Virginia House Rejects Small-Cells Bill But Voting Soon on Senate Version

possible Tuesday, but legislators didn’t take up the bill before our deadline. The House voted 37-57 against the wireless siting bill (HB-2196) after the Senate voted 21-18 Friday to pass the similar S-1282. Both bills require localities to review a small-cells application within 60 days and other wireless infrastructure within 150 days, while limiting the reasons why a locality could say no to small cells. In floor debate, Del. Terry Kilgore (R) said the House bill was meant to untangle a “patchwork of numerous regulations across the commonwealth.” Del. John O’Bannon (R) said he opposed the bill but indicated he might take a different view when the chamber votes on S-1282. The Virginia muni-broadband bill (HB-2108), which has raised concerns by community broadband advocates and local governments, requires local broadband authorities to maintain and make publicly available records showing their compliance with pricing rules requiring that rates cover network costs (see 1702030051). Sponsor Del. Kathy Byron defended the bill in an email Friday. As revised, HB-2108 “provides transparency and accountability for taxpayers when government is investing their tax dollars in broadband services,” Byron said. “It still protects proprietary information and puts no restrictions on deployment of broadband.” The Republican delegate denied the bill requires municipal broadband authorities to disclose proprietary information, as claimed by community broadband advocates. She defended the Broadband Advisory Council, which some critics say has a conflict of interest because top industry lobbyists are members. The council also has members from the state House and Senate and a local government representative, as set by state statute, Byron said. Google, Netflix, NATOA, the Telecommunications Industry Association and other tech companies and associations on Monday again urged Virginia legislators to reject the Byron bill. “While the current version of HB 2108 no longer contains many of the troubling provisions in the prior versions, it would still have the same adverse effects,” they wrote in a letter to House members we obtained. Removing localities' right to protect sensitive business information would derail public-private partnerships, they said: “HB 2108 would also thwart economic, educational, and vocational opportunities that would contribute to a skilled workforce from which businesses across the state would benefit.”