Illinois sWTF Deployment Act:SB.1451 vs. HB.5818

sWTFs = so-called “small” Wireless Telecommunications Facilities

Preamble: Does SB.1451/HB.5818 Conflict with the 1996-TCA?
YES — which is why Illinois Requires Foundational Changes in SB.1451/HB.5818

From the You Can’t Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too department . . .

Once the cake is eaten, it is gone . . . you can’t have it both ways . . . you have to make a choice.

. . . Acronyms to the Rescue.

1996-TCA = 1996 Telecommunications Act
1996-TCA Conference Report = Legislative intent of the 1996-TCA
LC = Local Control, the third leg of the stool in the 1996-TCA’s scheme of Cooperative Federalism
FTTP = Fiber Optic to the Premises
QES = Quiet Enjoyment of Streets
RF-EMR = RF Electromagnetic Microwave Radiation
ERP = Effective Radiated Power (even better!)

WTF = Wireless Telecom Facilities of Any G
sWTF = so-called “Small” WTF of Any G
V • H • P = A City must regulate all three variables: Vertical offset, Horizontal offset and maximum Effective Radiated Power . . . otherwise the City has achieved nothing! (no one can bend physics or lie to one’s biology).

One cannot simply put lipstick on a pig, and then . . .

. . . expect to return any meaningful or effective local control to Illinois counties, cities, towns and villages.

To LC or not to LC, that is the question?

Local Zoning Regulations are the bedrock of local rule. Local rule and Cooperative Federalism, as affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2005, take precedence over a presumptive order, FCC 18-133, that is inconsistent with the intent of the 1996-TCA and its 1996-TCA Conference Report:

1996-TCA:

“(A) General authority. — Except as provided in this paragraph, nothing in this Act shall limit or affect the authority of a State or local government or instrumentality thereof over decisions regarding the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service facilities.”

II. 1996-TCA Conference Report:

“When utilizing the term “functionally equivalent services” the conferees are referring only to personal wireless services as defined in this section that directly compete against one another.The intent of the conferees is to ensure that a State or local government does not in making a decision regarding the placement, construction and modification of facilities of personal wireless services described in this section unreasonably favor one competitor over another. The conferees also intend that the phrase ‘‘unreasonably discriminate among providers of functionally equivalent services’’ will provide localities with the flexibility to treat facilities that create different visual, aesthetic, or safety concerns differently to the extent permitted under generally applicable zoning requirements even if those facilities provide functionally equivalent services. For example, the conferees do not intend that if a State or local government grants a permit in a commercial district, it must also grant a permit for a competitor’s 50-foot tower in a residential district.

Actions taken by State or local governments shall not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting the placement, construction or modification of personal wireless services. It is the intent of this section that bans or policies that have the effect of banning personal wireless services or facilities not be allowed and that decisions be made on a case-by-case basis.

Under subsection (c)(7)(B)(ii), decisions are to be rendered in a reasonable period of time, taking into account the nature and scope of each request. If a request for placement of a personal wireless service facility involves a zoning variance or a public hearing or comment process, the time period for rendering a decision will be the usual period under such circumstances. It is not the intent of this provision to give preferential treatment to the personal wireless service industry in the processing of requests, or to subject their requests to any but the generally applicable time frames for zoning decision.”

CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES et al. v. ABRAMS (2005)

“Congress initially considered a single national solution, namely a Federal Communications Commission wireless tower siting policy that would preempt state and local authority. Ibid.; see also H. R. Conf. Rep. No. 104-458, p. 207 (1996). But Congress ultimately rejected the national approach and substituted a system based on cooperative federalism. Id., at 207-208.

State and local authorities would remain free to make siting decisions They would do so, however, subject to minimum federal standards — both substantive and procedural — as well as federal judicial review.”

KEY TELECOM DEFINITIONS from U.S. Code Title 47

§ 151. Federal Communications Commission (1934)

PURPOSE:

. . . a rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges,

for the purpose of the national defense,

for the purpose of promoting safety of life and property

§ 332. Mobile Services (1996)

PURPOSE:

(a) Factors which Commission must consider

promote the safety of life and property;

improve the efficiency of spectrum use and reduce the regulatory burden upon spectrum users, based upon sound engineering principles, user operational requirements, and marketplace demands;

encourage competition and provide services to the largest feasible number of users; or

§ 153 Definitions.

(50) Telecommunications — The term “telecommunications” means the transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user’s choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received.

(53) Telecommunications service — The term “telecommunications service” means the offering of telecommunications for a fee directly to the public, or to such classes of users as to be effectively available directly to the public, regardless of the facilities used.

(24) Information service — The term “information service” means the offering of a capability for generating, acquiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving, utilizing, or making available information via telecommunications, and includes electronic publishing, but does not include any use of any such capability for the management, control, or operation of a telecommunications system or the management of a telecommunications service.

§ 332. Definitions

§ 332(c)(7)(B) Limitations. —

   (i) The regulation of the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service facilities by any State or local government or instrumentality thereof —

      (I) shall not unreasonably discriminate among providers of functionally equivalent services; and

      (II) shall not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting the provision of personal wireless services.

§ 332(c)(7)(C) Definitions. —

(i) the term ‘personal wireless services’ means commercial mobile services, unlicensed wireless services, and common carrier wireless exchange access services;

(ii) the term ‘personal wireless service facilities’ means facilities for the provision of personal wireless services; and

1996-TCA Conference Report.

“When utilizing the term ‘‘functionally equivalent services’’ the conferees are referring only to personal wireless services as defined in this section that directly compete against one another.

FTTP Broadband and Wireless Broadband Are NOT Functionally Equivalent Services

	Wireline FTTP Broadband	Wireless Broadband
Data Medium	Wireline glass fiber	Wireless through the air
Spectrum	Visible Light	Microwave
Frequencies	Terrahertz	Megahertz
Frequency Ranges	405,000,000,000,000 Hz to 790,000,000,000,000 Hz	600,000,000 Hz to 86,000,000,000 Hz
Frequency Ranges	405 × 10¹² Hz to 790 × 10¹² Hz	600 × 10⁶ Hz to 86,000 × 10⁶ Hz
Wireless Interference	None	Ubiquitous
Data capacity	Huge	Limited
Download speed	1,000 Mbsp down	25-100 Mbsp down
Upload speed	1,000 Mbsp up	5-10 Mbsp up
Latency	1-5 mill-seconds	10-50 ms
Energy-efficiency	Extremely efficient	Extremely inefficient
More Frequent Installation	Underground	On poles
Less Frequent Installation	On poles	Underground
Ease of date capture	Difficult	Easy
Security	Much more secure	Much less secure
National Security	More reliable	Much less reliable
Electromagnetic Pulse Attack	Survives	Does not survive
Fire: Natural or Attack	Survives Underground	Does not survive=
Health Effects	None	Many Proven`*`
Biological Effects	None	Many Proven`*`
Environmental Effects	None	Many Proven`*`
Impacts in/from PROW	None	Significant`**`

* Link to tens of thousand of peer-reviewed studies — established science that proves Negative Health, Biological and Environmental Impacts of RF microwave radiation exposures

**Link to safety, privacy and property value harms from Wireless Telecommunications Facilities (WTFs) installed near homes

V. KEY 2019-2020 U.S. Courts of Appeals Rulings

Aug 9, 2019 — DC Circuit Ruling in Case No. 18-1129, Keetoowah et al. v FCC, re: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Oct 1, 2019 — DC Circuit Ruling in Case No. 18-1051, Mozilla et al. v FCC, re: Net Neutrality & State Preemption
Aug 12, 2020 — Ninth Circuit Ruling in Case No. 18-72689, City of Portland et al. v FCC, re: Streamline Small Cell Deployment

Aug 9, 2019 Ruling

“We rule that the Order’s deregulation of small cells is arbitrary and capricious because its public-interest analysis did not meet the standard of reasoned decisionmaking.””

