Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB4357%20SUB.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&i=4357
Timestamp: 2020-06-04 11:28:33
Document Index: 51943325

Matched Legal Cases: ['§31', '§31', '§31', '§31', '§31', '§31', '§522', '§153', '§153', '§522', '§153', '§153', 'art 1', '§1', '§31', '§31', '§31', '§31']

HB 4357 Text
Committee Substitute House Bill 4357 History
By Delegates Shott, Hanshaw, Boggs, Capito, Foster, Moore, Queen, Barrett, Byrd, Harshbarger and Nelson
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new chapter, designated §31H-1-1, §31H-1-2, §31H-2-1, §31H-2-2, §31H-2-3, and §31H-2-4, all relating to the establishment of the West Virginia Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act; making legislative findings; defining terms; providing for access to public rights-of-way for the collocation of small wireless facilities; providing and limiting state and local government authority to prohibit, regulate or charge for collocation; authorizing and limiting activities and equipment of providers; excluding micro wireless facilities from regulation; authorizing and limiting permits for activities; providing for the collection of fees and setting the amount of fees; authorizing and limiting access to collocation sites, structures and equipment; authorizing and limiting agreements between authority and provider; and providing for certain local zoning, indemnification, insurance, bonding and other forms of surety requirements.
(4) “Application” means a request submitted by an applicant to an authority for a permit to collocate small wireless facilities or to approve the installation, modification or replacement of a utility pole or wireless support structure;
(9) “Communications service” means cable service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. §522(6), as amended; information service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. 153(24), as amended; telecommunications service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. §153(53), as amended; mobile service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. §153(33), as amended; or wireless service other than mobile service;
(10) “Communications service provider” means a cable operator, as defined in 47 U.S.C. §522(5), as amended; a provider of information service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. §153(24), as amended; a telecommunications carrier, as defined in 47 U.S.C. §153(51), as amended; or a wireless provider;
(11) “Decorative pole” means an authority utility pole that is specially designed and placed for aesthetic purposes and on which no appurtenances or attachments, other than a small wireless facility, or specially designed informational, or directional signage, or temporary holiday or special event attachments, have been placed, or are permitted to be placed, according to nondiscriminatory municipal rules or codes;
(12) “Division” means the West Virginia Division of Highways;
(13) “FCC” means the Federal Communications Commission of the United States;
(14) “Fee” means a one-time, nonrecurring charge;
(15) “Historic District” means a group of buildings, properties, or sites that are either listed in the National Register of Historic Places or formally determined eligible for listing by the Keeper of the National Register, the individual who has been delegated the authority by the federal agency to list properties and determine their eligibility for the National Register, in accordance with Section VI.D.1.a.i-v of the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement codified at 47 C.F.R. Part 1, Appendix C;
(16) “Law” means a federal or state statute, common law, code, rule, regulation, order, or a local ordinance or resolution;
(17) “Micro wireless facility” means a small wireless facility that is not larger in dimension than 24 inches in length, 15 inches in width, and 12 inches in height and that has an exterior antenna, if any, that is no longer than 11 inches;
(18) “Permit” means a written authorization required by an authority to perform an action or initiate, continue, or complete a project;
(19) “Person” means an individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, trust, or other entity or organization, including an authority;
(20) “Rate” means a recurring charge;
(21) “Right-of-way” means the area on, below, or above a public roadway, highway, street, sidewalk, alley, utility easement, or similar property, but not including a federal interstate highway;
(22) “Small wireless facility” means a wireless facility that meets both of the following qualifications: (A) each antenna could fit within an imaginary enclosure of no more than 6 cubic feet; and (B) all other wireless equipment associated with the facility is cumulatively no more than 28 cubic feet in volume. The following types of associated ancillary equipment are not included in the calculation of equipment volume: electric meter, concealment elements, telecommunications demarcation box, ground-based enclosures, grounding equipment, power transfer switch, cut-off switch, and vertical cable runs for the connection of power and communications services;
(23) “Utility pole” means a pole or similar structure that is or may be used, in whole or in part, by a communication services provider or for electric distribution, lighting, traffic control, signage (if the pole is fifteen feet or taller), or a similar function, or for the collocation of small wireless facilities. However, “utility pole” does not include wireless support structures or electric transmission structures;
(24) “Wireless facility” means equipment at a fixed location that enables wireless communications between user equipment and a communications network, including: (A) equipment associated with wireless communications; and (B) radio transceivers, antennas, coaxial or fiber-optic cable, regular and backup power supplies, and comparable equipment, regardless of technological configuration. “Wireless facility” includes small wireless facilities. “Wireless facility” does not include: (A) the structure or improvements on, under, or within which the equipment is collocated; or (B) wireline backhaul facilities, coaxial or fiber optic cable that is between wireless support structures or utility poles or coaxial, or fiber optic cable that is otherwise not immediately adjacent to or directly associated with an antenna;
(25) “Wireless infrastructure provider” means any person, including a person authorized to provide telecommunications service in the state, that builds or installs wireless communication transmission equipment, wireless facilities, wireless support structures, or utility poles, but that is not a wireless services provider;
(26) “Wireless provider” means a wireless infrastructure provider or a wireless services provider;
(27) “Wireless services” means any services, using licensed or unlicensed spectrum, including the use of WiFi, whether at a fixed location or mobile location, provided to the public using wireless facilities;
(28) “Wireless services provider” means a person who provides wireless services; and
(29) “Wireless support structure” means a structure, such as a monopole; tower, either guyed or self-supporting; billboard; or other existing or proposed structure designed to support or capable of supporting wireless facilities. “Wireless support structure” does not include a utility pole.
