Another legislative battle over the regulation of digital billboards is brewing near the home of a second major U.S. manufacturer.

We recently reported on law-makers’ attempts to halt a digital billboard ban in Salt Lake City, where Yesco is headquartered. Now, in South Dakota, one of two opposing bills making their way through the state legislature is believed to be supported by Daktronics, which has its main office in the city of Brookings. The firm has not commented on it.

South Dakota law currently calls for any regulation of signage to be “reasonable” and “related to the needs of the business community”.

But one of the two proposed new rules would add to that a specific prohibition on any community restricting “any advertising technology”. It’s seen as pro-digital and would, for example, require the state’s second-largest community Rapid City to reverse last year’s ban on digital billboards.

The other bill, perceived as anti-digital, would prevent local governments from interfering with “on-premise signs” – but leave the way open for them to regulate off-premise installations such as standalone digital billboards.

Both have been assigned to committees in the state senate and house of representatives, with no hearings yet scheduled.

www.daktronics.com
www.yesco.com

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