Oct 1, 2019 Ruling

“For the Preemption Directive to stand, then, the Commission must have had express or ancillary authority to issue it. It had neither . . . By reclassifying broadband as an information service, the Commission placed broadband outside of its Title II jurisdiction. And broadband is not a “radio transmission” under Title III or a “cable service” under Title VI. So the Commission’s express authority under Titles III or VI does not come into play either. Nor did Congress statutorily grant the Commission freestanding preemption authority to displace state laws even in areas in which it does not otherwise have regulatory power. With express and ancillary preemption authority off the table, the Commission was explicit that it was grounding its Preemption Directive in (i) the “impossibility exception” to state jurisdiction, and (ii) the “federal policy of nonregulation for information services.” 2018 Order ¶¶ 198, 202. Neither theory holds up. . . . [The FCC] just cannot completely disavow Title II with one hand while still clinging to Title II forbearance authority with the other . . . the Commission’s power to choose one regulatory destination or another does not give it the option to mix and match its favorite parts of both . . . Congress, the Court has explained, “does not alter the fundamental details of a regulatory scheme,” let alone step so heavily on the balance of power between the federal government and the States, “in vague terms or ancillary provisions — it does not, one might say, hide elephants in mouseholes.” Whitman v. American Trucking Ass’ns, 531 U.S. 457, 468 (2001)”

The State of Illinois Has To Finally Address the Elephant in the Room

§ 332. Mobile Services (1996) — “(a) Factors which Commission must consider — (1) promote the safety of life and property.”
Title 47 §332(c)(7)(B)(iv) — “No State or local government or instrumentality thereof may regulate the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent that such facilities comply with the Commission’s regulations concerning such emissions.”
It is exceedingly unlikely that it was Congress’ intent for the population to sicken and die in order to maximize the profits of the $500 trillion Big Wireless industry (read about Congressional intent)
Environmental effects DO NOT EQUATE TO health effects
Environmental effects DO NOT EQUATE TO health concerns
. . . regardless of the following Second Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling: “The statute uses the term ‘environmental effects‘ to describe an impermissible basis for decision. Although one court has questioned whether ‘environmental effects‘ and ‘health concerns‘ are the same, see Iowa Wireless Servs., L.P. v. City of Moline, Illinois, 29 F.Supp.2d 915, 924 (C.D.Ill.1998), we believe that the terms are interchangeable and will use ‘health concerns‘ to refer to the constituent testimony on the connection between [radio frequency emmissions] and cancer and other health problems.” (see definitions, below)
The current FCC RF-EMR Guideline is nonscientific nonsense because it is only an industrial guideline, not a safety guideline and it only addresses the rate of poison delivery — NOT the total dose of poison delivered over time (see rate x time)
Compliance with the current FCC RF-EMR Guideline does not and cannot confer public safety

Being Forced to Drink Beakers of 4G/5G Poison

Definition of effect (noun): 1 : something that inevitably follows an antecedent (such as a cause or agent); 2 : power to bring about a result; 3 : an outward sign
Definition of concern (noun): 1 : a matter that causes feelings of unease, uncertainty, or apprehension; 2 : an uneasy state of blended interest, uncertainty, and apprehension; 3 : matter for consideration

Problems With So-Called “small” Wireless Telecommunications Facilities (sWTFs)

sWTFs are falsely branded. They are 25 million times more powerful than Macro Cell Towers, once you consider the metric that matters — the intensities of the toxic pollutant (RF/MW radiation) that reaches second- and third-story bedrooms:

What Really Matters: Excessive Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
That Results in RF Microwave Radiation Intensities in 2nd-Story+ Bedrooms

Cell Tower	Vertical Distance Off Ground	Horizontal Distance Away	Power in bedroom (2nd-story+)
small cell	35 feet	60 feet	50,000 avg. radiation units
Macro cell	200 feet	2,500 feet	0.002 avg. radiation units

Conclusion: 50,000 µW/m² from a so-called “small” cell is 25 million times more powerful than 0.002 µW/m² (-85 dBm) from a Macro cell —
Note: -85 dBm is a signal strength which provides 5 Bars of telecommunications service on a cell phone (source: link to The Truth About 4G/5G in Sacramento )

Sacramento, CA: 60 feet from home → children immediately sickened (© Windheim EMF Solutions) | San Francisco, CA: 10 feet from home → brain tumor diagnosed in three months | Santa Rosa, CA: 20 feet from home → home sold at 23% discount ($150,000+ loss in property value)

Feb 10, 2020 Argument of Case No. 18-72689

Feb 10, 2020: Argument in US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Pasadena, CA
Source page at Local Govt. v. FCC | Case No. 18-72689 | SCHROEDER, BYBEE, BRESS

FCC Attorney Scott Noveck:

At 35:35 — “I think [the authority] could say ‘that . . . if a 50 foot pole would be out of character with the surrounding neighborhood, [then] you can’t put up a 50-foot pole.'”

At 38:28 — “These orders are not self-enforcing. They contemplate the need, in many circumstances, for further case-by-case adjudication . . . Nothing in this order is self-enforcing . . . this order is designed to provide some clarity and narrow the scope of disputes . . . but when there are remaining disputes, nothing about this order is self-enforcing . . . it is treated as an adjudication . . .[Section 332] specifically directs the court to consider [the adjudication(s)] on an expedited basis.

At 51:32 — “I think that there’s no evidence in the record that there are those capacity constraints at issue . . . these small cells, though they have less range than Macro Towers, they have a fair range.”

Aug 12, 2020 Ruling

See Link to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Case No. 18-72689 City of Portland et al. v FCC re: repeal of FCC Orders 18-111 and 18-133.

We therefore hold that the FCC’s requirement in the Small Cell Order that aesthetic regulations be “no more burdensome” than regulations applied to other infrastructure deployment is contrary to the controlling statutory provision. See 47 U.S.C. § 332(c)(7)(B)(i)(II). We also hold that the FCC’s requirement that all local aesthetic regulations be “objective” is not adequately explained and is therefore arbitrary and capricious.

We therefore: GRANT the petitions as to those requirements, VACATE those portions of the rule and REMAND them to the FCC.”

Legend

Grey background = original 2018 SB.1451 text

Blue background = 2018 SB.1451 text repeated as 2020 HB.5818 text & ~~proposed deletions~~

Yellow background = 2020 HB.5818 text & ~~proposed deletions~~

Green background = proposed additions to HB.5818 text

SB.1451 from 2018

Section 1. Short title.

This Act may be cited as the Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act.

HB.5818 from 2020

Section 1. Short title.

This Act may be cited as the Protect Me From Densified 4G/5G Infrastructure Act.

Section 5. Legislative intent.

Small wireless facilities are critical to delivering wireless access to advanced technology, broadband, and 9-1-1 services to homes, businesses, and schools in Illinois. Because of the integral role that the delivery of wireless technology plays in the economic vitality of the State of Illinois and in the lives of its citizens, the General Assembly has determined that a law addressing the deployment of wireless technology is of vital interest to the State. To ensure that public and private Illinois consumers continue to benefit from these services as soon as possible and to ensure that providers of wireless access have a fair and predictable process for the deployment of small wireless facilities in a manner consistent with the character of the area in which the small wireless facilities are deployed, the General Assembly is enacting this Act, which specifies how local authorities may regulate the collocation of small wireless facilities.

Section 5. Legislative intent.

The Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act is amended by changing Section 15 and adding Section 45 as follows:

(50 ILCS 840/15) (was 50 ILCS 835/15)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on June 1, 2021)

Section 7. Applicability.

This Act does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1,000,000 or more.

Section 7. Applicability.

This Act does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1,000,000 or more.

Section 10. Definitions.

As used in this Act:

“Antenna” means communications equipment that transmits or receives electromagnetic radio frequency signals used in the provision of wireless services.

“Applicable codes” means uniform building, fire, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical codes adopted by a recognized national code organization or local amendments to those codes, including the National Electric Safety Code.

