S. 4600 Summary

• Adds Article 13-E to General Municipal Law establishing comprehensive definitions and regulations for small wireless facilities and micro wireless facilities deployment in New York State.

• Prohibits municipal corporations from entering exclusive arrangements with wireless providers for right-of-way use and limits right-of-way rates to the direct and actual cost of managing the right-of-way, capped at $20 per utility pole or wireless support structure annually with small wireless facility antennas.

• Classifies small and micro wireless facilities as permitted uses not subject to zoning review in rights-of-way or outside single-family residential zones; establishes 60-day application approval timeline with automatic approval if municipal corporation fails to act, and limits application fees to $100 per facility or lesser of building permit fees for similar commercial development.

• Restricts collocation rates on municipal and designated service utility poles to $20 per year for wooden poles or $200 per year for metal/concrete/fiberglass poles, whichever is less, and prohibits exclusive pole attachment arrangements.

• Prohibits municipal corporations from requiring wireless providers to indemnify municipalities except when provider negligence causes documented harm, and reserves court jurisdiction over all disputes arising under the article.