Effective and Timely Wireless Antenna Siting: Critical to Continued Growth and Deployment of Services to Consumers
April 2006
Why Wireless Antenna Siting is Important
Wireless service is an integral part of everyday life for hundreds of millions of Americans. Over 65 percent of the total U.S. population – over 200 million users – subscribe to a wireless service. On average, those subscribers each spend nearly 700 minutes per month on their cell phones. Total wireless minutes of use for the industry has grown on average more than 30 percent annually since 1998, as subscribers substitute more wireless for wireline usage. Whether for business, personal, or emergency use, Americans are relying increasingly on wireless for their communications needs. In fact, almost six percent of U.S. households have “cut the cord” forgoing wireline service altogether.
Wireless carriers are working tirelessly to build and maintain their network infrastructure in order to meet the growing demand for wireless, and provide the highest level of reliable service. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) notes a variety of factors including network architecture (where antennas are located), capacity (how many callers can use the airwaves/antenna at a given time), and topography (your surroundings) which can all affect call quality. Without adequate network coverage or capacity, wireless users will experience busy signals, dropped calls and bad connections. Such instances can be especially worrisome when dialing 911 from your wireless phone. The only way to improve coverage and capacity is to add cell sites. More >
In the pioneering years of wireless, fewer cell sites were needed to provide coverage for a smaller number of subscribers, mostly business users. Cell sites were built along the interstate highways and near business populations. Over time, as prices declined, more and more consumers purchased service. To handle the additional voice traffic, carriers increased capacity by simultaneously reducing the height and power of the existing cells and adding new cells, a practice known as cell splitting, whereby a cell is subdivided into two or more smaller cells, the radio frequencies are then reassigned, and transmission power is reduced to avoid interference with adjacent cells. The new cell sites were built near consumers – near their neighborhoods, retail stores, parks and roadways – anywhere a subscriber demanded service and a clear signal.
Thousands of cell sites have been erected over the last two decades, but the continued growth in wireless usage and voice traffic – especially in suburban and exurban areas – highlights the need for construction of new cell sites to ensure continued quality, dependable service. The emergence of popular wireless-broadband services, from viewing video on cell phones to downloading business or entertainment applications, only further underscores the need for more network capacity.
Unquestionably, cell siting is neither easy nor a random process. It involves complex technical and capital expenditure requirements, and complicated rules that govern how and when your service provider can locate structures like towers. Whenever possible, carriers strive to co-locate equipment on existing towers or make technical adjustments to existing antennas to improve coverage and capacity. However, that may not always eliminate the need for a new site. For example, a tower may not be able to support additional antennas without raising structural stability issues. Furthermore, carriers often require specific pole and antenna design specifications, since they operate in different frequencies and use different transmission technologies. All of these factors can make it sometimes impractical for carriers to share cell sites.
Who Controls Antenna Siting
Although antennas are often subject to local zoning laws, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 bans local jurisdictions from “prohibiting” the placement of antennas. Jurisdictions can regulate how and where antennas are placed as long as the overall impact is not to preclude wireless service. Wireless carriers are sensitive to the concerns of jurisdictions and the industry strives to identify winning solutions for all parties involved in siting negotiations. For example, carriers at considerable costs often disguise towers as trees, flagpoles, and boulders to preserve the environmental and historical aspects of landscapes or buildings near cell sites.
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In addition to local zoning laws, in October 2004, the FCC adopted the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (NPA) and the USET Tribal Best Practices Agreement, which are intended to streamline the Commission’s Historic Preservation review process. These two agreements, along with the Nationwide Colocation Programmatic Agreement, include major changes to the FCC’s environmental rules governing the construction and modification of towers and antennas on or near historic properties, including those areas of religious and cultural significance to Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations (NHOs).
As carriers navigate the landscape of local and federal laws governing antenna siting, they will continue to advocate for expeditious review of cell site applications. It is ironic that local jurisdictions often hamper wireless carriers’ ability to rollout new cell sites, particularly when consumers benefit when carriers can expand coverage and capacity.
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