“Applicant” means any person who submits an application and is a wireless provider.

“Application” means a request submitted by an applicant to an authority for a permit to collocate small wireless facilities, and a request that includes the installation of a new utility pole for such collocation, as well as any applicable fee for the review of such application.

“Authority” means a unit of local government that has jurisdiction and control for use of public rights-of-way as provided by the Illinois Highway Code for placements within public rights-of-way or has zoning or land use control for placements not within public rights-of-way.

“Authority utility pole” means a utility pole owned or operated by an authority in public rights-of-way.

“Collocate” or “collocation” means to install, mount, maintain, modify, operate, or replace wireless facilities on or adjacent to a wireless support structure or utility pole.

“Communications service” means cable service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. 522(6), as amended; information service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. 153(24), as amended; telecommunications service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. 153(53), as amended; mobile service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. 153(33), as amended; or wireless service other than mobile service.

“Communications service provider” means a cable operator, as defined in 47 U.S.C. 522(5), as amended; a provider of information service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. 153(24), as amended; a telecommunications carrier, as defined in 47 U.S.C. 153(51), as amended; or a wireless provider.

“FCC” means the Federal Communications Commission of the United States.

“Fee” means a one-time charge.

“Historic district” or “historic landmark” means a building, property, or site, or group of buildings, properties, or sites that are either (i) listed in the National Register of Historic Places or formally determined eligible for listing by the Keeper of the National Register, the individual who has been delegated the authority by the federal agency to list properties and determine their eligibility for the National Register, in accordance with Section VI.D.1.a.i through Section VI.D.1.a.v of the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement codified at 47 CFR Part 1, Appendix C; or (ii) designated as a locally landmarked building, property, site, or historic district by an ordinance adopted by the authority pursuant to a preservation program that meets the requirements of the Certified Local Government Program of the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office or where such certification of the preservation program by the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office is pending.

“Law” means a federal or State statute, common law, code, rule, regulation, order, or local ordinance or resolution.

“Micro wireless facility” means a small wireless facility that is not larger in dimension than 24 inches in length, 15 inches in width, and 12 inches in height and that has an exterior antenna, if any, no longer than 11 inches.

“Permit” means a written authorization required by an authority to perform an action or initiate, continue, or complete a project.

“Person” means an individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, trust, or other entity or organization, including an authority.

“Public safety agency” means the functional division of the federal government, the State, a unit of local government, or a special purpose district located in whole or in part within this State, that provides or has authority to provide firefighting, police, ambulance, medical, or other emergency services to respond to and manage emergency incidents.

“Rate” means a recurring charge. “Right-of-way” means the area on, below, or above a public roadway, highway, street, public sidewalk, alley, or utility easement dedicated for compatible use.

“Right-of-way” does not include authority-owned aerial lines.

“Small wireless facility” means a wireless facility that meets both of the following qualifications: (i) each antenna is located inside an enclosure of no more than 6 cubic feet in volume or, in the case of an antenna that has exposed elements, the antenna and all of its exposed elements could fit within an imaginary enclosure of no more than 6 cubic feet; and (ii) all other wireless equipment attached directly to a utility pole associated with the facility is cumulatively no more than 25 cubic feet in volume. The following types of associated ancillary equipment are not included in the calculation of equipment volume: electric meter, concealment elements, telecommunications demarcation box, ground-based enclosures, grounding equipment, power transfer switch, cut-off switch, and vertical cable runs for the connection of power and other services.

“Utility pole” means a pole or similar structure that is used in whole or in part by a communications service provider or for electric distribution, lighting, traffic control, or a similar function.

“Wireless facility” means equipment at a fixed location that enables wireless communications between user equipment and a communications network, including: (i) equipment associated with wireless communications; and (ii) radio transceivers, antennas, coaxial or fiber-optic cable, regular and backup power supplies, and comparable equipment, regardless of technological configuration. “Wireless facility” includes small wireless facilities.

“Wireless facility” does not include: (i) the structure or improvements on, under, or within which the equipment is collocated; or (ii) wireline backhaul facilities, coaxial or fiber optic cable that is between wireless support structures or utility poles or coaxial, or fiber optic cable that is otherwise not immediately adjacent to or directly associated with an antenna.

“Wireless infrastructure provider” means any person authorized to provide telecommunications service in the State that builds or installs wireless communication transmission equipment, wireless facilities, wireless support structures, or utility poles and that is not a wireless services provider but is acting as an agent or a contractor for a wireless services provider for the application submitted to the authority.

“Wireless provider” means a wireless infrastructure provider or a wireless services provider.

“Wireless services” means any services provided to the general public, including a particular class of customers, and made available on a nondiscriminatory basis using licensed or unlicensed spectrum, whether at a fixed location or mobile, provided using wireless facilities.

“Wireless services provider” means a person who provides wireless services.

“Wireless support structure” means a freestanding structure, such as a monopole; tower, either guyed or self-supporting; billboard; or other existing or proposed structure designed to support or capable of supporting wireless facilities. “Wireless support structure” does not include a utility pole.

Section 10. Definitions.

As used in this Act:

“Antenna” means communications equipment that transmits or receives electromagnetic radio frequency signals used in the provision of wireless services.

“Applicant” means any person who submits an application and is a wireless provider.

“Authority“” means a unit of local government that has jurisdiction and control for use of public rights-of-way as provided by the Illinois Highway Code for placements within public rights-of-way or has zoning or land use control for placements not within public rights-of-way.

“Authority utility pole” means a utility pole owned or operated by an authority in public rights-of-way.

“Collocate” or “collocation” means to install, mount, maintain, modify, operate, or replace wireless facilities on or adjacent to a wireless support structure or utility pole.

“FCC” means the Federal Communications Commission of the United States.

“Fee” means a one-time charge.

“Law” means a federal or State statute, common law, code, rule, regulation, order, or local ordinance or resolution.

“Permit” means a written authorization required by an authority to perform an action or initiate, continue, or complete a project.

“Person” means an individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, trust, or other entity or organization, including an authority.

“Right-of-way” does not include authority-owned aerial lines.

“Wireless provider” means a wireless infrastructure provider or a wireless services provider.

“Wireless services provider” means a person who provides wireless services.

Section 15. Regulation of small wireless facilities.

(a) This Section applies to activities of a wireless provider within or outside rights-of-way.

(b) Except as provided in this Section, an authority may not prohibit, regulate, or charge for the collocation of small wireless facilities.

(c) Small wireless facilities shall be classified as permitted uses and subject to administrative review in conformance with this Act, except as provided in paragraph (5) of subsection (d) of this Section regarding height exceptions or variances, but not subject to zoning review or approval if they are collocated (i) in rights-of-way in any zone, or (ii) outside rights-of-way in property zoned exclusively for commercial or industrial use.

(d) An authority may require an applicant to obtain one or more permits to collocate a small wireless facility. An authority shall receive applications for, process, and issue permits subject to the following requirements:

(1) An authority may not directly or indirectly require an applicant to perform services unrelated to the collocation for which approval is sought, such as in-kind contributions to the authority, including reserving fiber, conduit, or utility pole space for the authority on the wireless provider’s utility pole. An authority may reserve space on authority utility poles for future public safety uses or for the authority’s electric utility uses, but a reservation of space may not preclude the collocation of a small wireless facility unless the authority reasonably determines that the authority utility pole cannot accommodate both uses.

