WASHINGTON-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, in what could become a model for other states, has signed into law a bill to give local communities without approved zoning plans the power to regulate the construction and dismantling of antenna towers; to enact maximum six-month moratoria; and to charge wireless carriers the cost of technical preparations incurred by municipalities in the siting-application process.
Vermont has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent the federal government from usurping local and state rights with respect to antenna siting.
Several Vermont lawmakers in Congress are pushing a bill that would repeal federal pre-emption of local antenna siting regulation on the basis of health concerns and prevent federal pre-emption in the future.
“These regulations are not intended to prohibit seamless coverage of wireless communications,” the new law states.
