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Haines committee weighs borough-wide communications ordinance; asks GCI and Atlas for coverage maps
Summary
After extensive public comment opposing cell towers near native allotments and schools, the Haines Borough GAS committee asked industry to provide FCC/provider coverage maps and asked borough GIS staff to overlay sensitive sites before setting setback distances in a proposed communications ordinance.
Haines Borough’s GAS committee heard more than an hour of public comment and industry presentations on a proposed borough-wide communications ordinance and on siting of cellular equipment, and agreed to request coverage maps from providers before deciding setback distances.
Community members including Amanda Warren and Liana Castor told the committee they are surveying family allotment boundaries and urged the borough to notify affected owners before any development. "Our family will be having a survey done... so we are getting a survey done where boundaries will be identified," Amanda Warren said, adding the family strongly opposes any cell tower that would affect the allotment. Castor described trespassing and vandalism on allotment land and said the family is sensitive to development near their property.
Online and in-person commenters raised health and aesthetic objections. "5G is an invasive technology. It does hurt people, and it does hurt wildlife," online commenter Evelina Vignola said, urging large exclusion zones and saying legal challenges elsewhere show litigation is possible. Members of the public also questioned whether industry motives—profit vs. community need—were adequately disclosed.
Industry representatives defended proposed tower work and described federal and technical constraints. "GCI is an Alaska-based company... We are participating in the Alaska Plan," Megan Webb, senior director of corporate communications at GCI, said, describing the FCC-backed initiative to close coverage gaps. Michael Powers of Atlas Tower said providers must follow federal processes and tribal consultation when a site is proposed.
Borough attorney Max told the committee his legal review flagged compliance risks with a broad distance-based exclusion. He recommended a height-based setback tied to tower height (for example, a setback equal to 100% of tower height, with up to 150% in residential zones) and a conditional‑use exception if strict application would create a significant coverage gap that the Telecommunications Act protects against. "The Telecommunications Act ... does not allow a local government to regulate wireless services in a way that effectively prohibits provision of service," Max said, warning a too‑broad setback could invite litigation.
Committee members debated whether to fix the ordinance’s narrative and update a zones table so the written setbacks match the table. Cheryl Stickler suggested increasing the setback percentage to 150% to better protect residential areas; Max said percentages could be adjusted but recommended mapping and consultation with industry to assess coverage impacts.
The committee agreed on next steps: request industry/FCC coverage maps from GCI and Atlas Tower, ask borough GIS to overlay schools, daycares and other sensitive sites, and invite industry to demonstrate the maps at the next GAS committee meeting. No regulatory changes were adopted; members said they will use the maps to test the ordinance’s effects before setting permanent distances.