(2) An applicant shall not be required to provide more information to obtain a permit than the authority requires of a communications service provider that is not a wireless provider that requests to attach facilities to a structure; however, a wireless provider may be required to provide the following information when seeking a permit to collocate small wireless facilities on a utility pole or wireless support structure:

(A) site specific structural integrity and, for an authority utility pole, make-ready analysis prepared by a structural engineer, as that term is defined in Section 4 of the Structural Engineering Practice Act of 1989;

(B) the location where each proposed small wireless facility or utility pole would be installed and photographs of the location and its immediate surroundings depicting the utility poles or structures on which each proposed small wireless facility would be mounted or location where utility poles or structures would be installed;

(C) specifications and drawings prepared by a structural engineer, as that term is defined in Section 4 of the Structural Engineering Practice Act of 1989, for each proposed small wireless facility covered by the application as it is proposed to be installed;

(D) the equipment type and model numbers for the antennas and all other wireless equipment associated with the small wireless facility;

(E) a proposed schedule for the installation and completion of each small wireless facility covered by the application, if approved;

(F) certification that the collocation complies with paragraph (6) to the best of the applicant’s knowledge;

(3) Subject to paragraph (6), an authority may not require the placement of small wireless facilities on any specific utility pole, or category of utility poles, or require multiple antenna systems on a single utility pole; however, with respect to an application for the collocation of a small wireless facility associated with a new utility pole, an authority may propose that the small wireless facility be collocated on an existing utility pole or existing wireless support structure within 100 feet of the proposed collocation, which the applicant shall accept if it has the right to use the alternate structure on reasonable terms and conditions and the alternate location and structure does not impose technical limits or additional material costs as determined by the applicant. The authority may require the applicant to provide a written certification describing the property rights, technical limits or material cost reasons the alternate location does not satisfy the criteria in this paragraph (3).

(4) Subject to paragraph (6), an authority may not limit the placement of small wireless facilities mounted on a utility pole or a wireless support structure by minimum horizontal separation distances.

(5) An authority may limit the maximum height of a small wireless facility to 10 feet above the utility pole or wireless support structure on which the small wireless facility is collocated. Subject to any applicable waiver, zoning, or other process that addresses wireless provider requests for an exception or variance and does not prohibit granting of such exceptions or variances, the authority may limit the height of new or replacement utility poles or wireless support structures on which small wireless facilities are collocated to the higher of: (i) 10 feet in height above the tallest existing utility pole, other than a utility pole supporting only wireless facilities, that is in place on the date the application is submitted to the authority, that is located within 300 feet of the new or replacement utility pole or wireless support structure and that is in the same right-of-way within the jurisdictional boundary of the authority, provided the authority may designate which intersecting right-of-way within 300 feet of the proposed utility pole or wireless support structures shall control the height limitation for such facility; or (ii) 45 feet above ground level.

(6) An authority may require that:

(A) the wireless provider’s operation of the small wireless facilities does not interfere with the frequencies used by a public safety agency for public safety communications; a wireless provider shall install small wireless facilities of the type and frequency that will not cause unacceptable interference with a public safety agency’s communications equipment; unacceptable interference will be determined by and measured in accordance with industry standards and the FCC’s regulations addressing unacceptable interference to public safety spectrum or any other spectrum licensed by a public safety agency; if a small wireless facility causes such interference, and the wireless provider has been given written notice of the interference by the public safety agency, the wireless provider, at its own expense, shall take all reasonable steps necessary to correct and eliminate the interference, including, but not limited to, powering down the small wireless facility and later powering up the small wireless facility for intermittent testing, if necessary; the authority may terminate a permit for a small wireless facility based on such interference if the wireless provider is not making a good faith effort to remedy the problem in a manner consistent with the abatement and resolution procedures for interference with public safety spectrum established by the FCC including 47 CFR 22.970 through 47 CFR 22.973 and 47 CFR 90.672 through 47 CFR 90.675;

(B) the wireless provider comply with requirements that are imposed by a contract between an authority and a private property owner that concern design or construction standards applicable to utility poles and ground-mounted equipment located in the right-of-way;

(C) the wireless provider comply with applicable spacing requirements in applicable codes and ordinances concerning the location of ground-mounted equipment located in the right-of-way if the requirements include a waiver, zoning, or other process that addresses wireless provider requests for exception or variance and do not prohibit granting of such exceptions or variances;

(D) the wireless provider comply with local code provisions or regulations concerning undergrounding requirements that prohibit the installation of new or the modification of existing utility poles in a right-of-way without prior approval if the requirements include a waiver, zoning, or other process that addresses requests to install such new utility poles or modify such existing utility poles and do not prohibit the replacement of utility poles;

(E) the wireless provider comply with generally applicable standards that are consistent with this Act and adopted by an authority for construction and public safety in the rights-of-way, including, but not limited to, reasonable and nondiscriminatory wiring and cabling requirements, grounding requirements, utility pole extension requirements, and signage limitations; and shall comply with reasonable and nondiscriminatory requirements that are consistent with this Act and adopted by an authority regulating the location, size, surface area and height of small wireless facilities, or the abandonment and removal of small wireless facilities;

(F) the wireless provider not collocate small wireless facilities on authority utility poles that are part of an electric distribution or transmission system within the communication worker safety zone of the pole or the electric supply zone of the pole; however, the antenna and support equipment of the small wireless facility may be located in the communications space on the authority utility pole and on the top of the pole, if not otherwise unavailable, if the wireless provider complies with applicable codes for work involving the top of the pole; for purposes of this subparagraph (F), the terms “communications space”, “communication worker safety zone”, and “electric supply zone” have the meanings given to those terms in the National Electric Safety Code as published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers;

(G) the wireless provider comply with the applicable codes and local code provisions or regulations that concern public safety;

(H) the wireless provider comply with written design standards that are generally applicable for decorative utility poles, or reasonable stealth, concealment, and aesthetic requirements that are identified by the authority in an ordinance, written policy adopted by the governing board of the authority, a comprehensive plan, or other written design plan that applies to other occupiers of the rights-of-way, including on a historic landmark or in a historic district; and

(I) subject to subsection (c) of this Section, and except for facilities excluded from evaluation for effects on historic properties under 47 CFR 1.1307(a)(4), reasonable, technically feasible and non-discriminatory design or concealment measures in a historic district or historic landmark; any such design or concealment measures, including restrictions on a specific category of poles, may not have the effect of prohibiting any provider’s technology; such design and concealment measures shall not be considered a part of the small wireless facility for purposes of the size restrictions of a small wireless facility; this paragraph may not be construed to limit an authority’s enforcement of historic preservation in conformance with the requirements adopted pursuant to the Illinois State Agency Historic Resources Preservation Act or the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, 54 U.S.C. Section 300101 et seq., and the regulations adopted to implement those laws.

(7) Within 30 days after receiving an application, an authority must determine whether the application is complete and notify the applicant. If an application is incomplete, an authority must specifically identify the missing information. An application shall be deemed complete if the authority fails to provide notification to the applicant within 30 days after when all documents, information, and fees specifically enumerated in the authority’s permit application form are submitted by the applicant to the authority. Processing deadlines are tolled from the time the authority sends the notice of incompleteness to the time the applicant provides the missing information.