(30) “Wireline backhaul facility” is a facility used for the transport of communications service or any other electronic communications by coaxial, fiber-optic cable, or any other wire.
(b) Except as provided in this chapter, an authority may not prohibit, regulate, or charge for the collocation of small wireless facilities.
(d) An authority may only charge a wireless provider a rate or fee for the use of the right- of-way with respect to the collocation of small wireless facilities or the installation, maintenance, modification, operation, or replacement of a utility pole in the right-of-way, if the authority charges other entities for use of the right-of-way. Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, an authority is permitted, on a nondiscriminatory basis, to refrain from charging any rate to a wireless provider for the use of the right-of-way. The rate for occupancy and use of the right of way may not exceed $25 per year per small wireless facility. An authority may adjust this rate ten percent every five years, rounded to the nearest five dollars.
(e) Subject to the provisions of this section, a wireless provider has the right, as a permitted use not subject to zoning review or approval, to collocate small wireless facilities and install, maintain, modify, operate and replace its own utility poles along, across, upon, and under the right-of-way. Such structures and facilities shall be so installed and maintained as not to obstruct or hinder the usual travel or public safety on such right-of-way or to obstruct the legal use of such right-of-way by utilities.
(f) Each new or modified utility pole installed by a wireless services provider in the right-of-way may not exceed the greater of (1) ten feet in height above the tallest existing utility pole in place as of the effective date of this chapter located within 500 feet of the new pole in the same right-of-way; or (2) 50 feet above ground level. New small wireless facilities in the right-of-way may not extend (1) more than ten feet above an existing utility pole in place as of the effective date of this chapter; or (2) for small wireless facilities on a new utility pole, above the height permitted for a new utility pole pursuant to the provisions of this section. Subject to the provisions of this article, a wireless provider has the right to collocate a small wireless facility and install, maintain, modify, operate and replace its own utility pole that exceeds these height limits along, across, upon and under the right-of-way, subject to applicable zoning regulations.
Any such guidelines shall be applied in a nondiscriminatory manner. Materials utilized to comply with the appearance and concealment criteria established in the guidelines shall not be considered part of the small wireless facility for purposes of facility size restrictions in this chapter. Each new or modified small wireless facility or utility pole installed in the right of way shall comply with an authority’s current design guidelines.
(h) A wireless provider is permitted to replace its own decorative poles when necessary to collocate a small wireless facility, but any replacement pole shall reasonably conform to the design aesthetics of the decorative poles being replaced.
(i) A wireless provider shall comply with reasonable and nondiscriminatory requirements that prohibit communications service providers from installing structures in the right-of-way in an area designated solely for underground or buried cable and utility facilities where: (1) The authority has required all cable and utility facilities other than authority utility poles and attachments to be placed underground by a date certain that is three months prior to the submission of the application; (2) the authority does not prohibit the replacement of authority utility poles in the designated area; and (3) the authority permits wireless providers to seek a waiver of the undergrounding requirements for the placement of a new utility pole to support small wireless facilities, which waivers shall be addressed in a nondiscriminatory manner.
(j) Subject to the provisions of this section, and except for facilities excluded from evaluation for effects on historic properties under 47 C.F.R. §1.1307(a)(4) of the FCC rules, an authority may require reasonable, technically feasible, nondiscriminatory and technologically neutral design or concealment measures in a historic district. Any such design or concealment measures may not have the effect of prohibiting any provider’s technology; nor may any such measures be considered a part of the small wireless facility for purposes of the size restrictions in the definition of small wireless facility.
