The billboard industry is pushing legislation that would erase city and county regulations that prevent billboard owners from converting traditional signs into those that resemble giant flat-screen TVs. The change would apply only to billboards adjacent to major routes, such as interstates and primary highway system roads. A billboard industry lobbyist said sign owners should be allowed to move ahead with new technology. “There’s a big demand for digital billboards,” said Tony Adams, who represents the N.C. Outdoor Advertising Association. Digital billboards are popular with the industry because they can be changed quickly and cheaply. They increase profits by serving several advertisers simultaneously, Adams said. The bill would also let billboard owners clear view-obstructing trees from a larger swath of roadside. The new limit would be 400 feet within public rights of way, up from the current limit of 250 feet. The measure require cities and counties to abide by the statewide billboard tree-clearing policy.
The proposal has drawn opposition from local governments and environmental groups. “We should have some say in how our community works and the safety here,” said Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne. In Fayetteville, billboard owners are allowed to convert an existing sign to digital if it complies with all other local regulations, said city planning manager Karen Hilton. The bill would trump that restriction for billboards on the interstate and primary roads. Chavonne doesn’t want lawmakers in Raleigh to restrict Fayetteville’s ability to control its appearance. “We would hate to see that trumped by a level of government that’s not where we live,” Chavonne said.(Paul Woolverton, THE FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER, 3/20/11).
