2020 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 58 - Public Utilities, Services and Carriers
Chapter 11 - Radio Common Carriers
Section 58-11-830. Applications for permits for the collocation of small wireless facilities; requirements; fees; application review.

(A) The provisions of this section shall apply to the permitting of the collocation of small wireless facilities by a wireless provider in the ROW and to the permitting of the installation, modification, and replacement of associated poles by a wireless provider inside the ROW.

(B) Except as provided in this article, an authority may not prohibit, regulate, or charge for the collocation of small wireless facilities and associated poles described in subsection (A).

(C) An authority may require an applicant to obtain a permit to collocate a small wireless facility or to install a new, modified, or replacement pole associated with a small wireless facility as provided in Section 58-11-830(E). An authority also may require an applicant to obtain additional permits for such activity, provided that: such additional permits are of general applicability and do not apply exclusively to wireless facilities; an applicant shall not be required to obtain or pay any fees for a building permit, as the permit issued pursuant to this article serves as a building permit for the applicable poles and small wireless facilities; and any applications for any such additional permits, once submitted, must be acted upon within the same number of days as an application for permit under this article. An authority requiring additional permits pursuant to this subsection must publish and keep current a list of each additional permit that is required, and the authority must make the list available to any person upon request.

(D) An authority may adopt a design manual for an applicant's installation and construction of small wireless facilities and new poles to support such facilities in the public ROW that allows for, but does not require, preapproval of designs in addition to those that may be authorized in compliance with this article.

(E) An authority shall receive applications for, process, and issue such permits subject to the following requirements:

(1) The application shall be made by the applicable wireless provider or its duly authorized representative and shall contain the following:

(a) the applicant's name, address, telephone number, and email address, including emergency contact information for the applicant;

(b) the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of all consultants, if any, acting on behalf of the applicant with respect to the filing of the application;

(c) a general description of the proposed work and the purposes and intent of the proposed facility. The scope and detail of such description shall be appropriate to the nature and character of the physical work to be performed, with special emphasis on those matters likely to be affected or impacted by the physical work proposed;

(d) detailed construction drawings regarding the proposed use of the ROW;

(e) to the extent the proposed facility involves collocation on a pole, decorative pole, or support structure, a structural report performed by a duly licensed engineer in South Carolina evidencing that the pole, decorative pole, or support structure will structurally support the collocation, or that the pole, decorative pole, or support structure may and will be modified to meet structural requirements, in accordance with applicable codes;

(f) for any new aboveground facilities, visual depictions or representations if such are not included in the construction drawings;

(g) information indicating the approximate horizontal and vertical locations, relative to the boundaries of the ROW, of the small wireless facility for which the application is being submitted;

(h) if the application is for the installation of a new pole or replacement of a decorative pole, a certification that the wireless provider has determined after diligent investigation that it cannot meet the service objectives of the permit by collocating on an existing pole or support structure on which:

(i) the wireless provider has the right to collocate subject to reasonable terms and conditions; and

(ii) such collocation would be technically feasible and would not impose significant additional costs. The wireless provider shall certify that it has made such a determination in good faith, based on the assessment of an engineer licensed in South Carolina, and shall provide a written summary of the basis for such determination;

(i) if the small wireless facility will be collocated on a pole or support structure owned by a third party, other than an authority pole, a certification that the wireless provider has permission from the owner to collocate on the pole or support structure;

(j) an affirmation that the applicant is, on the same date, submitting applications for the permits identified in the list the authority maintains pursuant to Section 58-11-830(C); and

(k) any additional information reasonably necessary to demonstrate compliance with the criteria set forth in item (10).

(2) An applicant must not be required to provide more information to obtain a permit than is set forth in item (1).

(3) An authority may not directly or indirectly require an applicant to perform services or provide goods unrelated to the permit, such as in-kind contributions to the authority including, but not limited to, reserving fiber, conduit, or pole space for the authority.

(4) Except as expressly permitted by this article, an authority may not require:

(a) the collocation of small wireless facilities on a specific pole or category of poles or require multiple antenna systems on a single pole;

(b) the use of specific pole types or configurations when installing new or replacement poles provided; however, that nothing in this subitem prohibits an authority from enforcing the provisions of Section 58-11-820(F)(2), (G)(1), and (H) or any compliant provisions adopted pursuant to Section 58-11-815(B) or (C); or

(c) except as authorized by Section 58-11-820(G)(1) or any compliant provisions adopted pursuant to Section 58-11-815(B) or (C), the underground placements of small wireless facilities that are or are designated in an application to be pole-mounted or ground-mounted.