(8) An authority shall process applications as follows:

(A) an application to collocate a small wireless facility on an existing utility pole or wireless support structure shall be processed on a nondiscriminatory basis and deemed approved if the authority fails to approve or deny the application within 90 days; however, if an applicant intends to proceed with the permitted activity on a deemed approved basis, the applicant must notify the authority in writing of its intention to invoke the deemed approved remedy no sooner than 75 days after the submission of a completed application; the permit shall be deemed approved on the latter of the 90th day after submission of the complete application or the 10th day after the receipt of the deemed approved notice by the authority; the receipt of the deemed approved notice shall not preclude the authority’s denial of the permit request within the time limits as provided under this Act; and

(B) an application to collocate a small wireless facility that includes the installation of a new utility pole shall be processed on a nondiscriminatory basis and deemed approved if the authority fails to approve or deny the application within 120 days; however, if an applicant intends to proceed with the permitted activity on a deemed approved basis, the applicant must notify the authority in writing of its intention to invoke the deemed approved remedy no sooner than 105 days after the submission of a completed application; the permit shall be deemed approved on the latter of the 120th day after submission of the complete application or the 10th day after the receipt of the deemed approved notice by the authority; the receipt of the deemed approved notice shall not preclude the authority’s denial of the permit request within the time limits as provided under this Act. 0

(9) An authority shall approve an application unless the application does not meet the requirements of this Act. If an authority determines that applicable codes, local code provisions or regulations that concern public safety, or the requirements of paragraph (6) require that the utility pole or wireless support structure be replaced before the requested collocation, approval may be conditioned on the replacement of the utility pole or wireless support structure at the cost of the provider. The authority must document the basis for a denial, including the specific code provisions or application conditions on which the denial was based, and send the documentation to the applicant on or before the day the authority denies an application. The applicant may cure the deficiencies identified by the authority and resubmit the revised application once within 30 days after notice of denial is sent to the applicant without paying an additional application fee. The authority shall approve or deny the revised application within 30 days after the applicant resubmits the application or it is deemed approved; however, the applicant must notify the authority in writing of its intention to proceed with the permitted activity on a deemed approved basis, which may be submitted with the resubmitted application. Any subsequent review shall be limited to the deficiencies cited in the denial. However, this revised application cure does not apply if the cure requires the review of a new location, new or different structure to be collocated upon, new antennas, or other wireless equipment associated with the small wireless facility.

(10) The time period for applications may be further tolled by:

(A) the express agreement in writing by both the applicant and the authority; or
(B) a local, State, or federal disaster declaration or similar emergency that causes the delay.

(11) An applicant seeking to collocate small wireless facilities within the jurisdiction of a single authority shall be allowed, at the applicant’s discretion, to file a consolidated application and receive a single permit for the collocation of up to 25 small wireless facilities if the collocations each involve substantially the same type of small wireless facility and substantially the same type of structure. If an application includes multiple small wireless facilities, the authority may remove small wireless facility collocations from the application and treat separately small wireless facility collocations for which incomplete information has been provided or that do not qualify for consolidated treatment or that are denied. The authority may issue separate permits for each collocation that is approved in a consolidated application.

(12) Collocation for which a permit is granted shall be completed within 180 days after issuance of the permit, unless the authority and the wireless provider agree to extend this period or a delay is caused by make-ready work for an authority utility pole or by the lack of commercial power or backhaul availability at the site, provided the wireless provider has made a timely request within 60 days after the issuance of the permit for commercial power or backhaul services, and the additional time to complete installation does not exceed 360 days after issuance of the permit. Otherwise, the permit shall be void unless the authority grants an extension in writing to the applicant.

(13) The duration of a permit shall be for a period of not less than 5 years, and the permit shall be renewed for equivalent duration unless the authority makes a finding that the small wireless facilities or the new or modified utility pole do not comply with the applicable codes or local code provisions or regulations in paragraphs (6) and (9). If this Act is repealed as provided in Section 90, renewals of permits shall be subject to the applicable authority code provisions or regulations in effect at the time of renewal.

(14) An authority may not prohibit, either expressly or de facto, the (i) filing, receiving, or processing applications, or (ii) issuing of permits or other approvals, if any, for the collocation of small wireless facilities unless there has been a local, State, or federal disaster declaration or similar emergency that causes the delay.

(15) Applicants shall submit applications, supporting information, and notices by personal delivery or as otherwise required by the authority. An authority may require that permits, supporting information, and notices be submitted by personal delivery at the authority’s designated place of business, by regular mail postmarked on the date due, or by any other commonly used means, including electronic mail, as required by the authority.

(e) Application fees are subject to the following requirements:

(1) An authority may charge an application fee of up to $650 for an application to collocate a single small wireless facility on an existing utility pole or wireless support structure and up to $350 for each small wireless facility addressed in an application to collocate more than one small wireless facili ty on existing utility poles or wireless support structures.

(2) An authority may charge an application fee of $1,000 for each small wireless facility addressed in an application that includes the installation of a new utility for such collocation.

(3) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of State law or local ordinance, applications pursuant to this Section must be accompanied by the required application fee.

(4) Within 2 months after the effective date of this Act, an authority shall make available application fees consistent with this subsection, through ordinance, or in a written schedule of permit fees adopted by the authority.

(f) An authority shall not require an application, approval, or permit, or require any fees or other charges, from a communications service provider authorized to occupy the rights-of-way, for: (i) routine maintenance; (ii) the replacement of wireless facilities with wireless facilities that are substantially similar, the same size, or smaller if the wireless provider notifies the authority at least 10 days prior to the planned replacement and includes equipment specifications for the replacement of equipment consistent with the requirements of subparagraph (D) of paragraph (2) of subsection (d) of this Section; or (iii) the installation, placement, maintenance, operation, or replacement of micro wireless facilities that are suspended on cables that are strung between existing utility poles in compliance with applicable safety codes. However, an authority may require a permit to work within rights-of-way for activities that affect traffic patterns or require lane closures.

(g) Nothing in this Act authorizes a person to collocate small wireless facilities on:

(1) property owned by a private party or property owned or controlled by a unit of local government that is not located within rights-of-way, subject to subsection (j) of this Section, or a privately owned utility pole or wireless support structure without the consent of the property owner;

(2) property owned, leased, or controlled by a park district, forest preserve district, or conservation district for public park, recreation, or conservation purposes without the consent of the affected district, excluding the placement of facilities on rights-of-way located in an affected district that are under the jurisdiction and control of a different unit of local government as provided by the Illinois Highway Code; or

(3) property owned by a rail carrier registered under Section 18c-7201 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, Metra Commuter Rail or any other public commuter rail service, or an electric utility as defined in Section 16-102 of the Public Utilities Act, without the consent of the rail carrier, public commuter rail service, or electric utility. The provisions of this Act do not apply to an electric or gas public utility or such utility’s wireless facilities if the facilities are being used, developed, and maintained consistent with the provisions of subsection (i) of Section 16-108.5 of the Public Utilities Act. For the purposes of this subsection, “public utility” has the meaning given to that term in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to relieve any person from any requirement (1) to obtain a franchise or a State-issued authorization to offer cable service or video service or (2) to obtain any required permission to install, place, maintain, or operate communications facilities, other than small wireless facilities subject to this Act.

(h) Agreements between authorities and wireless providers that relate to the collocation of small wireless facilities in the right-of-way, including the collocation of small wireless facilities on authority utility poles, that are in effect on the effective date of this Act remain in effect for all small wireless facilities collocated on the authority’s utility poles pursuant to applications submitted to the authority before the effective date of this Act, subject to applicable termination provisions. Such agreements entered into after the effective date of the Act shall comply with the Act.

(i) An authority shall allow the collocation of small wireless facilities on authority utility poles subject to the following:

(1) An authority may not enter into an exclusive arrangement with any person for the right to attach small wireless facilities to authority utility poles.

(2) The rates and fees for collocations on authority utility poles shall be nondiscriminatory regardless of the services provided by the collocating person.

(3) An authority may charge an annual recurring rate to collocate a small wireless facility on an authority utility pole located in a right-of-way that equals (i) $200 per year or (ii) the actual, direct, and reasonable costs related to the wireless provider’s use of space on the authority utility pole. Rates for collocation on authority utility poles located outside of a right-of-way are not subject to these limitations. In any controversy concerning the appropriateness of a cost-based rate for an authority utility pole located within a right-of-way, the authority shall have the burden of proving that the rate does not exceed the actual, direct, and reasonable costs for the applicant’s proposed use of the authority utility pole. Nothing in this paragraph (3) prohibits a wireless provider and an authority from mutually agreeing to an annual recurring rate of less than $200 to collocate a small wireless facility on an authority utility pole.

