Item 3.8 Visual slideshow presented by Staff at MeetingRutan & Tucker, LLP | 611 Anton Blvd., Suite 1400, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 | 714-641-5100 | www.rutan.com
Agenda Item 3.8
Ordinance Regulating Wireless
Communication Facilities
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Wireless Communication Facilities -
Background
•Wireless communication facilities (“WCFs”) --facilities on
vertical infrastructure used to broadcast telecommunication
signals.
•Constantly changing technology and applicable law
•City’s ability to regulate progressively constrained by state and
federal law over past few decades
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State Regulation
•Municipalities have the right to impose reasonable “time,
place, and manner” restrictions on wireless providers when
they access the public right-of-way. (PUC §7901.1(a).)
•This authority must be “applied to all entities in an
equivalent manner.” (PUC §7901.1(b).)
•Case law confirms that regulations based on aesthetics are
permitted
•SB 649 attempting to limit discretion in public right-of-way
rejected in 2017
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Federal Regulation
•Federal law recognizes that the City retains its traditional
zoning authority over wireless facility applications, but
imposes a variety of different restrictions, including:
–No discrimination between providers
–No effective prohibition of services
–Cannot regulate based on the environmental effects of
radio frequency (“RF”) emissions to the extent that
such facilities comply with the FCC’s regulations
concerning such emissions
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Federal Regulation -FCC Order
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•In September 2018, the FCC adopted an Order significantly
restricting the regulation of small WCFs in the public right-of-
way
•“Small” WCFs are generally defined as:
–antenna less than 3 cubic feet in volume
–all other associated equipment is less than 28 cubic feet
•Does not apply to private property
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FCC Order –Restrictions Imposed
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•Traditional “rent” eliminated -fees are only permitted to the
extent that they are based reasonable approximation of the City’s
reasonable and actual costs
•Faster “shot clock” requirements (60 days / 90 days)
•Staff level approval
•Aesthetic Requirements –must be reasonable and objective
•Effective Prohibition –new test:
–Whether or not a regulation “materially limits or inhibits the ability
of any competitor or potential competitor to compete in a fair and
balanced legal and regulatory environment.”
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Current City Regulations
•CUP required for locations outside of the right-of-way (no
change proposed)
•Nothing specifically tailored to WCFs
•Right-of-way permit (only related to construction)
–Master license / encroachment agreement
•MDRA in some cases
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Proposed Ordinance
•Establishes a new “Wireless Communication Facility Permit”
required for all WCFs in the public right-of-way
•Allows the City to reasonably, objectively and
comprehensively regulate all WCFs while complying with the
FCC order, including shot clock requirement
•Provides all objective requirements to carriers in advance of
application submittal
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Defined Application Requirements & Approval
Authority
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•Application must meet clearly defined requirements
–Submission of site plans, utility plans, specifications and the
like
•Approval authority is Director of Development Services
•Appeal to Hearing Officer
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Objective Siting/Aesthetic Requirements
•Not permitted on overhead utility poles due to future
undergrounding
–Preference for existing street lights
•50 feet from residential structures
•Not permitted on school, daycare or park frontages
•New poles not permitted within 75 feet of existing poles
•50 feet, 10% taller than adjacent infrastructure, or 5 feet higher
than existing pole
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Objective Siting/Aesthetic Requirements
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•Various other setbacks for line of sight, emergency services,
pedestrians
•Replacement structure must be located within 5 feet of pre-
existing structure
•Colocation encouraged
•Required to be architecturally integrated with support
structures (including painting) and screened from view to the
largest extent feasible
•No ground mounting unless technically infeasible
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Other Requirements
•Indemnify the City
•Continued maintenance and periodic inspections
•Removal and restoration obligations
•“Batch” approvals require master communications site license
agreement
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Fees
•Staff will bring back a resolution amending the City’s
Master Fee Schedule
•Reasonable approximation of the costs of processing the
permit
•FCC order per se reasonable fees:
–$500 application fee for up to 5 WCFs, $100 for each
additional
–$1,000 application fee for new pole
–$270 per year
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Comments from Wireless Carriers
•Received comments from Verizon & AT&T
•City has a reasonable and defensible basis for all portions of
the Ordinance
•Staff proposed a number of revisions to the Ordinance:
–No independent verification of FCC compliance
–Modified height restrictions
–Modified emergency removal provisions
–Modified 75 foot spacing requirement from other vertical
infrastructure
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Future Changes
•The Ordinance and wireless policies will be likely
amended in the future, and should be seen as “living
documents”
•Pending federal legislation and legal challenge to the
FCC Order –far from over
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QUESTIONS?