Backers of a bill that easily passed the Iowa legislature say it’s designed to bring the digital “5-G revolution” into Iowa.
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That’s Senator Dan Zumbach, a Republican from Ryan. The bill sets up a new framework for where things called “small cells” may be placed. It’s NOT a tower, but is basically a piece of equipment attached to things like already-existing utility poles. These “small cells” dramatically boost internet speed. Some city and county officials have raised concerns about new “clusters” of this equipment creating hazards or messy views for nearby residents. Zumbach says the bill resolved some of those objections, plus it will let techology companies apply for BATCHES of permits for these “small cells” all at once.
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A 5-G network offers peak speeds of 400 megabits per second. That’s four times faster than a 4-G network. Existing 3-G and 4-G networks are increasingly “congested” — causing buffering issues for video and even preventing some users from logging on. “Small cell” technology allows clusters of the devices to tap into hard-fiber networks and dramatically increase connection speeds. A-T-and-T announced it would establish 5-G networks in Austin, Texas and Indianapolis soon. Verizon has said it intends to get into 5-G territory this year as well. The world’s first 5-G networks are operating in Korea and Germany.
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