On Wednesday, December 9, 2020, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council approved a new set of 5G rules intended to address homeowners' concerns about 5G small cell antenna deployments throughout the area. The code took about 16 months to develop and is 35 pages long.
According to local news reporting conducted by The Advocate, "The 35-page ordinance requires wireless providers to send a notice via first-class postage — within two days of applying for a construction permit — to all landowners and homeowners' associations within a 300 foot radius of the site for the proposed facility. The Metro Council member representing the area must also be notified and a blaze orange placard must be placed on-site as notice. The mailed notices are required to include an email for both the city-parish and the applicant where residents can submit inquiries.
The ordinance also allows homeowners' associations to submit maps to the municipality that designate preferred locations for the new technology — a provision its authors say is unique to Baton Rouge and that they expect to be copied by other municipalities."
We encourage you to lobby your local representatives to include legislative safeguards in your community's own local 5G ordinance so that you can better protect you and your family from ill-sited 5G antennas. If you need assistance, please call our offices at 516-883-0887, or email info@americansforresponsibletech.org.
