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Senate committee advances broadband 'shot‑clock' bill to amending order after split testimony
Summary
After testimony from industry, local governments and health‑concerned citizens, the Senate State Affairs Committee voted to send House Bill 180 — a bill imposing permitting timelines for broadband and wireless installations — to the amending order with agreed amendments exempting hearings/variances.
The Senate State Affairs Committee on Friday moved House Bill 180 to the amending order after a day of sharply divided testimony over so‑called 'shot‑clock' deadlines for broadband and wireless permitting.
Representative John Vanderbaiter (District 22), sponsor of HB180, said the measure would speed deployment by creating predictable application timelines and by aligning state practice with federal shot‑clock concepts for wireless facilities. Vanderbaiter asked the committee to include an amendment exempting projects that require zoning variances or other public hearings.
Several residents and advocacy witnesses opposed the bill as written. Hank Allen, representing Idahoans for Safe Technology, described personal health effects he attributed to nearby cell sites and urged the committee to separate wireless from wired broadband regulation. “Wireless radiation is harmful to people,” Allen said.
Policy witnesses argued the bill also risked preempting local control. David DeHaas and Paul McGavin, testifying for Idahoans for Safe Technology, said federal and recent court rulings limit the FCC’s authority to impose shot clocks and warned that state law should not enshrine federal guidance that could be vulnerable in litigation.
Local government officials warned of operational challenges. Richard Beck, director of Ada County Development Services, said mandatory timelines and an automatic‑approval penalty could force jurisdictions to prioritize speed over careful review and public testimony. “If mandated time frames are … what needs to happen, I would suggest removal of that automatic approval provision,” Beck said.
Industry witnesses including Kate Haas (Fat Beam) and Sebastian Griffin (Mountain States Policy Center) said permitting backlogs slow private and public projects and supported a tailored shot‑clock approach that preserves public hearings and variances. The industry said a narrow exemption for applications requiring public hearings would address many local concerns.
After discussion, the committee voted to send HB180 to the 14th order for possible amendments; sponsors and several county officials indicated they would try to negotiate language that preserves local process for variances and public hearings while giving predictability for routine permits.