(5) Without limiting an authority's ability to adopt spacing requirements for ground-mounted equipment and new poles in accordance with this article, an authority may not limit the collocation of small wireless facilities by minimum horizontal separation distance requirements between small wireless facilities and: (a) existing small wireless facilities; (b) poles; or (c) other structures.

(6) The authority may require an applicant to include an attestation that the small wireless facilities will be operational for use by a wireless services provider within one year after the permit issuance date, unless: the authority and the applicant agree to extend this period; or delay is caused by lack of commercial power or by the lack of communications transport facilities to be provided to the site by an entity that is not an affiliate, as that term is defined in 47 U.S.C. Section 153(2), of the applicant.

(7) An authority may require an applicant that is not a wireless services provider to include an attestation that a wireless services provider has requested in writing that the applicant collocate the small wireless facilities or install, modify, or replace the pole at the requested location, and the authority may require the applicant to submit proof that such wireless services provider is licensed by the FCC or otherwise authorized to provide wireless services within the geographic jurisdiction of the authority.

(8) Within ten days of receiving an application, an authority must determine and notify the applicant in writing whether the application is complete. If an application is incomplete, an authority shall specifically identify the missing information in writing. The processing deadline in item (9) is tolled from the time the authority sends the notice of incompleteness to the time the applicant provides the missing information. That processing deadline also may be tolled by agreement of the applicant and the authority, confirmed in writing.

(9) An application must be processed on a nondiscriminatory basis. The authority shall make its final decision to approve or deny the application within sixty days of receipt of a complete application for collocation of small wireless facilities and within ninety days of receipt of a complete application for the installation, modification, or replacement of a pole and the collocation of associated small wireless facilities on the installed, modified, or replaced pole. If the authority fails to act on an application within the applicable time period, the applicant may provide the authority written notice that the time period for acting has lapsed, and the authority shall then have twenty days after receipt of such notice to render its written decision. The application shall be deemed to have been approved by passage of time and operation of law if the authority does not render its written decision within the noticed twenty days.

(10) An authority may deny an applicant's proposed collocation of a small wireless facility or a proposed installation, modification, or replacement of a pole that meets the requirements in Section 58-11-820(E) only if the proposed collocation, installation, modification, or replacement:

(a) interferes with the safe operation of traffic control or public safety equipment;

(b) interferes with sight lines or clear zones for transportation or pedestrians;

(c) interferes with compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar federal or state standards regarding pedestrian access or movement;

(d) requests that ground-mounted small wireless facility equipment be located more than seven and one-half feet in radial circumference from the base of the pole, decorative pole, or support structure to which the small wireless facility antenna is to be attached, provided that the authority shall not deny the application if a greater distance from the base of the pole, decorative pole, or support structure is necessary to avoid interfering with sight lines or clear zones for transportation or pedestrians or to otherwise protect public safety;

(e) fails to comply with the height limitations permitted by this article or with reasonable and nondiscriminatory horizontal spacing requirements of general application adopted by an enactment that concern the location of ground-mounted equipment and new poles. These spacing requirements may not be applied in a manner that constitutes an effective prohibition of service that is prohibited by federal law;

(f) designates the location of a new pole for the purpose of collocating a small wireless facility within seven feet in any direction of an electrical conductor, unless the wireless provider obtains the written consent of the power supplier that owns or manages the electrical conductor;

(g) fails to comply with applicable codes;

(h) fails to comply with Section 58-11-820(F), (G)(1), or (H) or any compliant provisions adopted in accordance with Section 58-11-815(B) or (C);

(i) fails to comply with laws of general applicability that address pedestrian and vehicular traffic and safety requirements; or

(j) fails to comply with laws of general applicability that address the occupancy or management of the ROW and that are not otherwise inconsistent with this article.

(11) The authority shall document the basis for a denial, including the specific provisions of this article on which the denial was based, and send the documentation to the applicant on or before the day the authority denies an application. The applicant may cure the deficiencies identified by the authority and resubmit the application within thirty days of the denial without paying an additional application fee. The authority shall approve or deny the revised application within thirty days of resubmission and limit its review to the deficiencies cited in the denial. If the authority fails to act on a revised application within this thirty-day period, the applicant may provide the authority written notice that the time period for acting has lapsed, and the authority shall then have five days after receipt of such notice to render its written decision approving or denying the revised application. The revised application shall be deemed to have been approved by passage of time and operation of law if the authority does not render its written decision within the noticed five days.

