Voice of the People: Lakewood Broadband Task Force

Guest Post by Linnea Hauser

Another big foot of the federal government is stepping its way through Congress and may soon be heading to Lakewood. That foot belongs to the Telecom industry. Its name is H.R.3557 – the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2023. If passed by Congress, it will clear the way for the reckless deployment of future wireless infrastructure, usurping Lakewood’s current laws and stomping out our right to manage our public rights-of-way and our land use policies.

Its damage will be permanent; its only benefit will be to the Telecom industry. It will allow the wireless industry to ignore the critical environmental laws, historic protections, and aesthetic considerations that Lakewood has thoughtfully built into our city programs. And, contrary to what its promoters claim, it is not likely to close the digital divide. 

The National League of Cities, in opposition to the bill, claims “There is no evidence that heavy-handed preemptive mandates, such as harsh permitting shot clocks, deemed granted policies, or restrictions on permitting fee arrangements or cable franchises, have expedited the deployment of broadband infrastructure”.

The Lakewood Broadband Task Force, a group of Lakewood citizens, wants to make our community aware of this bill. We urge each resident to tell their local, State and Federal elected representatives that H.R.3557 should be stopped. The US Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, and many others have already spoken out in opposition to H.R. 3557.

Thank you for joining us in this important campaign. 

Linnea Hauser

Lakewood Broadband Task Force Spokesperson

Read the letter sent to Lakewood Mayor and City Council…