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This week, the Washington County Board of Commissioners held a work session on draft guidelines for the management of telecommunications infrastructure located within the public right-of-way. The recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling on 5G is leading to the proliferation of telecommunication infrastructure in the right-of-way (ROW) at a scope and scale not previously permitted. The FCC’s action effectively removes many of the tools that cities and counties previously had at their disposal to ensure that new, obtrusive private infrastructure properly integrates into the existing built environment. Without these tools, local jurisdictions will need to develop new mechanisms to protect the ROW from unsightly clutter and ill-placed poles and cabinets. As highlighted in Long Range Planning Issue Paper No. 2019-01, relocating said infrastructure can cost up to $250,000 per pole or cabinet, depending on its age, its location, and the number and type of collocated infrastructure. These costs increase when ROW permit owners fail to relocate in a timely manner. In such cases, it is not uncommon for the relocation process to take over a year to complete. Because the County does not permit vertical construction to begin prior to completion of required ROW improvements this delay prevents the construction of vitally needed new housing from moving forward. While the draft guidelines call for the relocation of telecommunication infrastructure it fails to specify a timeline in which the reclocation must take place. HBA is calling on the County to add a 90-day relocation timeline (which is consistent with industry standards throughout the Portland region) to the draft guidelines. Without this timeline, private parties may fail to act in a timely manner, causing delays in construction timelines and preventing the expedient creation of new homes. To learn more about our work in Washington County, please contact Ezra Hammer at ezrah@hbapdx.org. Next Article