Del. Dereck E. Davis woke up on wrong side of the bed.

Davis, who represents District 25 (Prince George’s County) in the Maryland General Assembly, has been chair of the House Economic Matters Committee since 2003. Since 2016, he has been involved in negotiations to bring 5G network technology to Maryland. That technology—which promises a wireless connection equivalent to what you can experience today with direct fiber—will largely depend on the installation of new, small cell antennas attached to light poles every few blocks, connecting users on the ground to the larger cell towers that currently carry the 4G network.

Since these small-cell antennas will be ubiquitous in densely populated areas, there are potentially complicated rights-of-way and fee structures to negotiate. Virginia and Delaware have already passed legislation allowing carriers to install small cells statewide without negotiating with municipalities and counties—a hurdle that, according to industry stakeholders, would significantly impede the process.

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