Introduced: Jun 28, 2018
115th Congress, 2017–2019
Status:
This bill was introduced on June 28, 2018, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.
This bill was introduced in the 115th Congress, which met from Jan 3, 2017 to Jan 3, 2019. Legislation not enacted by the end of a Congress is cleared from the books.
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s3157
According to the League of California Cities:
S. 3157 (Thune and Schatz) is strikingly similar to last year’s SB 649 (Hueso), which Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed after more than 325 cities and the League put a bright spotlight on the fact that the bill was a give-away to the telecommunications industry at the expense of the people.
Essentially, the so-called Streamline Act would shift authority away from residents, local businesses and communities to a private industry beholden to its shareholders. Profits would be put above consideration and public benefits to the people and businesses in local communities. S. 3157 would force cities to lease out publically owned infrastructure, would eliminate reasonable local environmental design review and would prevent cities from negotiating fair leases or public benefits for the installation of small cell wireless equipment on public property.
S. 3157 sets dangerous precedent for local authority because it:
- Imposes sharply reduced “shot clock” time limits for local governments to process potentially unlimited wireless facility applications for all sizes;
- Deems granted on applications for facilities when local governments are unable to meet the stringent time limits;
- Could result in approved applications regardless of their safety, health or environmental impacts;
- Interferes with local governments’ management of their own property and their ability to receive appropriate compensation for its use;
- Eliminates market-based rents for small cell facility installations and even limit “fees” for applications as well as recurring rent fees for use of city property; and
- Fails to grandfather any existing agreements between cities and providers or tower companies, and it would preclude agreements such as those recently struck by the City of San Jose with AT&T and Verizon.
http://cacities.org/Top/News/News-Articles/2018/July/Urge-California-s-Congressional-Delegation-to-Oppo
This page is thanks to EMF Safety Network and is adapted from their page on this issue.
The Federal government is once again trying to take away local authority over cell towers. Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the STREAMLINE Small Cell Deployment Act (S.3157).
S. 3157 is similar to a California Senate bill, SB 649, which would have stripped local authority over cell towers. Governor Brown vetoed SB 649 in October 2017.
The National League of Cities (NLC) opposes S. 3157. They wrote, “Despite urging from NLC and other local government advocates during the bill’s drafting phase, many preemptive provisions remain in the bill, including limiting the actions local governments can take on small cell wireless facility siting in an effort to make deployments cheaper, faster, and more consistent across jurisdictions.”
What you can do:
Write to your Senators and your Representative in Washington D.C. urging them to oppose S3157. Scroll down to find a sample letter you can send.
Here are the “Contact me” pages for Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Kamala Harris, and Representative Ami Bera. You can email them through their websites:
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
https://www.harris.senate.gov/contact/email
https://bera.house.gov/connect-with-me/email-ami
If you live in another state you can find your U.S. Senators through this page:
https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact
and your Representative through this page:
https://www.house.gov/representatives
You can find any Member of Congress through this page:
Here is a sample letter you can send.
Dear (your Senator’s or Representative’s name),
As a constituent, I am writing to express my opposition to the “Streamlining The Rapid Evolution And Modernization of Leading-edge Infrastructure Necessary to Enhance (STREAMLINE) Small Cell Deployment Act” (S. 3157).
S. 3157 is similar to a California bill (SB 649) which would have created a state mandated system of cell towers and eliminated local review and safety oversight. SB 649 was opposed by 300 cities, 47 counties and over 100 community, planning, health, environment and justice organizations. SB 649 was vetoed SB 649 by Governor Brown on October 15, 2017.
The threat of public and environmental harm from wireless radiation is real and growing. Local control is needed to ensure community safety, welfare and compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
Peer-reviewed published science shows wireless radiation harms public health and nature. Health effects include: fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, anxiety, ringing in the ears, heart problems, learning and memory disorders, increased cancer risk, and more. Children, the ill, and the elderly are more vulnerable.
International independent scientists are calling for biologically-based public exposure standards and reducing wireless radiation.
S. 3157 represents a direct affront to traditionally-held local authority. S. 3157 introduces an unnecessary, one-size-fits-all preemption of local jurisdiction. The bill also imposes unfair and inappropriate timelines on local governments.
For more information see this joint letter to Congress asking you to oppose any and all bills related to 5G and wireless radiation expansion: http://emfsafetynetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Letter-to-Congress-2017-1.pdf
Will you please reply to this message?
Will you commit to voting NO on S3157?
Thank you,
Sincerely,
[Your name]