TO: Chairman Strom and the Planning Commission
FROM: Kevin Burke, Town Manager
DATE: October 21, 2016
DEPARTMENT: Town Manager
Staff Contact Kevin Burke, 480-348-3690
End
AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Quality of Life - Cell Service
Body
Council Goals or Other Policies / Statutory Requirements:
Quality of Life - Maintain and improve the Paradise Valley quality of life.
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive background information explaining the reasons for poor cell phone service and discuss possible amendments to the Town’s Personal Wireless Service Facility (PWSF) (a.k.a. cell tower) ordinance.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
As part of the Quality of Life Initiative, Town Council identified cell service coverage as being very poor and negatively impacting resident's quality of life. The Mayor and Town Manager began information gathering to identify the scope and scale of the poor service as well as the reasons for the poor coverage. This started with mapping locations of residents who reported poor service and their respective carrier (see attachment Mobile Carrier Survey Results). The Mayor and Manager then met separately with Verizon and AT&T as well as two industry consultants who live in the Town. Lastly, a PWSF tower company presented itself to the Town and offered both technical information and willingness to gather specific data regarding coverage and analyze it at no cost to the Town. That firm is Ghost Networks. Their data indicates that there are three distinct areas in the Town with very poor reception across the carriers.
In summary, the Town is experiencing poor service for a number of reasons. By way of background recognize that there are four carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon) who broadcast essentially on 4 band widths (700, 850, 1900 and 2100 MHz). Further, antennas really come in four different varieties today-macro, micro, distributed antenna systems (DAS) and wifi). The industry is moving to an environment where a phone call is handed off among any and all of these antennas as a person travels. Additionally, macro antennas have really changed. It used to be that they wanted to be on the highest point with the most power to blast a signal across a territory. While they still need height, it’s not on a mountain top, it’s on the street corner closer to the phone. Moreover, overlap in broadcast area causes more interference or noise and consequently service area is more closely managed. The DAS system, which the Town licensed several years ago as a way to improve cell phone service, remains an important antenna type but must be used in conjunction with the other antennas. DAS is primarily useful in high density areas, where phone users are not in buildings, and within approximately 100 meters. There as 42 DAS antennas (a.k.a. nodes) in Town. Looking at this information, the Town is lacking in macro sites and the DAS system is useful for cell coverage in automobiles, but less so for residents in low density neighborhoods.
The next important information point is industry trends. Currently, the industry is focused on the ability to service more data needs. Consumers want lots of data. So industry investment is to improve data reception rather than voice service. Moreover, data technology tends to rest on 4G networks running at 1900 and 2100 MHz. Phones are typically sold programmed to work with 3G antennas and at 700 or 800 MHz. Most new phones have the capability to switch to 4G but that takes an action by the phone owner in conjunction with their carrier. Moreover, many new phones are offering the ability to call using wifi. This again takes knowledge and action on the part of users. While some of that is becoming simpler on the phone, it is only recently coming pre-programmed. As a result, industry trends have somewhat passed by Paradise Valley’s need for basic cell phone voice service coverage on 3G at lower frequencies.
Combined, these reasons explain the poor coverage in Paradise Valley.
The second part of this study session topic looks at solutions. In short, solutions require more infrastructure. Ideally the Town would rather facilitate private development of infrastructure over developing its own. This is possible in most cases, but requires regulatory changes. Attached is a draft ordinance amending the current regulations on PWSF’s. Height and distance from dwelling units are probably the most substantial changes to the ordinance, but are necessary to facilitate improved reception. Most of the prime locations for PWSF’s are on properties with a special use permit (SUP). Much of these amendments would benefit locating a PWSF on an SUP lot. The north-central part of PV has notably poor service but is exclusively residential use. Infrastructure investments in this area may need to be in Town right-of-way. The ordinance amendment contemplates such a possibility.
As a caveat, the Mayor and Town Manager do not hold themselves out as experts in this field. The information contained in this report is the culmination of much research and is principally second hand information provided by the experts.
BUDGETARY IMPACT:
None
ATTACHMENT(S):
Mobile Carrier Survey Results
Ordinance Amending Article XII of the Zoning Code Personal Wireless Service Facilities
Follow-Up Memo to Council Regarding Proposed Ordinance Amendments