Roselle board enacts 12‑month moratorium on new fiber‑optic construction

The Roselle Village Board on May 11 voted to adopt a 12‑month moratorium on new fiber‑optic construction permits to allow staff time to evaluate right‑of‑way capacity and permitting processes.

Trustee Foreside moved to "pass an ordinance approving a 12‑month moratorium on fiber optic construction to evaluate right‑of‑way capacity." The board discussed a recent wave of companies seeking permits and observed that an expiration of federal funding for fiber deployment may be accelerating permit requests. "This gives us an opportunity to evaluate what how the existing work is going on and if there's any necessary steps we need to take to continue to maintain and protect the parkway," a trustee said during discussion.

Trustees expressed concern about multiple companies building duplicative infrastructure rather than sharing conduit, with one trustee noting: "There's no sharing of any of this infrastructure. So everyone ... it will be their own individual stuff in there." After a roll call, the motion carried and the ordinance was adopted.

The moratorium directs staff to review right‑of‑way capacity and permitting rules; trustees did not specify amendments at the meeting and did not set an earlier deadline beyond the 12‑month pause. Staff cited the moratorium as a temporary measure to coordinate permitting and protect parkways while the village evaluates whether additional standards or sharing requirements are needed.

The board also discussed related work on engineering and developer agreements elsewhere on the agenda. The moratorium takes effect immediately and will remain in place for 12 months unless the board acts to amend or lift it before then.