T-Mobile USA Investigated Over Tower Planning Law Breaches
California's Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is reported to be studying claims that T-Mobile USA has been ignoring local building regulations in Northern California. The commission finds that T-Mobile has broken local planning laws, then it can impose multi-million dollar fines on the company and require the towers to be removed or resited.
Commission spokeswoman Susan Carothers told the San Francisco Chronicle that "CPUC staff is looking into allegations concerning T-Mobile cell siting."
T-Mobile and local infrastructure planning partner, Glotel both denied that they have broken any planning laws or that the Commission had been in touch with the firms.
T-Mobile spokesman Rod De La Rosa told the newspaper that the company's policy is "to work within all relevant and appropriate siting guidelines and regulations."
However, the paper reported, citing unnamed sources that local supervisors were under pressure to erect towers prior to receiving planning permission in order to earn performance bonuses. T-Mobile is expected to launch a 3G upgrade in San Francisco within the next few months.
Last May, Cingular Wireless settled a legal action with the CPUC and offered refunds worth US$18.5 million to Californian residents who had paid penalties for early termination of their phone contracts where network coverage was inadequate.
On the web: San Francisco Chronicle
Posted to the site on 1st September 2008
