PURA approves Crown Castle small-cell installation in Bridgeport despite adjoining-owner objection

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on Sept. 24 approved Crown Castle Fiber LLC's plan to install a small-cell wireless telecommunications facility on a utility pole in the public right-of-way adjacent to 452 Palmetto Road in Bridgeport, finding the application complete and the installation in the public interest despite an objection from an adjoining property owner.

Authority staff summarized the applicant's Dec. 19, 2024 application and evidence. Staff said Crown Castle provided the required notice to immediate adjoining property owners but did not obtain consent from all. An adjoining property owner, identified in the transcript as Len Zargo Jr., filed a written objection on Jan. 17, 2025 requesting long-term health impact studies related to radio-frequency emissions. Authority staff said long-term health impact studies are not required by the cited statutes and regulations and that the company submitted measurements showing predicted radio-frequency emissions would be substantially below the Federal Communications Commission's maximum permissible exposure limits.

Staff told the commissioners the authority may, under the relevant Connecticut statutes and regulations, approve fixtures in the public right-of-way if the authority finds public convenience and necessity require it and that the company had submitted a complete application and presented evidence that the chosen pole was reasonable and that approval was in the public interest. "Consequently, the authority finds that public convenience and necessity permits the authority to approve construction of the facility ... notwithstanding the objection and subject to the orders listed in the decision," staff said.

Commissioner Michael Karen moved to adopt the decision (docket 241209); Vice Chairman David Arkanti seconded. The roll call recorded yes votes from Commissioner Karen and Vice Chairman Arkanti; the motion passed and the decision was adopted.

The decision authorizes the installation, maintenance and operation of the described small-cell facility in the public right-of-way subject to the conditions listed in the authority's order; the transcript records that those orders were not read aloud during the meeting. The objecting party's request for long-term health studies was noted on the record; staff said such studies are not required under the statutes and regulations staff cited and that the company's emissions modeling complied with FCC limits.