Meeting The Challenges of Zoning in the Information Age: Planning For Wireless Communications Facilities

Abstract

Because of the boom in mobile communications over the past several years, local governments are experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of applications for wireless communications facilities. This issue has become a hot topic among planning and zoning professionals, and caused public outcry over property values, aesthetics, and safety. Few communities are equipped with the proper regulatory authority to deal with facility siting issues, and passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has compounded the situation by opening up markets to even more service providers. This project seeks to aid local government officials by providing a model ordinance dealing specifically with wireless communications facilities. By providing a framework that can be adapted into local ordinances, as well as considering the issues of evolving communications technologies, planners and service providers can look forward to working in a friendly, more efficient regulatory environment.