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This issue of Snapshots is devoted to community necessities and utilities essential to day-to-day life. The provision of energy, telecommunications and waste disposal are vital services affecting land use and planning. Utility companies struggle with producing and distributing efficient energy for consumption, while not creating unsightly landscapes. Policymakers must decide the location of cell towers, electrical lines, and antennas without infringing on neighbors rights. Communities must be able to accomodate these sites without resorting to NIMBYism (Not In My BackYard).
This edition of Snapshots is intended to be read in a facing-page, spread format.
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Electricity in Hillsborough County is provided by Tampa Electric Company (TECO). TECO serves Hillsborough County and beyond reaching over 2,000 square miles. TECO is one of five investor-owned electrical utilities in Florida and is a tax paying business, financed by the sale of securities in the free market, and managed by representatives elected by shareholders (pp. 3-7).
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Radio frequencies are one tiny component of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrum includes all visible light, along with ultraviolet light, x-rays, gamma rays and many others. In the telecommunications industry there are a variety of frequencies and wavelengths to transmit data and information (pp. 8-16).
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Bio/Medical Waste, sewage processing and septic tank inspections are part of the utiility and public safety aspects of local governments. While many of us give blood or have an annual check-up, little thought is paid to how these actions and many more are regulated by federal, state and local laws. For example, Bio/Medical Waste generates a large amount of waste not only from hospitals and walk-in
clinics, but tattoo parlors, funeral homes and laboratories. A recent report indicates that many hospitals outsource the processing of their waste products, a process that could lead to illness and hazard in times of crisis or pandemic (pp. 17-19).
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