(4) Authorities or other persons owning or controlling authority utility poles within the right-of-way shall offer rates, fees, and other terms that comply with subparagraphs (A) through (E) of this paragraph (4). Within 2 months after the effective date of this Act, an authority or a person owning or controlling authority utility poles shall make available, through ordinance or an authority utility pole attachment agreement, license or other agreement that makes available to wireless providers, the rates, fees, and terms for the collocation of small wireless facilities on authority utility poles that comply with this Act and with subparagraphs (A) through (E) of this paragraph (4). In the absence of such an ordinance or agreement that complies with this Act, and until such a compliant ordinance or agreement is adopted, wireless providers may collocate small wireless facilities and install utility poles under the requirements of this Act.

(A) The rates, fees, and terms must be nondiscriminatory, competitively neutral, and commercially reasonable, and may address, among other requirements, the requirements in subparagraphs (A) through (I) of paragraph (6) of subsection (d) of this Section; subsections (e), (i), and (k) of this Section; Section 30; and Section 35, and must comply with this Act.

(B) For authority utility poles that support aerial facilities used to provide communications services or electric service, wireless providers shall comply with the process for make-ready work under 47 U.S.C. 224 and its implementing regulations, and the authority shall follow a substantially similar process for make-ready work except to the extent that the timing requirements are otherwise addressed in this Act. The good-faith estimate of the person owning or controlling the authority utility pole for any make-ready work necessary to enable the pole to support the requested collocation shall include authority utility pole replacement, if necessary.

(C) For authority utility poles that do not support aerial facilities used to provide communications services or electric service, the authority shall provide a good-faith estimate for any make-ready work necessary to enable the authority utility pole to support the requested collocation, including pole replacement, if necessary, within 90 days after receipt of a complete application. Make-ready work, including any authority utility pole replacement, shall be completed within 60 days of written acceptance of the good-faith estimate by the applicant at the wireless provider’s sole cost and expense. Alternatively, if the authority determines that applicable codes or public safety regulations require the authority utility pole to be replaced to support the requested collocation, the authority may require the wireless provider to replace the authority utility pole at the wireless provider’s sole cost and expense.

(D) The authority shall not require more make-ready work than required to meet applicable codes or industry standards. Make-ready work may include work needed to accommodate additional public safety communications needs that are identified in a documented and approved plan for the deployment of public safety equipment as specified in paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of this Section and included in an existing or preliminary authority or public service agency budget for attachment within one year of the application. Fees for make-ready work, including any authority utility pole replacement, shall not exceed actual costs or the amount charged to communications service providers for similar work and shall not include any consultants’ fees or expenses for authority utility poles that do not support aerial facilities used to provide communications services or electric service. Make-ready work, including any pole replacement, shall be completed within 60 days of written acceptance of the good-faith estimate by the wireless provider, at its sole cost and expense.

(E) A wireless provider that has an existing agreement with the authority on the effective date of the Act may accept the rates, fees, and terms that an authority makes available under this Act for the collocation of small wireless facilities or the installation of new utility poles for the collocation of small wireless facilities that are the subject of an application submitted 2 or more years after the effective date of the Act as provided in this paragraph (4) by notifying the authority that it opts to accept such rates, fees, and terms. The existing agreement remains in effect, subject to applicable termination provisions, for the small wireless facilities the wireless provider has collocated on the authority’s utility poles pursuant to applications submitted to the authority before the wireless provider provides such notice and exercises its option under this subparagraph.

(j) An authority shall authorize the collocation of small wireless facilities on utility poles owned or controlled by the authority that are not located within rights-of-way to the same extent the authority currently permits access to utility poles for other commercial projects or uses. The collocations shall be subject to reasonable and nondiscriminatory rates, fees, and terms as provided in an agreement between the authority and the wireless provider.

(k) Nothing in this Section precludes an authority from adopting reasonable rules with respect to the removal of abandoned small wireless facilities. A small wireless facility that is not operated for a continuous period of 12 months shall be considered abandoned and the owner of the facility must remove the small wireless facility within 90 days after receipt of written notice from the authority notifying the owner of the abandonment. The notice shall be sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, by the authority to the owner at the last known address of the owner. If the small wireless facility is not removed within 90 days of such notice, the authority may remove or cause the removal of the such facility pursuant to the terms of its pole attachment agreement for authority utility poles or through whatever actions are provided for abatement of nuisances or by other law for removal and cost recovery. An authority may require a wireless provider to provide written notice to the authority if it sells or transfers small wireless facilities subject to this Act within the jurisdictional boundary of the authority. Such notice shall include the name and contact information of the new wireless provider.

(l) Nothing in this Section requires an authority to install or maintain any specific utility pole or to continue to install or maintain utility poles in any location if the authority makes a non-discriminatory decision to eliminate above-ground utility poles of a particular type generally, such as electric utility poles, in all or a significant portion of its geographic jurisdiction. For authority utility poles with collocated small wireless facilities in place when an authority makes a decision to eliminate above-ground utility poles of a particular type generally, the authority shall either (i) continue to maintain the authority utility pole or install and maintain a reasonable alternative utility pole or wireless support structure for the collocation of the small wireless facility, or (ii) offer to sell the utility pole to the wireless provider at a reasonable cost or allow the wireless provider to install its own utility pole so it can maintain service from that location.

Section 15. Regulation of small wireless facilities.

(a) This Section applies to activities of a wireless provider within or outside rights-of-way.

(b) Except as provided in this Section, an authority may not prohibit, regulate, or charge for the collocation of small wireless facilities.

(D) the equipment type and model numbers for the antennas and all other wireless equipment associated with the small wireless facility;

(E) a proposed schedule for the installation and completion of each small wireless facility covered by the application, if approved;

(F) certification that the collocation complies with paragraph (6) to the best of the applicant’s knowledge;

(G) a written affidavit signed by a radio frequency engineer certifying:

(i) the small wireless facility’s compliance with applicable FCC rules and regulations relative to radio frequency emissions;

(ii) technical data, such as the frequencies in use, power output levels and antenna specifications, reasonably necessary to evaluate compliance with maximum permissible exposure levels set by the FCC; and

(iii) a monitoring plan for the applicant’s facility capable of tracking and recording the daily amounts or levels of radio frequency emissions produced by the equipment in order to verify on an ongoing basis that the small wireless facility will not exceed applicable FCC radio frequency emissions.
An authority may, in addition, require a baseline test by a wireless provider, at the wireless provider’s sole cost and expense, of the radio frequency emissions of a small wireless facility at the time of initial activation, with the results to be provided to the authority;

(H) a written report that analyzes acoustic levels for the small wireless facility and all associated equipment including, without limitation, all environmental control units, sump pumps, temporary backup power generators, and permanent backup power generators in order to demonstrate compliance with applicable authority noise regulations. The acoustic analysis must be prepared and certified by an engineer and include an analysis of the manufacturers’ specifications for all noise-emitting equipment and a depiction of the proposed equipment relative to all adjacent property lines. In lieu of a written report, the applicant may submit evidence from the equipment manufacturer that the ambient noise emitted from all the proposed equipment will not, both individually and cumulatively, exceed the applicable limits;

(I) information showing the small wireless facility has received any required review, such as an environmental assessment and review, by the FCC under the National Environmental Policy Act or is exempt from such requirements. If the applicant claims the small wireless facility is exempt, it must state the basis for the exemption and provide proof, including supporting documents that establish that the facility meets such exemption; and

(J) where installation is proposed in a right-of-way that consists of a easement dedicated for compatible use, a certified copy of the original easement documents, and other supporting documentation demonstrating that the applicant has the right to install, mount, maintain, and remove a small wireless facility and associated equipment in or on the easement for the length of the permit. If the applicant is claiming access to the easement as an assignee or successor in interest, the applicant shall, in addition, provide documents demonstrating that its assigned or successor rights in the easement are sufficient to allow it to install, mount, maintain, and remove the small wireless facility and associated equipment for the length of the permit.