(k) The authority, in the exercise of its administration and regulation related to the management of the right-of-way, must be competitively neutral with regard to other wireless service providers who are users of the right-of-way, including that terms may not be unreasonable or discriminatory and may not violate any applicable law.
(l) The authority may require a wireless provider to repair all damage to the right-of-way directly caused by the activities of the wireless provider in the right-of-way and to return the right-of-way to its functional equivalence before the damage, as determined by the authority, pursuant to the competitively neutral, reasonable requirements and specifications of the authority. If the wireless provider fails to make the repairs required by the authority within a reasonable time after written notice, the authority may effect those repairs and charge the applicable party the reasonable, documented cost of such repairs.
(k) Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to impose or otherwise affect any rights, controls, tariffs, or contractual obligations that may be established with regard to the utility poles, similar structures, or equipment of any type that are owned or controlled by an investor-owned electric utility whose rates are regulated by the public service commission of West Virginia or any such utility’s affiliates, or by an independent transmission company.
(b) Small wireless facilities that meet the requirements of §31H-2-1(f) through (j) shall be classified as permitted uses and not subject to zoning review or approval if they are collocated (1) in the right-of-way in any zone or (2) outside the right-of-way in property not zoned exclusively for single family residential use.
(c) An authority may require an applicant to obtain one or more permits to collocate a small wireless facility that meets the requirements of §31H-2-1(f) through (j) or to install, modify or replace a utility pole that meets the requirements of §31H-2-1(f) through (j) and is associated with a small wireless facility, provided that the permits are of general applicability. An authority shall receive applications for, process, and issue permits subject to the following requirements:
(1) An authority may not directly or indirectly require an applicant to perform services unrelated to the collocation for which approval is sought, such as in-kind contributions to the authority, including reserving fiber, conduit, or pole space for the authority on the wireless provider's utility pole;
(3) An authority may not require the placement of small wireless facilities on any specific utility pole or category of poles or require multiple antenna systems on a single utility pole;
(4) An authority may not limit the placement of small wireless facilities by minimum separation distances;
(5) An authority may require an applicant to include an attestation that the small wireless facilities will be operational for use by a wireless services provider within one year after the permit issuance date, unless the authority and the applicant agree to extend this period or delay is caused by lack of commercial power or communications transport facilities to the site;
(7) An application shall be processed on a nondiscriminatory basis and deemed approved if the authority fails to approve or deny the application within 60 days of receipt of the application for a collocation of a small wireless facility and 90 days for an application for the installation, modification or replacement of a utility pole in the right-of-way;
(D) Fails to comply with reasonable and nondiscriminatory spacing requirements of general application adopted by ordinance that concern the location of ground-mounted equipment and new utility poles. Such spacing requirements may not prevent a wireless provider from serving any location;
(E) Fails to comply with applicable codes and generally applicable standards that are consistent with this chapter and adopted by an authority for construction and public safety in the rights-of-way, including reasonable and nondiscriminatory wiring and cabling requirements, grounding requirements, and abandonment and removal provisions;
(F) Fails to comply with applicable design guidelines adopted under §31H-2-1(f) of this code; or
(G) Fails to attest that a small wireless facility will comply with relevant Federal Communications Commission regulations concerning (i) radiofrequency emissions from radio transmitters and (ii) unacceptable interference with public safety spectrum, including compliance with the abatement and resolution procedures for interference with public safety spectrum established by the FCC set forth in 47 CFR 22.970 through 47 CFR 22.973 and 47 CFR 90.672 through 47 CFR 90.675.