(12) An applicant seeking to collocate small wireless facilities within the jurisdiction of a single authority may submit a single consolidated application, provided that such a consolidated application shall be for a geographic area no more than two miles in diameter, for up to thirty small wireless facilities and receive a single permit for the collocation of multiple small wireless facilities provided; however, the denial of one or more small wireless facilities in a consolidated application must not delay processing of any other small wireless facilities in the same consolidated application. Solely for purposes of calculating the number of small wireless facilities in a consolidated application, a small wireless facility includes any pole on which such small wireless facility will be collocated.

(13) Installation or collocation for which a permit is granted pursuant to this section must be completed within one year of the permit issuance date unless: the authority and the applicant agree to extend this period, or a delay is caused by the lack of commercial power or by the lack of communications facilities to be provided to the site by an entity that is not an affiliate, as that term is defined in 47 U.S.C. Section 153(2), of the applicant. Approval of an application authorizes the applicant to:

(a) undertake the installation or collocation; and

(b) subject to applicable relocation requirements and the applicant's right to terminate at any time, operate and maintain the small wireless facilities and any associated pole covered by the permit for a period of no less than ten years, which must be renewed for equivalent durations so long as the installation or collocation is in compliance with the criteria set forth in item (10).

(14) An authority may not institute, either expressly or de facto, a moratorium on filing, receiving, or processing applications, or issuing permits or other approvals, if any, for the collocation of small wireless facilities or the installation, modification, or replacement of poles to support small wireless facilities.

(15) The approval of the installation, placement, maintenance, or operation of a small wireless facility pursuant to this section neither constitutes an authorization nor affects any authorization a provider may have to provide a communication service or to install, place, maintain, or operate any other communications facility, including a wireline backhaul facility, in a ROW.

(F)(1) Subject to item (2), an authority may not require a permit or any other approval or charge fees or rates for:

(a) routine maintenance;

(b) the replacement of small wireless facilities with small wireless facilities that are substantially similar or the same size or smaller; or

(c) the installation, placement, maintenance, operation, or replacement of micro wireless facilities that are suspended on cables that are suspended between poles or support structures in compliance with applicable codes.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of item (1), an authority may require that prior to performing the activities described in item (1), an applicant must apply for and receive a permit for work that requires excavation or closure of sidewalks or vehicular lanes within the ROW for the activities described in item (1). Such a permit must be issued to the applicant on a nondiscriminatory basis upon terms and conditions that are consistent with applicable codes and that apply to the activities of any other person in the ROW that require excavation or the closing of sidewalks or vehicular lanes.

(G) No wireless provider shall collocate any small wireless facility in the ROW or install, modify, or replace a pole or decorative pole for collocation of a small wireless facility in the ROW without first filing an application and obtaining a permit therefor, except as otherwise expressly provided in subsection (F). Any failure to comply with this subsection by a wireless provider shall allow the applicable authority, at the sole discretion of the authority, to restore the ROW, to the extent practicable in the reasonable judgment of the authority, to its condition prior to the unpermitted collocation or installation and to charge the responsible wireless provider its reasonable, documented cost of restoration, plus a penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars. The authority may suspend the ability of the wireless provider to receive any new permits from the authority until the wireless provider has paid the amount assessed for such restoration costs, if any provided; however, that the authority shall not suspend such ability of any applicant that has deposited the amount in controversy in escrow pending an adjudication of the merits of the dispute by the Administrative Law Court.

(H) If, in the reasonable exercise of police powers, an authority requires widening, repair, reconstruction, or relocation of a public road or highway, or relocation of poles, support structures, or small wireless facilities as a result of a public project, a wireless provider shall relocate poles and support structures that such wireless provider has installed in the ROW for the collocation of small wireless facilities pursuant to this article at no cost to the authority if such poles and support structures are found by the authority to unreasonably interfere with the widening, repair, reconstruction, or relocation project or the public project. If widening, repair, reconstruction, or relocation is required as a condition or result of a project by a person other than an authority, such person shall bear the cost of relocating such poles or support structures and any communications facilities on such poles or support structures.

HISTORY: 2020 Act No. 179 (H.4262), Section 1, eff September 29, 2020.