The Hastings City Council will hold a 6 p.m. workshop before the Aug. 22 meeting to go over documents with guidelines for the city when companies ask to put Distributed Antenna Systems in its rights-of-way.
In January, the city joined a Grand Valley Metro Council effort as part of a consortium of cities that hired an attorney to develop the document to help the city when companies ask to install the technology.
Councilwoman Brenda McNabb-Stange, who is the city representative on the Metro Council, told the council that the new document would have a permit application, a license or franchise agreement and a cover letter to be given to any company requesting the use of rights-of-way.
McNabb-Stange said the DAS are essentially poles with what looks to some like a garbage can on the top. They boost data signals, usually for larger telecommunication companies.
The issues will involve what the council will regulate, ordinances and zoning for the council and planning commission to consider, setting fees and other components.
“Basically, it preserves a city’s right to control its own rights-of-way,” McNabb Stange said, adding that without any rules, there could be multiple uses on one pole and poles could be 120 feet tall. Attorney Jeff Sluggett will be asked to the workshop to explain the legal points.
City Manager Jeff Mansfield said there are no companies asking to install DAS right now, “so there is no huge sense of urgency,” but he asked for the workshop, “to make sure everyone is on the same page.”//
McNabb-Stange said in January that Sprint has announced its intent to change the way it delivers is its services by using a DAS, increasing its capacity and lowering its costs. The city will probably see many more requests for DAS in the future and cities need more and better control of how its done, she said.
Hastings has already granted one request for antennas in its rights of way on the mistaken information that it was governed by the Metro Act and had to be allowed or the city would face a heavy fine.
However, attorneys said the company’s request was not governed by the Metro Act which controls equipment in the form of wires, cables and conduits but specifically excludes antennas, structures supporting antenna, equipment houses and ancillary equipment.
