HB 2787: To permit the county commission of each county to lease, rent or to permit the use of a county owned wireless tower or any portion thereof, with exceptions - West Virginia

Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute → hb2787 hfa linville and phillips 4-2 _1 adopted.htm · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove security restrictions on wireless tower leasing and eliminate the prohibition on charging public safety agencies for tower use. The original version required entities to avoid foreign adversaries, prohibited unconstitutional surveillance, mandated specific cybersecurity measures, and restricted technology from foreign-controlled companies. The amended version simplifies the law by removing these security requirements and clarifies that public safety operations, the Department of Highways, and other state agencies can use tower space without fees.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing security eligibility criteria and fee prohibitions for public safety entities.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed requirements that tower lessees cannot be associated with foreign adversaries, terrorist organizations, or foreign-controlled technology companies

REQUIREMENT

Eliminated provisions prohibiting unconstitutional surveillance and mandating specific cybersecurity defense measures

Simplified subsection (b) by removing detailed security criteria and consolidating the list of entities that can use tower space without charges

FISCAL

Changed from prohibiting charges for public safety use to explicitly allowing public safety operations, the Department of Highways, and state agencies to use tower space without fees

Committee Substitute → Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision updates the committee substitute version of HB 2787, changing the report date from March 2025 to March 20205 (likely a typo for 2025) and moving the bill from the Subcommittee on Local Governments to the Committee on Government Organization. The substantive policy content regarding wireless tower leasing remains largely unchanged, though some formatting and citation corrections were made.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains the same - it authorizes county commissions to lease wireless towers to entities meeting specific security and eligibility criteria, with no changes to the core provisions.

TIMELINE

Report date changed from March 4, 2025 to March 25, 20205 (likely intended to be 2025)

TECHNICAL

Citation corrected from 15 C.F.R. 7.4 to 15 C.F.R. 791.4 for foreign adversaries list

Minor text cleanup: changed 'private or public' to 'private and public' and 'that if any technology does connect' to 'if any technology does connect' for better readability

Removed redundant 'any' before 'other state agencies' in subsection (iv)

Changed 'not more that than five' to 'not more than five' for grammatical correctness

Engrossed Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute → Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated from an earlier committee version to a new committee substitute version, incorporating significant new security and compliance requirements for wireless tower leases. The most important change adds restrictions preventing leases with entities connected to foreign adversaries, terrorist organizations, or those engaging in unconstitutional surveillance. It also mandates specific cybersecurity standards and prohibits technology from foreign-controlled companies that could threaten critical infrastructure like voting systems. The bill maintains the core authority for counties to lease wireless towers while adding these new public safety and national security safeguards.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include specific national security and cybersecurity requirements that were not present in the earlier version, particularly restrictions on foreign entity involvement and enhanced security measures for critical infrastructure protection.

REQUIREMENT

Added restrictions prohibiting leases with entities connected to foreign adversaries, terrorist organizations, or those engaging in unconstitutional surveillance

Mandated cybersecurity requirements including prohibition of technology from foreign-controlled companies that could threaten critical infrastructure like voting systems

Added specific requirements for protecting critical infrastructure including voting and election management systems

ELIGIBILITY

Modified eligibility criteria for wireless tower leases to include security clearance and compliance with federal security standards

Introduced Version → Engrossed Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Apr 2, 2025

MINOR

The bill text was updated from an Introduced Version to an Engrossed Committee Substitute Version, reflecting amendments made during committee review. The substantive policy content of the bill remains largely unchanged, though the title was expanded to clarify that entities must meet certain criteria and minimum requirements. The formatting was cleaned up to remove navigation elements and improve readability.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains the same - it authorizes county commissions to lease wireless towers to various entities while prohibiting charges for public safety and state agency use. However, the title was modified to explicitly mention that entities must meet certain criteria and minimum requirements.

TITLE

The bill title was expanded to clarify that entities must meet certain criteria and minimum requirements, and that the prohibition on charges applies when the same requirements are met as for other applicants.

TECHNICAL

Removed navigation links, menu items, and website footer content that were present in the Introduced Version but not part of the actual bill text.

Cleaned up line breaks and formatting to present the bill text in a more readable, continuous format without the original version's line-by-line numbering.

To permit the county commission of each county to lease, rent or to permit the use of a county owned wireless tower or any portion thereof, with exceptions

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