New 5G Internet Faster, Cheaper – And Vulnerable To Local Shakedowns [Michigan Capitol Confidential]

New 5G Internet Faster, Cheaper – And Vulnerable To Local Shakedowns [Michigan Capitol Confidential]
"Bills that passed the Michigan Senate will preempt local bottlenecks, if the state House goes along

LANSING – Whether Michigan residents will benefit from the latest generation of internet and cell phone delivery platforms is, at least in part, in the hands of the state House of Representatives. 
That is the view of those who support two Senate-passed bills dealing with the issue that are now pending in the House.

The technology is called 5G, and it delivers video, data and voice signals through networks of hundreds or thousands of small transmitters with limited range, often hung on electric, light or telephone poles. 

The small transmitters need to be installed in large numbers, which makes the technology vulnerable to excessive permit, zoning and fee mandates imposed by local governments.

Earlier this year, the Michigan Senate passed a pair of bills that would establish a single state regulatory regime and limit how much local governments can charge or restrict these networks.

...Rounding out the panel was Theodore Bolema, an adjunct scholar with the Mackinac Center and senior fellow with The Free State Foundation. According to Bolema, overcoming the obstacles to rolling out 5G service requires the state legislature to standardize local fee and permit processes, essentially preempting local regulations that unreasonably hold up the installation of many small-cell transmitters.

The first four generations of internet service often involved federal telecommunications law and matters related to the U.S. Constitution’s interstate commerce clause. 

But according to Skorup, the dispersed nature of fifth generation networks – 5G – makes them more dependent on favorable state and local policies...

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