What it means: This Article if approved would form a new committee to oversee issues related to improving telecommunications in Hampton. The concept grew out of the issues faced by the community with the proposal to add cell towers at a Barbour Road property in conjunction with a developer of cellular infrastructure. That proposal highlighted the issues of spotty cellular connections in portions of Hampton, as well as home owner concerns about living in proximity to a cell tower structure.
What everyone seemed to agree upon: Cell service in many areas of Hampton is poor. We rely upon cell service for everything from emergency services to GPS to Two Factor Authentication. There should be a proactive effort in Hampton to improve service while respecting the rights and concerns of homeowners.
Those in favor say: Technology is changing rapidly and there needs to be focus on the evolving options in order for the Town administrators to fully understand how to best maintain reliable communication capability for residents. It would be good if members of the community (as part of this proposed committee) could weigh in on this issue and help to steer the solutions.
Those opposed say: The way the Article is written, it is unclear how the Committee would function especially with regard to the Planning Board, Zoning Board or the Cable TV Committee, and whether it would be an advisory committee. The point was made that the members of the Boards that now have jurisdiction on issues related to communications are members of the community, too and seek commentary from the wider public – meaning the objective of including citizen participation is being met with our current Boards and Committees. The Planning Board has taken note of this issue and has added the topic to its worklist for 2024. There will be an exploration of the Ordinances and how they might be revised to address these concerns. This is the work of the Planning Department and having another Committee will slow things down and potentially complicate matters. There is also a lack of clarity as to whether the members are appointed by the Planning Board, or are designated representatives from various Boards.
Fiscal impact: No direct tax impact.