Title
Staff Report for a Discussion Concerning Small Cell Installations on City-Owned Street Lights and Utility Poles
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Small cell antenna installations allow wireless infrastructure and wireless service providers to install cellular equipment on City-owned street lights and similar City-owned utility poles. A recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Order established rules that may impact how local government can regulate these installations. Despite the FCC Order, City staff have been actively negotiating Master License Agreements with telecommunication companies who wish to begin equipment deployments in San Leandro.
BACKGROUND
Mobile device usage has grown rapidly in recent years, requiring more bandwidth and placing heavy demand on existing network infrastructure. As a result, mobile service providers are beginning to supplement their current 4G networks with small cellular base stations ("small cells") to increase bandwidth and capacity on their networks. A small cell is similar to a mobile hot spot in that it covers a small area with high-density usage to provide better mobile phone service.
These 4G small cells, and the evolution to 5G wireless technology, depend on closely spaced antennas for which street lights and similar municipal vertical assets are ideal for cost effective installations. This infrastructure is being built out in two ways: Either wireless infrastructure companies build and maintain a "neutral" small cell network infrastructure that they in turn can lease through partnership agreements to wireless service providers; or wireless service providers choose to build, maintain, and operate their own small cell infrastructure.
Analysis
Under existing federal and state law, local municipalities retain certain authority to regulate wireless telecommunications facilities in the public right-of-way. This includes the authority to regulate the aesthetic qualities of the facilities and the ...
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