(3) Subject to paragraph (6), an authority may not require the placement of small wireless facilities on any specific utility pole, or category of utility poles, or require multiple antenna systems on a single utility pole; however, with respect to an application for the collocation of a small wireless facility associated with a new utility pole, an authority may propose that the small wireless facility be collocated on an existing utility pole or existing wireless support structure within 200 100 feet of the proposed collocation, which the applicant shall accept if it has the right to use the alternate structure on reasonable terms and conditions and the alternate location and structure does not impose technical limits or additional material costs as determined by the applicant. The authority may require the applicant to provide a written certification describing the property rights, technical limits or material cost reasons the alternate location does not satisfy the criteria in this paragraph (3).

(i) 10 feet in height above the tallest existing utility pole, other than a utility pole supporting only wireless facilities, that is in place on the date the application is submitted to the authority, that is located within 300 feet of the new or replacement utility pole or wireless support structure and that is in the same right-of-way within the jurisdictional boundary of the authority, provided the authority may designate which intersecting right-of-way within 300 feet of the proposed utility pole or wireless support structures shall control the height limitation for such facility; or

(ii) 45 feet above ground level.

(6) An authority may require that:

(G) the wireless provider comply with the applicable codes and local code provisions or regulations that concern public safety;

(8) An authority shall process applications as follows:

(10) The time period for applications may be further tolled by:

(A) the express agreement in writing by both the applicant and the authority; or

(B) a local, State, or federal disaster declaration or similar emergency that causes the delay.

(13) The duration of a permit shall be for a period of not less than 5 years, and the permit shall be renewed for equivalent durations unless the authority makes a finding that the small wireless facilities or the new or modified utility pole do not comply with the applicable codes or local code provisions or regulations in paragraphs (6) and (9). If this Act is repealed as provided in Section 90, renewals of permits shall be subject to the applicable authority code provisions or regulations in effect at the time of renewal.

(e) Application fees are subject to the following requirements:

(1) An authority may charge an application fee of up to $650 for an application to collocate a single small wireless facility on an existing utility pole or wireless support structure and up to $350 for each small wireless facility addressed in an application to collocate more than one small wireless facility on existing utility poles or wireless support structures.

(2) An authority may charge an application fee of $1,000 for each small wireless facility addressed in an application that includes the installation of a new utility for such collocation.

(3) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of State law or local ordinance, applications pursuant to this Section must be accompanied by the required application fee.

(f) An authority shall not require an application, approval, or permit, or require any fees or other charges, from a communications service provider authorized to occupy the rights-of-way, for:

(i) routine maintenance;

(ii) the replacement of wireless facilities with wireless facilities that are substantially similar, the same size, or smaller if the wireless provider notifies the authority at least 10 days prior to the planned replacement and includes equipment specifications for the replacement of equipment consistent with the requirements of subparagraph (D) of paragraph (2) of subsection (d) of this Section; or

(iii) the installation, placement, maintenance, operation, or replacement of micro wireless facilities that are suspended on cables that are strung between existing utility poles in compliance with applicable safety codes.
However, an authority may require a permit to work within rights-of-way for activities that affect traffic patterns or require lane closures. Wireless facilities that vary significantly in design, increase power output, frequency, bandwidth, or performance, change the location of the small wireless facility upon the utility pole or wireless support structure, increase signal strength, or make other modifications in other key components are not substantially similar and are subject to standard application processes, permitting requirements, and fees.
(g) Nothing in this Act authorizes a person to collocate small wireless facilities on:

(3) property owned by a rail carrier registered under Section 18c-7201 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, Metra Commuter Rail or any other public commuter rail service, or an electric utility as defined in Section 16-102 of the Public Utilities Act, without the consent of the rail carrier, public commuter rail service, or electric utility. The provisions of this Act do not apply to an electric or gas public utility or such utility’s wireless facilities if the facilities are being used, developed, and maintained consistent with the provisions of subsection (i) of Section 16-108.5 of the Public Utilities Act.
For the purposes of this subsection, “public utility” has the meaning given to that term in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to relieve any person from any requirement (1) to obtain a franchise or a State-issued authorization to offer cable service or video service or (2) to obtain any required permission to install, place, maintain, or operate communications facilities, other than small wireless facilities subject to this Act.

(i) An authority shall allow the collocation of small wireless facilities on authority utility poles subject to the following:

(1) An authority may not enter into an exclusive arrangement with any person for the right to attach small wireless facilities to authority utility poles.

(2) The rates and fees for collocations on authority utility poles shall be nondiscriminatory regardless of the services provided by the collocating person.

(3) An authority may charge an annual recurring rate to collocate a small wireless facility on an authority utility pole located in a right-of-way that equals

(i) $200 per year or

(ii) the actual, direct, and reasonable costs related to the wireless provider’s use of space on the authority utility pole. Rates for collocation on authority utility poles located outside of a right-of-way are not subject to these limitations. In any controversy concerning the appropriateness of a cost-based rate for an authority utility pole located within a right-of-way, the authority shall have the burden of proving that the rate does not exceed the actual, direct, and reasonable costs for the applicant’s proposed use of the authority utility pole. Nothing in this paragraph (3) prohibits a wireless provider and an authority from mutually agreeing to an annual recurring rate of less than $200 to collocate a small wireless facility on an authority utility pole.

(4) Authorities or other persons owning or controlling authority utility poles within the right-of-way shall offer rates, fees, and other terms that comply with subparagraphs (A) through (E) of this paragraph (4).
Within 2 months after the effective date of this Act, an authority or a person owning or controlling authority utility poles shall make available, through ordinance or an authority utility pole attachment agreement, license or other agreement that makes available to wireless providers, the rates, fees, and terms for the collocation of small wireless facilities on authority utility poles that comply with this Act and with subparagraphs (A) through (E) of this paragraph (4).
In the absence of such an ordinance or agreement that complies with this Act, and until such a compliant ordinance or agreement is adopted, wireless providers may collocate small wireless facilities and install utility poles under the requirements of this Act.

(k) Nothing in this Section precludes an authority from adopting reasonable rules with respect to the removal of abandoned small wireless facilities. A small wireless facility that is not operated for a continuous period of 12 months shall be considered abandoned and the owner of the facility must remove the small wireless facility and any associated wireless support structure or utility pole within 90 days after receipt of written notice from the authority notifying the owner of the abandonment. The requirement that a wireless support structure or utility pole associated with an abandoned small wireless facility be removed does not apply if the owner does not own or otherwise have the right to remove the structure or pole, and does not apply to authority-owned utility poles unless requested by the authority. The notice shall be sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, by the authority to the owner at the last known address of the owner. If the small wireless facility and associated wireless support structure or utility pole, if any, is not removed within 90 days of such notice, the authority may remove or cause the removal of the such facility and associated structure or pole pursuant to the terms of its pole attachment agreement for authority utility poles or through whatever actions are provided for abatement of nuisances or by other law for removal and cost recovery. An authority may require a wireless provider to provide written notice to the authority if it sells or transfers small wireless facilities subject to this Act within the jurisdictional boundary of the authority. Such notice shall include the name and contact information of the new wireless provider.

(m) Nothing in this Section precludes an authority from adopting reasonable rules requiring providers, where feasible, as new technology becomes available, and after receiving all necessary permits and approvals required by the authority, to:

(1) Place above-ground small wireless facilities and associated equipment, including accessory equipment that has been mounted to a utility pole or wireless support structure, below ground, at the wireless provider’s sole cost and expense.

(2) When replacing larger, more visually intrusive small wireless facilities with smaller, less visually intrusive facilities, to replace them with facilities with the smallest visual profile, to the extent such facilities are commercially available, technologically compatible with the wireless provider’s local network system, and already used in the wireless provider’s national or regional wireless network system.

(Source: P.A. 100-585, eff. 6-1-18.)

(50 ILCS 840/45 new)

Section 20. Local authority.

