REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize the City Manager or His Designee to Execute a Small Cell License Agreement with New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC, d/b/a AT&T Wireless and Delegate Authority for Term Extensions and Find the Project Categorically Exempt under CEQA
Report
BACKGROUND
Over the past year, AT&T and other wireless carriers have approached the City with requests to deploy small cell facilities within the public right-of-way on City owned street lights as these existing vertical infrastructures are ideally suited to support small cell networks to enhance broadband services throughout the community.
Small cells are wireless telecommunication devices that consist of radio receivers, antennas and other associated power and electronics. Small cells base station equipment can range in sizes upwards of eight cubic feet while antennas can range in size upwards of three cubic feet. Small cells produce considerably less emissions than typical macro-cell towers, and help to mitigate and manage the use of the wireless frequency spectrum. A macro-cell's range is typically between two and three kilometers, given small cells typically use low-power radios and smaller antennas that have a shorter signal propagation range. This requires the small cells to be spaced closer together and closer to the user in order to deliver high capacity data services.
The City adopted wireless telecommunications zoning regulations in 1997, with a focus on wireless projects on private property. Since that time, there has been rapid growth and revolutionary changes in the wireless telecommunications fields, requiring increased demand and reliability for data coverage and capacity. As more consumers are accessing services that are associated with the "Internet of Things" (e.g., smart phones, home security, internet shopping, control of home devices and future autonomous vehicles), the demand for data capacity and speed is rapidly rising with no plateau anticipated. Zoning Regu...
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