COMMENTARY: The sponsors of House Bill 38 and Senate Bill 14 deserve accolades for trying to keep New Mexico relevant regarding corporate investment in the state.
Courtesy photo
Jerry Apodaca
When the legislative landscape is friendly to capital investment — with safeguards for the employee and consumer — then New Mexico wins. I truly believe the sponsors of the Wireless Consumer Advanced Infrastructure Act moved on this very spirit.
Unfortunately the process has been hijacked by special interests and out-of-state money. If not handled deliberately and responsibly in the interim, The Wireless Consumer Advanced Infrastructure Act has the potential to leave legislators, advocates and customers with a sour taste in their mouths.
It already is reminiscent of the debacle that was the SunCal session — when smarter minds than mine decided a good strategy was to dispatch 20 lobbyists on either side of the bill.
To butcher a famous line, I won’t hold the lobbyists’ and sponsors’ youth against them, but set aside SB 14 and HB 38 for the time being and let carriers, municipalities and consumer advocates work out a compromise that’s good for New Mexico.
Collaboration and compromise create quality products for everyone. Rushing a bill that has caused so many to feel they need throw money at multiple consultants and lobbyists doesn’t bode well for the state’s image or the quality of service to consumers.
Most important is the fact that the wireless infrastructure bill doesn’t even have industry consensus. That is a recipe for an unintended consequence to manifest itself in the Legislature picking winners and losers in the same industry.
Jerry Apodaca, a Democrat, is a former New Mexico governor. Agree with his opinion? Disagree? We welcome your views. Learn about submitting your own commentary here.