Washington DC Neighborhoods for Safe Responsible Technology: Washington DC is Developing 5G Small Cell Guidelines to Roll Out 5G

Washington DC is developing new guidelines for the installation of 5G and so called "small" cells (which are installations of wireless antennas) in the rights of ways in Washington DC streets. If current draft guidelines move forward it will mean that almost every block in Washington DC will have over a dozen cell towers erected. Antennas will be placed in street lights and utility poles.

The newly proposed draft guidelines open the door for wireless companies to apply to place transmitting antennas in neighborhood streets.

Citizens and organizations from across the City are raising voices of opposition to current draft guidelines presented by the City because of several issues:

Impact on aesthetics of the city- visual clutter and ugly facilities
Altering of the historic nature of the streetscape
Impact on accessibility duet large objects in rights of ways
Health effects of radiation with transmitting antennas so close to people
Property value devaluation to properties closest to antennas
Noise generated from fans and machinery
Utility poles and street lights will go up several feet higher and be made even wider with large electronics boxes (smart meters, fans and more) on the larger poles.
A multitude of other public safety issues related to large heavy facilities in rights of ways of Washington DC streets.

This is from the Environmental Health Trust webpage on the DC Public Hearing.

The District of Columbia Public Space Committee (PSC) held a Special Meeting on Monday, October 15, 2018 for public comment on the newly developed Draft Small Cell Guidelines that will allow the deployment of 4G and 5G antenna installations on utility poles, street lights and buildings in Washington DC.

Advisory Neighborhood Associations and community organizations testified on the "visual clutter" lack of public notice and health and environmental impacts.

Environmental Health Trust has a Youtube playlist of Video Excerpts from the Washington DC Public Hearingat this link. These will be uploaded over the next week so check back regularly. DC did not videotape the hearing but we understand an audio and transcript will be available.

Link to: DC Small Cell Draft Guidelines
Link to: Page of DC Master license agreements
Linkto Powerpoint presentations by Industry
Link to: DC ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 3/4G Resolution “Opposing Small Cell Wireless and 5G Technology Without Studies Confirming Safety”
Link to Environmental Health Trust Comments to the District of Columbia Public Space Committee regarding Draft Small Cell Guidelines.
Linkto Youtube Playlist of Testimony from the DC pubic Hearing on October 15, 2018
Linkto ANC 2E Comments representing the communities of Burleith, Georgetown, and Hillandale
Comments on Draft Small Cell Guidelines
Linkto ANC 3B Comments on Small Cell Guidelines
Linkto Comments of the Kalorama Citizens Association

The US Commission for Fine Arts has reviewed the draft guidelines and issued two letters. They are an integral part of the process of developing these guidelines.

Link to US Commission of Fine Arts Letter 27 July 2018 that states "this initiative is based on accommodating current technology that may soon become obsolete, leaving communities burdened with unnecessarily large and outmoded infrastructure."
Link to US Commission of Fine Arts 27, September 2018that states "They therefore advised the development of an elegant and holistic design typology for the small-cell installations, rather than allowing a discordant kit of parts—antennas, equipment cabinets, and cables—to be clumsily attached to existing or new streetlight poles. They encouraged a more expansive study of best practices and design approaches for similar infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad to help develop a forward-looking solution that is not merely expedient but which appropriately integrates this technology into the public realm".

See bottom of the page for leasing agreements with various wireless carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, T Mobile and their poweroint presentations.

ANC 3B Comments on the Small Cell Guidelines were presented which pointed out the" significant flaws in the process of developing the regulatory framework for this technology in the city:

the short notice and very abbreviated opportunity for ANCs and the public to comment on the guidelines;
.the almost invisible process DDOT has followed to develop and finalize the guidelines and MLAs;
the absence of provisions for ANC and public input on specific proposals for small cell installations in public space, as well as on the provisions of the basic MLA and the specific terms of MLAs signed to date;
the terms of the MLAs that allow providers to go forward with their desired small cell installations withoutfurther public review once the provider has received approval for its first installation; and
DDOT's agreement to allow each provider to put up as many as 3 new poles on each block to hold its small cell units, as close as 10 feet apart, and install a refrigerator-size auxiliary unit above ground on every block, though DDOT has recognized that shared poles including public utility poles could be used and the auxiliary units could be placed underground, where they would not intrude on public space and the look of the area."