Subject to this Act and applicable federal law, an authority may continue to exercise zoning, land use, planning, and permitting authority within its territorial boundaries, including with respect to wireless support structures and utility poles; except that no authority shall have or exercise any jurisdiction or authority over the design, engineering, construction, installation, or operation of any small wireless facility located in an interior structure or upon the site of any campus, stadium, or athletic facility not otherwise owned or controlled by the authority, other than to comply with applicable codes and local code provisions concerning public safety. Nothing in this Act authorizes the State or any political subdivision, including an authority, to require wireless facility deployment or to regulate wireless services.

Section 20. Local authority.

Section 25. Dispute resolution.

A circuit court has jurisdiction to resolve all disputes arising under this Act. Pending resolution of a dispute concerning rates for collocation of small wireless facilities on authority utility poles within the right-of-way, the authority shall allow the collocating person to collocate on its poles at annual rates of no more than $200 per year per authority utility pole, with rates to be determined upon final resolution of the dispute.

Section 25. Dispute resolution.

Section 30. Indemnification.

A wireless provider shall indemnify and hold an authority harmless against any and all liability or loss from personal injury or property damage resulting from or arising out of, in whole or in part, the use or occupancy of the authority improvements or right-of-way associated with such improvements by the wireless provider or its employees, agents, or contractors arising out of the rights and privileges granted under this Act. A wireless provider has no obligation to indemnify or hold harmless against any liabilities and losses as may be due to or caused by the sole negligence of the authority or its employees or agents. A wireless provider shall further waive any claims that they may have against an authority with respect to consequential, incidental, or special damages, however caused, based on the theory of liability.

Section 30. Indemnification.

Section 35. Insurance.

(a) Except for a wireless provider with an existing franchise to occupy and operate in the rights-of-way, during the period in which the wireless provider’s facilities are located on the authority improvements or rights-of-way, the authority may require the wireless provider to carry, at the wireless provider’s own cost and expense, the following insurance: (i) property insurance for its property’s replacement cost against all risks; (ii) workers’ compensation insurance, as required by law; or (iii) commercial general liability insurance with respect to its activities on the authority improvements or rights-of-way to afford minimum protection limits consistent with its requirements of other users of authority improvements or rights-of-way, including coverage for bodily injury and property damage. An authority may require a wireless provider to include the authority as an additional insured on the commercial general liability policy and provide certification and documentation of inclusion of the authority in a commercial general liability policy as reasonably required by the authority.

(b) A wireless provider may self-insure all or a portion of the insurance coverage and limit requirements required by an authority. A wireless provider that self-insures is not required, to the extent of the self-insurance, to comply with the requirement for the naming of additional insureds under this Section. A wireless provider that elects to self-insure shall provide to the authority evidence sufficient to demonstrate its financial ability to self-insure the insurance coverage and limits required by the authority. Section 40. Home rule. A home rule unit may not regulate small wireless facilities in a manner inconsistent with this Act. This Section is a limitation under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule units of powers and functions exercised by the State. Section 90. Repeal. This Act is repealed on June 1, 2021. Section 100. The Counties Code is amended by changing Section 5-12001.2 as follows: (55 ILCS 5/5-12001.2)

Section 35. Insurance.

There is no Section 45 in SB.1451.

Sec. 45. Radio Frequency [Microwave Radiation and Effective Radiated Power Regulation] compliance

Wireless providers shall comply with the FCC’s radio frequency emissions standards at all times.

Wireless providers may be required by an ordinance of an authority to perform on-going monitoring of small wireless facilities to ensure all equipment continues to operate within allowable FCC radio frequency emission ranges and to provide, on either a quarterly or annual basis, as determined by an authority, a certification with supporting information confirming whether all of the wireless provider’s small wireless facilities within an authority’s jurisdiction operated in compliance with all FCC radio frequency emission limits during the quarterly or annual reporting period The certified quarterly or annual report shall, where required, be delivered to the attention of the chief executive officer of the authority by the 30th of the month following the end of the calendar quarter or year, as applicable.

A wireless provider shall, upon request of an authority at any time, perform radio frequency testing of all or specific small wireless facilities, provide such testing results to the authority, and shall promptly respond to all authority requests for information or cooperation with respect to any of the foregoing.

Authority staff may, at an authority’s option, accompany the wireless provider or its agents in the performance of such testing. An authority has the right, but not the obligation, to employ a qualified radio frequency engineer to conduct periodic random and unannounced testing of permitted small wireless facilities to determine their compliance with all FCC radio frequency emission limits.

In the event the authority decides to perform its own testing on small wireless facilities the authority may, where it deems it necessary, request that the wireless provider be present for the test. Any small wireless facility found not to comply with FCC radio frequency emission standards shall be immediately reported by the wireless provider to the FCC, with a copy of such report sent at the same time to the chief executive officer of the authority and shall be powered-down, adjusted, repaired, replaced, shut off, or removed by the wireless provider within 3 calendar days of the provider becoming aware of the violation.

Small wireless facilities that exceed the FCC’s radio frequency emissions standards are declared a public nuisance and may be summarily abated by an authority. Failure by a wireless provider to cure a violation of the FCC radio frequency emission standards within 3 calendar days may result in a revocation of the applicable small wireless facility permit and a citation for maintaining a public nuisance with a fine in the amount of $750, with each day of continued operation without cure being a separate violation. If an authority determines through its own testing that a small wireless facility is not in compliance with any legal requirements or conditions related to radio frequency, the wireless provider shall, in addition to the other requirements of this Section, be responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by the authority in connection with the investigation, testing, enforcement, or remediation of such noncompliance.

sWTFs = so-called “small” Wireless Telecommunications Facilities

Preamble: Does SB.1451/HB.5818 Conflict with the 1996-TCA? YES — which is why Illinois Requires Foundational Changes in SB.1451/HB.5818

From the You Can’t Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too department . . .

. . . Acronyms to the Rescue.

One cannot simply put lipstick on a pig, and then . . .

To LC or not to LC, that is the question?

§ 151. Federal Communications Commission (1934)

§ 332. Mobile Services (1996)

§ 153 Definitions.

§ 332. Definitions

FTTP Broadband and Wireless Broadband Are NOT Functionally Equivalent Services

Aug 9, 2019 Ruling

Oct 1, 2019 Ruling

The State of Illinois Has To Finally Address the Elephant in the Room

Being Forced to Drink Beakers of 4G/5G Poison

Definition of effect (noun)

Definition of concern (noun)

Problems With So-Called “small” Wireless Telecommunications Facilities (sWTFs)

What Really Matters: Excessive Effective Radiated Power (ERP) That Results in RF Microwave Radiation Intensities in 2nd-Story+ Bedrooms

Feb 10, 2020 Argument of Case No. 18-72689

Feb 10, 2020: Argument in US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Pasadena, CA Source page at Local Govt. v. FCC | Case No. 18-72689 | SCHROEDER, BYBEE, BRESS

Aug 12, 2020 Ruling

Legend

SB.1451 from 2018

Section 1. Short title.

HB.5818 from 2020

Section 1. Short title.

Section 5. Legislative intent.

Section 5. Legislative intent.

Section 7. Applicability.

Section 7. Applicability.

Section 10. Definitions.

Section 10. Definitions.

Section 15. Regulation of small wireless facilities.

Section 15. Regulation of small wireless facilities.

Section 20. Local authority.

Section 20. Local authority.

Section 25. Dispute resolution.

Section 25. Dispute resolution.

Section 30. Indemnification.

Section 30. Indemnification.

Section 35. Insurance.

Section 35. Insurance.

Sec. 45. Radio Frequency [Microwave Radiation and Effective Radiated Power Regulation] compliance

Preamble: Does SB.1451/HB.5818 Conflict with the 1996-TCA?
YES — which is why Illinois Requires Foundational Changes in SB.1451/HB.5818

§ 153 Definitions.

What Really Matters: Excessive Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
That Results in RF Microwave Radiation Intensities in 2nd-Story+ Bedrooms

Feb 10, 2020: Argument in US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Pasadena, CA
Source page at Local Govt. v. FCC | Case No. 18-72689 | SCHROEDER, BYBEE, BRESS