MCALLEN – The city of McAllen voted to move forward with a lawsuit against Texas.

Senate Bill 1004 restricts how much cities can regulate cellphone companies who use public right-of-ways for their infrastructure.

McAllen city attorney Kevin Pagan said the city was working on a deal with cellphone companies on the installation of new wireless equipment across the city. The companies would have to pay $800,000 to a $1 million a year to the city.

But under the new law, the city would only be able to charge $250.

“We had a tentative arrangement worked out with them, and then the state legislature jumped in and said, ‘No, we’re not going to allow cities to do that. We’re going to, in effect, give almost unbridled access to that land and at almost no cost, to the cell companies,’” he said.

Pagan said the city would also like to be able to regulate where the equipment can be placed within the city. We’re told the city has no say under the new law.

The city attorney said several other cities across Texas will likely join the lawsuit against the state.