Proposed Bill No. 5107, introduced by REP. MICHEL of the 146th District, addresses two main issues: the siting of small cell installations within municipalities and the installation of advanced metering systems, commonly known as smart meters, by electric distribution companies. The bill proposes amendments to title 16 of the general statutes to grant municipalities the authority to conduct the siting for small cell installations. Municipalities would have the option to handle the siting process independently, allow the Connecticut Siting Council to manage it, or collaborate with the council on the siting process. However, the bill also stipulates that a municipality can override the council's decision only if it can provide persuasive and reliable environmental reasons for doing so.

The second part of the bill seeks to protect consumer choice regarding the installation of smart meters. It proposes to prohibit electric distribution companies from installing smart meters on a customer's premises without the customer's explicit consent. This means that customers must affirmatively opt in to have an advanced metering system installed, rather than being automatically enrolled or having to opt out. The purpose of the bill is to provide municipalities with different options for managing small cell installations and to ensure that electric utility customers have the right to choose whether or not to have smart meters installed on their properties.