means a city, village, incorporated town,
19township, or county and each department or agency thereof.
20    "Collocation" or "collocate" means the mounting,
21installation, maintenance, operation, or modification of
22wireless facilities on an existing tower, building, utility

 

 

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1pole, water tower, or other structure.
2    "Small facility network" means a collection of
3interrelated small wireless facilities designed to deliver
4wireless service.
5    "Small wireless facilities" means wireless facilities that
6meet both of the following qualifications: (i) each antenna is
7located inside an enclosure of no more than 6 cubic feet in
8volume or, in the case of an antenna that has exposed elements,
9the antenna and all of its exposed elements could fit within an
10imaginary enclosure of no more than 6 cubic feet; and (ii) all
11other wireless equipment associated with the structure is
12cumulatively no more than 28 cubic feet in volume. The
13following associated equipment is not included in the
14calculation of equipment volume: electric meter, concealment,
15telecommunications demarcation box, ground-based enclosures,
16back-up power systems, grounding equipment, power transfer
17switch, cut-off switch, and vertical cable runs for the
18connection of power and other services.
19    "Wireless facilities" means equipment at a fixed location
20that enables wireless communications between user equipment
21and a communications network, including: (i) equipment
22associated with wireless communications services such as
23private, broadcast, and public safety services, as well as
24unlicensed wireless services and fixed wireless services such
25as microwave backhaul; and (ii) radio transceivers, antennas,
26coaxial or fiber-optic cable, regular and backup power

 

 

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1supplies, and comparable equipment, regardless of
2technological configuration.
 
3    Section 15. Regulation of small wireless facilities and
4small facility networks.
5    (a) Except as provided in this Section, an authority may
6not prohibit or regulate the collocation of small wireless
7facilities or small facility networks.
8    (b) Small wireless facilities and small facility networks
9shall be a permitted use in all authority zoning districts.
10    (c) An authority may require a person to obtain building,
11electrical, and public way use permits for the collocation of
12small wireless facilities and small facility networks to the
13same extent those permits are required for other construction,
14activity, and uses. Applicants seeking collocations may not be
15required to provide information not required of other
16applicants. Any application fee shall not exceed the amount
17charged to other telecommunications providers. An authority
18shall permit an applicant to request and receive a single
19building, electrical, or public way use permit for a small
20wireless facilities network. An authority may not charge a
21person for collocating small wireless facilities and small
22facility networks on structures along, across, upon, or under a
23public street, road, highway, or right of way.
24    An authority shall process permits authorized under this
25subsection (c) on a nondiscriminatory basis. An application

 

 

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1shall be deemed approved if the authority fails to approve or
2disapprove the application within 30 days. This period may be
3tolled to accommodate timely requests for information required
4to complete the application or may be extended by mutual
5agreement between the authority and the applicant.
6    (d) An authority may not charge to collocate small wireless
7facilities and small facility networks on structures owned or
8controlled by the authority if the authority does not charge
9other commercial entities to occupy or use similarly situated
10property. If an authority charges to collocate small wireless
11facilities and small facility networks on structures owned or
12controlled by the authority, it may not charge more than the
13lesser of: (1) the amount it charges other commercial entities
14for the same amount of space; (2) the projected cost to the
15authority resulting from the collocation; or (3) $1,000
16annually.
 
17    Section 20. Home rule. A home rule municipality may not
18prohibit or regulate small wireless facilities and small
19facility networks in a manner inconsistent with this Act. This
20Act is a denial and limitation of municipal home rule powers
21and functions under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII
22of the Illinois Constitution.