Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Approving Pole Attachment Agreement with Verizon Wireless RESOLUTION NO. 20-081 RESOLUTION APPROVING SMALL CELL WIRELESS POLE ATTACHMENT AGREEMENT WITH VERIZON WIRELESS FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA WHEREAS,Verizon Wireless(VAW)LLC d/b/a Verizon Wireless of Basking Ridge,New Jersey is a wireless carrier that is requesting to install, maintain, and operate wireless communications equipment on City utility poles; and, WHEREAS, the equipment is known as "small cells," and siting of small cell wireless facilities on utility poles within the public rights-of-way is regulated by a recently enacted Iowa State Law(now incorporated into Chapter 8C of the Iowa Cell Siting Act) which gives wireless carriers certain privileges to site small cell wireless within City rights-of-way and on City structures; and, WHEREAS, the City's Electric Utility maintains several thousand distribution and transmission poles,and otherutilities and telecommunication providers routinely attach their cabling to these City-owned poles to deploy their infrastructure throughout the City; and, WHEREAS, Verizon has indicated it would initially like to install six small cell wireless installations on Electric Services street light poles with future plans to expand that to an unknown quantity; and, WHEREAS, Verizon is primarily interested in siting these near large student and event populations (in the vicinity of ISU housing or the stadium, for example)as well as in the proximity to the Ames Middle School on Mortensen Road; and, WHEREAS, Other wireless companies have also expressed an interest in the same type of small cell wireless installations,and with the expansion of 5G wireless networks this will likely drive the expansion of small cell wireless installation on poles; and, WHEREAS, it is the preference of the wireless providers to utilize existing pole locations owned by Electric Services in lieu of City-owned structures, as there are more sites to choose from in the right-of-ways and these sites also need electric power; and, WHEREAS, the Pole Attachment Agreement provides that during the initial network buildout,Verizon will have professional engineers licensed in the State of Iowa perform the design for the attachment applications,and due to the low volume of these applications,it is anticipated that the applications will be reviewed by Electric Engineering staff; and, WHEREAS,provisions exist for the Utility to require Verizon to remove its attachments in the event that the City re-routes poles, or converts overhead infrastructure to underground; and, WHEREAS, if the City receives complaints from the public regarding the condition of Verizon's wireless communications equipment on the poles,Verizon must make repairs within ten days or provide information to the City regarding when the repairs are to be made; and, WHEREAS, in exchange for attaching to the City's Electric poles, Verizon will pay the utility attachment fees as provided in the Agreement(and to be included in the Municipal Code)for small cell wireless pole attachments; and, WHEREAS,the fee is currently$150 per pole,per year,and the Agreement also states that the fee can be modified annually. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that the Small Cell Wireless Pole Attachment Agreement with Verizon Wireless LLC d/b/a Verizon Wireless, Basking Ridge, New Jersey from January 1, 2020, until December 31, 2025, is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 25`''day of February, 2020. Diane R. Voss, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor Introduced by: Beatty-Hansen Seconded by: Corrieri Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Junck, Martin, Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 25t'day of February, 2020.