Colorado lawmakers will consider three bills to improve cell phone service in the state after an interim committee advanced the ideas in a meeting this week.

The Cell Phone Connectivity Interim Committee, made up of six lawmakers and six nonvoting members, was formed earlier this year through a legislative request from Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, and Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver. 

“Colorado is beautiful because of its mountains, but it’s challenging because of our mountains,” Soper said in the Tuesday meeting. “The cell phone is the new landline. We’re not going to probably go back to landlines.”

The first bill would require the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Colorado Broadband Office to designate single points of contact in the divisions who can help with emergency communications and wireless services. They would also provide technical assistance and offer recommendations to improve the current wireless systems. 

The sponsors are Soper, Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs.

The second bill would create a grant program to help communities build more cell phone infrastructure. Grants would be awarded to communities and neighborhoods with limited cell phone connectivity. It is sponsored by Soper, Lukens and Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo. 

The third bill would seek to simplify and streamline the permitting process for cell site applications. 

It would require applications for cell phone infrastructure projects submitted to a local government to be automatically approved within 60 days if a local government agency hasn’t yet approved or rejected it. It would also prevent local governments from requiring additional permits to be filed by telecommunications providers that have replaced or removed equipment from their facility as long as it’s not substantially changing their facility. 

It is sponsored by Lukens, Roberts, Hinrichsen and Bacon.

“Whether you need to call for emergency support or just stay in touch with family and work, cell service is a vital tool that keeps us connected to our communities,” Roberts said in a news release.

The bills will be considered by the full legislature once the next legislative session begins in January. 

Elliott Wenzler is the Western Slope politics reporter for the Craig Press and its sister publications in Glenwood Springs, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Craig, Summit County and Grand County. Reach her at ewenzler@swiftcom.com.