AT&T Restores Partial Cellular Service, Pursues Permanent Fix: Alcorn

RESTON, VA — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn took a few minutes Monday between posing for photos with beagles at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter to provide an update on what's going on with AT&T's efforts to fix the cellular reception problem in Reston.

AT&T announced July 29 that it was working to restore cell service in the Reston-Lake Anne area, where residents reported they had been experiencing severe service outages for several weeks. The lack of service had many people in the community concerned about not being able to contact 9-1-1 in case of an emergency.

Patch reported on July 27 that the drop in service was likely due to Verizon Wireless decommissioning equipment on the roof of the old Fellowship House building, which is due to be demolished this summer.

Related: AT&T Takes Action To Address Cellular Service Outages In Reston

Patch: Have there been any updates about the Lake Anne cellphone situation?

Alcorn: The latest is that AT&T is working to restore full service. They have restored at least partial service in the area by reconstituting the panels that they have decommissioned.

Are they still up on the roof of the old Lake Anne Fellowship House?

They are, but they decommissioned the equipment that makes those panels run. So, they had to re-procure equipment to, in effect, reinstall them for the next few months. While they are getting the full service back, they're also moving forward with a more permanent proposal that should be in place later this fall.

It's not the same proposal that Verizon Wireless had before the Fairfax County Architectural Board in December to put the cell equipment on the roof of the Heron House?

No.

Are they going to install the new equipment onto the new Fellowship House roof?

They are looking at that. I'm not sure if they have finalized all the details. I know they haven't submitted anything to the county yet. But they'll also have to submit to the Reston Association Design Review Board.

In general, Fairfax County policy urges placement of antennas on existing buildings, as opposed to standalone monopoles that are more visible.

Countywise, does it just need approval from the Fairfax County Architectural Review Board?

It's two things. Anything in the historic district has to go through the Architectural Review Board, but any placement of new panels has to also meet zoning requirements. So, it has to go through the Department of Planning and Development. Now, placement of panels on existing buildings is typically an administrative approval, not one where there's a public hearing because the impacts are minimal.

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