Foothills County is making a stand to see telecommunication companies share space on towers.
After receiving several applications for communications towers around the County, many disputed by residents, and hearing presentations from companies claiming it’s financially prohibitive to co-locate on towers built by other companies, the County is digging a little deeper into the issue and imploring other rural municipalities in Alberta to demand co-location from applicants as well.
Currently, Industry Canada has a policy requiring co-location of telecommunication providers on cell towers, but lacks the tools to enforce that rule, especially since many have found loopholes.
“There is often towers that are being built and contracts between telecommunication companies and individual landowners that have inclusivity clauses so there is no ability to co-locate on them,” said Heather Hemingway, director of planning for the County. “Industry Canada has no input into those contracts.”
She said the inability to implement co-locating requirements has caused a lot of frustration, but without political push the issue has not been mitigated.
Co-locating has been most successful in situations where municipalities get involved in the construction of towers themselves, she said.
“It’s a very complex issue and a lot of private industry and private landowners’ interests are woven in through that,” said Hemingway.
Coun. Delilah Miller said some industry members have expressed concern with high prices associated with co-locating on other towers, which makes it unviable for some providers.
Part of the problem could be there isn’t incentive for companies to invite co-location, she said.
“I guess if we keep turning down enough of them and saying you’re not co-locating, maybe the industry will regulate itself,” said Miller.
She suggested communicating with other rural municipalities to encourage not permitting new towers when co-locating is a possibility.
Coun. Jason Parker said having a few larger towers would be preferable to a landscape littered with smaller ones.
“If we’re going to be putting up towers we would like to put up fewer towers and be able to give access to more people so that in the long run maybe we have fewer towers that are a bit larger but there are less of them,” said Parker.
Coun. RD McHugh agreed but suggested a second level of engagement at the federal level, since telecommunications falls under national jurisdiction.
“I think it’s important that we do get a letter out to the feds,” said McHugh. “If the feds would insist on the providers to circulate other providers in the area to the possibility of partnership and co-location at new sites.”
