By Jason Klaiber

Staff Writer

At its April 8 meeting, the Village of Fayetteville Board of Trustees opened a public hearing on “small cell” wireless telecommunications facilities.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently instituted rules pushing for local municipalities to adopt 5G data infrastructure.

The ordered deployment of the equipment, advertised as hyper-fast, largely suppresses pushback from these governments.

“The federal government has decided—whether we like it or not—5G technology is the wave of the future,” Village Attorney Ted Spencer said. “They’re going to force it right down our throat, and we’re going to get used to it.”

The FCC laid out certain provisions allowing local municipalities to retain some input regarding where and how the 5G antenna arrays will be put in place, so long as all input remains “fair” and “reasonable” and these approaches do not hinder the expansion of 5G.

According to the village board, they will prevent installation of the new network technology from endangering public health, safety or welfare.

“What we can do is regulate it to a point where it doesn’t affect certain things in the village,” Mayor Mark Olson said. “We’re trying to find that balance.”

A system of small communication devices will integrate the areas provided with this service.

“They have to saturate areas with these small cells,” Trustee Dennis Duggleby said. “You’re talking hundreds of them. Even then, it’s hard for that stuff to penetrate buildings. It’s a great technology in theory but there’s so much infrastructure behind it.”

Fayetteville resident Marguerite Ross said she appreciated the board taking the initiative to regulate the technology as much as possible.

“5G is from hunger,” Ross said. “Don’t need it. Don’t want it. But we don’t have that choice to say ‘go away,’ so we have to make the best out of it.”

The village board’s next meeting will take place on April 22.