CA SB556

Prohibits local governments and publicly owned electric utilities from unreasonably denying communications service providers the ability to lease or license street light poles and traffic signal poles for placing small wireless facilities, with access subject to fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory fees.

Establishes 45-day response timeline (60 days for requests over 300 poles) for local utilities and governments to respond to small wireless facility placement requests, with detailed procedures for make-ready work and cost estimates.

Limits attachment fees to fair and reasonable compensation recovering direct and actual costs, with a presumptively reasonable rate ceiling based on FCC standards; allows local utilities to use existing procedures to adopt fees and permits parties to mutually agree to different terms.

Allows denial of applications only for insufficient capacity or safety/reliability concerns that cannot be adequately addressed, with specific conditions requiring identification and remedy opportunities for the communications service provider.

Requires mobile telephony service providers to report to the Legislature by December 31 of 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 on their progress toward universal broadband access by census tract.