(9) The authority must document the basis for a denial, including the specific code provisions on which the denial was based, and send the documentation to the applicant on or before the day the authority denies an application. The applicant may cure the deficiencies identified by the authority and resubmit the application within 30 days of the denial without paying an additional application fee. The authority shall approve or deny the revised application within 30 days. Any subsequent review shall be limited to the deficiencies cited in the denial;
(B) Subject to applicable relocation requirements and the applicant’s right to terminate at any time, operate and maintain the small wireless facilities and any associated utility pole installed by the wireless services provider covered by the permit for a period of not less than 10 years, which must be renewed for equivalent durations so long as they are in compliance with the criteria set forth in this subsection; and
(a) An authority shall allow the collocation of small wireless facilities on authority utility poles within the right-of-way subject to the following:
(3) An authority may charge an annual recurring rate to collocate a small wireless facility on an authority utility pole that equals $30 per year. An authority may adjust this rate ten percent every five years, rounded to the nearest five dollars. Nothing in this subdivision prohibits a wireless provider and an authority from mutually agreeing to an annual recurring rate of less than $30 to collocate a small wireless facility on an authority utility pole;
(4) The rates, fees, and terms must be nondiscriminatory, competitively neutral, and commercially reasonable and must comply with this section;
(2) An authority may charge an application fee for collocation of small wireless facilities on an existing utility pole not to exceed $200 each for the first five small wireless facilities in the same application and $100 for each additional small wireless facility in the same application. An authority may adjust this fee ten percent every five years, rounded to the nearest five dollars;
(3) An authority may charge an application fee for the installation, modification or replacement of a utility pole, and the collocation of an associated small wireless facility that are permitted uses in accordance with the specifications in this chapter may not exceed $250 per pole for access to the right-of-way. An authority may adjust this fee ten percent every five years, rounded to the nearest five dollars; and
(4) An authority may charge an application fee for the installation, modification or replacement of a utility pole and the collocation of an associated small wireless facility that is not a permitted use in accordance with the specifications in this chapter not to exceed $1,000. An authority may adjust this fee ten percent every five years, rounded to the nearest five dollars.
(a) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to relieve any person from any requirement (1) to obtain a franchise or a state-issued authorization to offer cable television service, or (2) to obtain any required permission to install, place, maintain, or operate communications facilities, other than small wireless facilities subject to this chapter. The permitting procedures and authorizations set forth in this chapter apply only to the placement of small wireless facilities and utility poles, and do not authorize the installation or operation of a wireline backhaul facility.
(b) Subject to the provisions of this chapter and applicable federal law, an authority may continue to exercise zoning, land use, planning and permitting authority within its territorial boundaries with respect to wireless support structures and utility poles; no authority shall have or exercise any jurisdiction or authority over the design, engineering, construction, installation, or operation of any small wireless facility located in an interior structure or upon the site of any campus, stadium, or athletic facility not owned or controlled by the authority, other than to comply with applicable codes; and an authority shall evaluate the structure classification for wireless support structures under the latest version of ANSI/TIA-222. Nothing in this chapter authorizes the state or any political subdivision, including an authority, to require wireless facility deployment or to regulate wireless services.
(f) Any wireless provider who owns or operates small wireless facilities or utility poles in the right-of-way shall indemnify, protect, defend, and hold the authority and its elected officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers harmless against any and all claims, lawsuits, judgments, costs, liens, losses, expenses, fees to include reasonable attorney fees and costs of defense, proceedings, actions, demands, causes of action, liability and suits of any kind and nature, including personal or bodily injury or death, property damage or other harm for which recovery of damages is sought, to the extent that it is caused by the negligence of the wireless provider who owns or operates small wireless facilities or utility poles in the right-of-way, any agent, officer, director, representative, employee, affiliate, or subcontractor of the wireless provider, or their respective officers, agents, employees, directors, or representatives while installing, repairing, or maintaining facilities in right-of-way.
(g) Except for a wireless provider with an existing franchise to occupy and operate in the rights-of-way, during the period in which the wireless provider's facilities are located on the authority improvements or rights-of-way, the authority may require the wireless provider to carry, at the wireless provider's own cost and expense, the following insurance: (i) property insurance for its property's replacement cost against all risks; (ii) workers' compensation insurance, as required by law; or (iii) commercial general liability insurance with respect to its activities on the authority improvements or rights-of-way to afford minimum protection limits consistent with its requirements of other users of authority improvements or rights-of-way, including coverage for bodily injury and property damage. An authority may require a wireless provider to include the authority as an additional insured on the commercial general liability policy and provide certification and documentation of inclusion of the authority in a commercial general liability policy as reasonably required by the authority. A wireless provider may self-insure all or a portion of the insurance coverage and limit requirements required by an authority. A wireless provider that self-insures is not required, to the extent of the self-insurance, to comply with the requirement for the naming of additional insureds under this section. A wireless provider that elects to self-insure shall provide to the authority evidence sufficient to demonstrate its financial ability to self-insure the insurance coverage and limits required by the authority.
(h) An authority may impose reasonable and nondiscriminatory requirements for bonds, escrow deposits, letters of credit, or any other type of financial surety to ensure removal of abandoned or unused wireless facilities or damage to the right-of-way or authority property caused by the wireless provider or its agent.