Chile: Towers Act

BREATHTAKING: After debating this subject for a decade, the Government of Chile has just passed the "Ley de Torres" or the Towers Act. It has been reported that the law, approved by a large majority of members of the Chilean Congress, 1) strictly limits the power of antennas, 2) reduces urban impact of towers through ‘infrastructure sharing’, 3) opens up a process for citizen participation in the approval or denial process for new towers at the local level, effectively requiring prior permission, and terms, from local residents prior to receiving municipal permits; 4) allows property owners to request a reassessment of tax valuation for properties, and for communities, where towers are located, to receive compensation from telecom providers in the form of improvement to neighborhood public spaces (described in one article as an amount representing approximately 30% of tower installation costs); and 5) has a retroactive component in that it establishes mitigation measures in areas that are saturated with antennas, including those close to homes or institutions, such as kindergartens, health centers or schools.  The Act has been signed into law by President Pinera and takes effect this week. Chile’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Pedro Pablo Errazuriz stated, "…in addition to protecting the urban landscape and the goodwill of the neighborhoods, the new law takes care of the most important: the health of people in a precautionary manner as recommended by the World Health Organization, setting strict limits on the powers of the antennas. Chile is setting standards in this regard.” We will follow up with more details as we learn them.

One of the articles--there are many--in Spanish: 
http://noticias.terra.cl/nacional/entra-en-vigencia-ley-que-regula-instalacion-de-torres-para-antenas-celulares,e368f926eccd7310VgnVCM20000099cceb0aRCRD.html 

--Camilla

Thanks to Art KAB in Chile for alerting us to this important development!
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