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Mobile Phone Masts
I've just returned from a public meeting that was organised as part of a scrutiny review I'm taking part in. The review is to determine a policy on the siting of Mobile Phone Masts and equipment on council owned land and buildings in Birmingham. The current position is that the council has a moratorium on new installations, which has been in place since February 2004. Obviously, this doesn't stop operators wanting to put masts on council property, and opens up the possibility that the moratorium could be challenged in law, hence the review.
It's an interesting subject, and there is a lot of information to absorb and a lot of public interest, particularly as we are also evaluating public concern as part of the review. We've had two public meetings this week, in North and South Birmingham, and they have opened up even more lines of enquiry than previously identified. Whilst what we can recommend to the council in our role as a landowner and a planning authority is fairly limited, there are a huge range of issues which have come up which need further investigation, and which are not in the remit of the local authority. The scrutiny committee can make representations to the Government, but this needs to become a mainstream public campaign if any real change is to be effected.
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To date 4 Comment(s)
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Bob Piper
/ Website
(24.1.05 20:07)
Zoe, welcome to the world of political bloggers in the West Midlands. The issue of masts is nationwide, with a lot of public feeling that the Treasury has accepted the mobile operators license money and now doesn't want to stand up to them. It is a big issue here in Sandwell too, and the government needs to be aware of the strength of feeling.
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Tavis Pitt
/ Website
(25.1.05 00:15)
The telecommunication network companies are battling it out for mast space for the 4G network. Unless the moratorium has already been challenged in law, I see a relentless appeal for land usage (both council and private) to erect phone masts. In Wyre Forest, just as other councils, it is becoming a frequent event to see a phone mast application before the planning committee. The competition between the network companies is so high it seems they will state any excuse not to share masts.
I believe the following measures should take place:
(1) Local authorities (councils or a telecommunications agency) must provide telecommunication coverage for dense populations within their jurisdiction.
(2) Local authorities will be penalised if they fail to provide adequate coverage.
(3) In order for local authorities to provide the coverage they must erect municipal masts and promote sharing of the masts of all telecommunication network organisations.
(4) The telecommunication network organisations pay rent for antenna and dishes on the municipal masts. The monies are reinvested into the local community how the local authority sees fit.
-Tav.-
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