|
CP antenna proposal draws fire: The rule would stifle innovation and discourage amateur operators, critics say.
Jan 13, 2009 (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
COLLEGE PLACE -- A draft ordinance to regulate antennas and other structures drew fire from critics Monday.
The "proposed wireless communication facilities ordinance" could stifle innovation and stall advances in communications, speakers told the City Council.
"It's obvious to me the people who wrote this do not understand the physics of radio," said Rob Frohne, professor of electrical engineering at Walla Walla University.
The proposed regulation was the subject of a workshop at Monday's meeting. Councilors took no action on the matter and the draft will now go back to the city Planning Commission for more work, said Jon Rickard, associate planner.
According to a city Planning Department memo, the draft grew out of a public hearing in August on a proposal for an 80-foot tower at Son Bridge Ministries on 12th Street.
"As a result of that process, Walla Walla 2020 submitted a template for a 'wireless communications facilities' ordinance for the city to consider adopting as the city has little guidelines pertaining (to such facilities)" the memo said.
After "considerable" changes by staff, the ordinance was presented to the city Planning Commission, which held a workshop on the proposed regulations in November, Rickard said. In a presentation to the Council on Monday, Rickard outlined the key elements of the ordinance, which are to establish appropriate locations for wireless facilities, site development standards, permit requirements, appearance and safety.
But Frohne and others said the proposed regulations would put undue burdens on amateur radio operators, experimenters and others working to further wireless technology.
"You need to be careful that you don't tie your hands," he said.
Heidi Hoffer, district emergency coordinator for the American Radio Relay League, said amateur operators, known as "hams," would be hurt by requirements such as screening at the base of radio towers and restrictions on guy wires, among other issues.
Hoffer pointed out that amateur operators routinely volunteer to serve the community during emergencies, working at their own expense. Requirements that drive up the cost of such service would discourage people from taking part, she said.
Another speaker, Roger Johnson, told councilors the proposed regulations fail to take into account that "different wavelengths need different lengths" for the correct antenna height. He also urged the Council to adjust permitting fees for amateurs to reflect their non-commercial status.
Rickard said today that people who want more information on the draft ordinance or want to add comments should contact him at the city Planning Department.
To see more of the Union-Bulletin or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.union-bulletin.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email
tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax
to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave.,
Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
INDUSTRIES
Activate Email 
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.
