New Mo. law aids cellphone tower expansion

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Local governments will have less ability to restrict cellphone towers under legislation signed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

The bill signed Friday by Nixon includes a list of 18 things that cities, counties and state entities can no longer require or prohibit when regulating cellphone towers.

For example, they cannot evaluate applications for cellphone towers based on whether there were other possible locations, nor whether a company could have added its equipment to an existing tower used by a competitor. They also cannot require companies to remove existing wireless facilities as a condition of building new ones.

The Missouri Municipal League had asked Nixon to veto the bill.

Nixon said it would help expand access to broadband Internet and wireless phone service.

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Cellphone tower bills are HB331 and HB345.

Online:

Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov