SBACC Opposes Moratorium On Digital Billboards

The South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce (SBACC) opposes a state legislative proposal which imposes a moratorium on the construction, conversion, enhancements or modifications of a billboard to a digital format if it can be seen from a highway. AB 109 also prohibits conversion of official highway digital displays to advertisements for commercial purposes.

The SBACC believes that many California businesses use digital billboards to display and promote their products and with the economy being so slow, every opportunity to stimulate commerce must be pursued. When products move, people work. Restaurants, movie theaters, automotive dealers, hotels are just a few kinds of businesses that employ billboards to advertise their products.

Converting to digital media also provides jobs for a variety of skilled labor and construction crews that have had few opportunities for employment due to the downturn in commercial and residential developments.

Finally, the SBACC believes regulating digital billboards should be left to local communities many of whom already have rules in place. By prohibiting digital billboards, it cuts off a source of revenue for local communities many of which are facing severe budgetary deficits.