The City of Fishers announced today that Mayor Scott Fadness has been appointed to the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC). In this role, Mayor Fadness gives the Fishers community a stronger voice regarding telecommunications issues at the federal level, including 5G deployment in Fishers.
The IAC provides guidance, expertise, and recommendations to the Commission on a range of issues for which state, local, Tribal, and territorial entities explicitly or inherently share responsibility or administration with the Commission. The Committee is composed of elected officials of municipal, county, state, and Tribal governments.
“I am honored to serve the City of Fishers through this new role, and I look forward to using the learning experiences we have had with the deployment of 5G in our community to advocate for our resident and community’s needs at the Federal level,” said Mayor Fadness. “The deployment of this infrastructure has presented many challenges due to Federal laws which largely preempt the City’s regulatory authority. Notwithstanding, in April 2017, I led our City to take emergency action to implement a waiver process for the residential deployment of 5G infrastructure. Unlike most communities whose residents are afforded no acknowledgment of residential deployment, our waiver process has provided neighborhoods with an opportunity to meet with the telecommunication industry in order to discuss its proposed locations and any reasonable alternatives offered by the neighborhood. Just this week, the process achieved consensus on an overwhelming majority of residential permits considered. While the process is far from perfect, we hope that it can effectively balance the Federal government’s desire to quickly implement this technology with the preservation and protection of aesthetics in our residential neighborhoods.”
To date, approximately 112 small cell facilities have been deployed in Fishers, a majority of which have been deployed in the public right-of-way adjoining main thoroughfares. Verizon Wireless is currently deploying 5G infrastructure throughout residentially zoned areas in Fishers and plans to submit approximately 400 permits this year. While the FCC requires local governments to allow the deployment of 5G in rights of way, Indiana law provided communities with an ability to implement a wavier process concerning residentially zoned areas. Through this process, the City has provided an opportunity to local homeowners’ associations to provide feedback on proposed locations with telecommunications providers with the ultimate goal of reaching consensus prior to the required waiver hearings at the City’s Board of Public Works and Safety.
For more information on 5G cell tower deployment in Fishers, visit www.fishers.in.us/5G.