The issue of cell phone towers — and where to put them — was just as contentious Tuesday as it was when it went before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors last month.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the supervisors heard 20 speakers vent about their side of the matter during the public comment period.

The issue centers on cell company NextG and its plans to place 39 “node” — or antenna — sites throughout the South Coast. An antenna a little taller than 2 feet would be placed at the top of an existing utility pole, and the cables needed for the project would be strung along the telephone wire or trenched underground. 

None of NextG’s nodes has been approved by the county, and supervisors have been planning their next move while listening to the public outcry.

Seventeen of Tuesday’s speakers said they favored a moratorium on this type of development, listing everything from health concerns to potential declines in property values.

The Federal Communications Act pre-empts the county from prohibiting the antennas and states that localities can’t “regulate the placement, construction and modification of personal wireless service facilities on the basis of environmental effect of radio frequency emissions,” assuming they comply with the threshold deemed safe by the Federal Communications Commission.

The county can influence the sites and design of the antennas, although there are limitations on that, too. If challenged by the county, however, the wireless company would have to prove a gap in service and that the proposed antennas would help close it.

But the FCC issued a declaratory ruling Nov. 18, since the board’s last meeting. Local governments are required to act in a reasonable period of time, and just recently the FCC got specific in its ruling. It said that counties would need to process applications in 90 to 150 days, depending on whether another tower is nearby. 

It also stated that state or local government can’t deny an application solely because the service is available from another provider.

Tuesday’s speakers also used the ruling as a chance to reaffirm their stance on perceived health effects from radio frequency emissions, and that local governments can’t deny or delay actions on projects based on those perceived risks.

County staff provided some perspective at the hearing and talked about how other communities have dealt with moratoriums. Two years ago, the city of Pasadena enacted a 45-day moratorium for establishing any ground towers in residential areas. 

The moratorium was extended twice — a time frame that spanned 22 months. Cell company Omnipoint challenged the city when it denied the company’s application for a facility, and the company won the approval in court.

The cities of Glendale and Agoura Hills also enacted moratoriums, but no litigation is pending.

Also under discussion Tuesday was beefing up the county’s telecommunications ordinance, which was last revised four years ago. Additional notices to residents living nearby the sites and larger setbacks were among ordinance improvements approved unanimously by the board.

Whether to approve a moratorium did not go as smoothly, however. Supervisor Salud Carbajal, who represents many of the vocal Montecito residents who showed up in force to support a moratorium, supported the move.

“I have a 9-year-old, and if one of these facilities was going in my backyard, I would have the same concerns,” he said. “Regrettably, the FCC and federal law undermine some of our authority on the health issues.”

But the other four supervisors did not agree, and Carbajal’s motion died for lack of a second.

Fear of litigation and what might crop up if the company wins in court was a common concern. Supervisor Joe Centeno said he felt that it was legally unsustainable.

“We’re putting the county in a position for a lawsuit. … I don’t see the benefit of it,” Supervisor Janet Wolf said. “We’re all parents up here … we care about our children. But what I’m worried about is that by moving forward with a moratorium, we may end up with something worse.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.