Senate Bill S4902

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires cell towers to be equipped with a back-up power source in case of a power outage

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2025-S4902 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A2670
Current Committee:
Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:
General Business Law
Laws Affected:
Add §399-yyyyy, Gen Bus L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: S8893, A10988
2021-2022: S695, A3921
2023-2024: S2996, A88

2025-S4902 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires cell towers to be equipped with a back-up power source in case of a power outage.

2025-S4902 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S4902 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4902
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
   cations
 
 AN  ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring cell
   towers to be equipped with a back-up power source in case of  a  power
   outage

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
 399-yyyyy to read as follows:
   § 399-YYYYY. MACRO CELL TOWER SITES; BACK-UP POWER. 1.  EVERY OWNER OR
 OPERATOR OF MACRO CELL TOWER SITES LOCATED IN THIS STATE SHALL,  TO  THE
 EXTENT  PRACTICABLE, EQUIP ALL SUCH MACRO CELL TOWER SITES WITH AN EMER-
 GENCY BACK-UP POWER SOURCE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ADEQUATE POWER TO  MAIN-
 TAIN  THE OPERATION OF SUCH MACRO CELL TOWER SITES IN THE CASE OF A LOSS
 OF POWER.  SUCH EMERGENCY BACK-UP POWER SOURCE  SHALL  USE  A  RENEWABLE
 ENERGY  SYSTEM,  FUEL  CELL  ELECTRIC GENERATING EQUIPMENT, OR AN ENERGY
 STORAGE SYSTEM AND BE CAPABLE OF POWERING A MACRO CELL TOWER SITE FOR  A
 MINIMUM  OF  AT  LEAST SEVENTY-TWO HOURS.  IF A MACRO CELL TOWER SITE IS
 ALREADY EQUIPPED WITH AN EMERGENCY BACK-UP POWER  SOURCE  PRIOR  TO  THE
 EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THEN THE OWNER OR OPERATOR OF SUCH MACRO
 TOWER  SITE SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO UPDATE SUCH EMERGENCY BACK-UP POWER
 SOURCE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT
 ONCE SUCH EMERGENCY BACK-UP POWER SOURCE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, THE OWNER
 OR OPERATOR SHALL EQUIP SUCH MACRO CELL TOWER  SITE  WITH  AN  EMERGENCY
 BACK-UP POWER SOURCE THAT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION.
   2.  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF THIS SECTION, "MACRO CELL TOWER SITE" SHALL
 MEAN THE PLACE WHERE WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT  AND  NETWORK
 COMPONENTS, INCLUDING TOWERS, TRANSMITTERS, BASE STATIONS, AND EMERGENCY
 POWERS NECESSARY FOR PROVIDING WIDE AREA OUTDOOR SERVICE, ARE LOCATED. A
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02720-01-5
 S. 4902                             2

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