The California Telecoms have caused SB 378 to be introduced in the State Senate on February 10, 2021. The proposed Bill text requires California local governments to permit the installation of fiber optic cables using “microtrenching” that, says, in essence:
A microtrench is “…a narrow open excavation trench that is less than or equal to 4 inches in width and not less than 12 inches in depth and not more than 26 inches in depth and that is created for the purpose of installing a subsurface pipe or conduit” and where “[t]he provider of fiber facilities shall determine the method of the installation of fiber.”
That previous sentence should (will) send shivers down the spines of every City/County Engineer and Public Works Director in California .
To read the blog post at Dr. Jonathan Kramer’s blow, Wireless.Blog.Law, including the text of the proposed Senate Bill, CLICK HERE. (Opens a new window.)