Business & Tech
City Of Fremont To Allow 'Small Cell Technology' On Street Lights
"The deployment of small cell facilities will improve the speed and reduce gaps in data coverage for our community."
Posted on December 13, 2019
As wireless service providers expand 4G and 5G networks across the country by deploying small cell technology (a small antenna, radio, and other accessory equipment), the City of Fremont is working on a Master License Agreement (MLA) agreement with wireless providers to allow the placement of small cells facilities on City owned and operated street lights, excluding historic district and decorative light poles.
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The deployment of small cell facilities will improve the speed and reduce gaps in data coverage for our community, as well as contribute to reducing blight in public spaces by ensuring no additional poles are constructed in the public right-of-way.
In September 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed a ruling to support the expansion of small cell technology and restrict the authority of state and local governments by allowing only regulation that preserves the public’s health, safety, welfare, aesthetics, and infrastructure in the public right-of-way and prohibiting local agencies from denying wireless providers access to City owned light poles.
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The City of Fremont plans to adhere to this federal mandate via the pending Master License Agreement, which will allow wireless service providers to install small cells on City infrastructure within the public right-of-way in a more expedited time frame.
From a health and safety perspective, the approved radiated emission levels from small cells meet the current accepted health and safety guidelines set by the FCC.
At the City Council Meeting on January 14, 2020, the Council will discuss the Master License Agreement template for telecommunications facilities. The City Council meeting will be held at Fremont City Hall, 3300 Capitol Ave., Building A, in the Council Chambers starting at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit our small cell webpage or contact Kei Louie in the City’s Engineering Division by email or by phone at 510-494-4727.
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This press release was produced by the City of Fremont. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
