As telecom companies around the globe race for 5G connectivity, the state of Pennsylvania seeks to enact legislation for 5G implementation.
As the concept of 5G deployment becomes more tangible, the state of Pennsylvania is attempting to pass a bill that would allow the state to deploy such connectivity. Pennsylvania House Bill 2564 “would streamline and make uniform across the state the rules and fees associated with placing these short-range pizza box-sized antennas on existing utility poles, new poles and other structures in the rights of way.”
5G connectivity is being hailed by telecom companies and governments alike as a substantial upgrade from the current ruling connection, 4G LTE. In an interview with Government Technology, Ashley Henry Hook a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania Partnership for 5G stated that a 5G network would cut download time on one’s cellular device from hours to seconds. This could be life changing for companies that rely on internet speed and connectivity for revenue.
The bill, funded by the grassroots group, the Pennsylvania Partnership for 5G, acknowledges that 5G technology will likely be incorporated in mobile devices by the year 2020. The Above Ground Level Media Group notes that Pennsylvania does not currently have the infrastructure in place capable for 5G technology so Pennsylvania requires Bill 2564 to pass.
Currently, the only opposition to the Bill comes from Pennsylvania “associations for township supervisors, boroughs, and commissioners” that fear 5G technology could hurt the states small cell infrastructures, which in turn would hurt the state’s employment rate. However, the Pennsylvania Partnership argues that the implantation of 5G connectivity will actually increase employment rates and assist Pennsylvania’s in its efforts to keep with up America’s technological boom.
