House advances bill to extend specialized telecom siting law, directs PUC review

Representative Sebelius, speaking for the Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure, explained that H.527 would extend the sunset for the telecommunications‑siting procedure in 30 V.S.A. §248a and create a PUC‑led public process to improve notice, transparency and municipal participation.

"H 527 addresses the immediate question of how Vermont should cite telecommunications infrastructure while Act 250 is undergoing significant statutory and procedural changes," Representative Sebelius said. He told members the bill "extends the sunset from 07/01/2026 to 07/01/2030" and directs the Public Utility Commission to hold at least two public workshops and produce a report to the House and Senate committees by Dec. 15, 2027.

The bill preserves the specialized section 248a siting path — created in 2007 as an alternative to Act 250 for certain cell tower projects — while requiring the PUC to develop a work plan addressing notice, timelines, pre‑petition hearings, site visits, intervention and contested‑case procedures, and standards for amendments and transfers of certificates of public good. Representative Sebelius said witnesses at the committee included municipal officials, the PUC, telecommunications providers, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and environmental advocates; testimony showed broad agreement that notice and meaningful local participation need improvement.

The Committee reported H.527 out by a vote of 5–3–1 and asked the full House to adopt the committee amendment. The House approved the committee’s recommended amendment by voice vote and a subsequent voice vote ordered third reading.

Next steps: third reading has been ordered in the House; the bill would take effect on passage and, if enacted, would extend the 248a sunset to July 1, 2030 while directing the PUC to develop and report recommended procedural changes.