Connecting Hoover: Wireless companies deploy ‘small cell’ technology in Hoover

If you drive around Hoover, there’s a good chance you’ve passed new utility poles that have begun to spring up around the city.

AT&T, Verizon and Crown Castle all have started building a network of “small cell facilities” that are designed to improve wireless communication for cellphones, laptops, tablets and other mobile communication devices.

The equipment is being put on poles that typically resemble telephone poles or light poles, with most of them being on city right of way. Most of the poles are about 25 feet tall, and according to new city regulations approved last year, can be no more than 10 feet taller than nearby utility poles and no higher than 50 feet high overall.

The main purpose of the new small cell towers is to increase the capacity of the telecommunication systems, said Wayne Hutchens, president of AT&T’s Alabama operations.

With people using mobile devices and online video services more frequently, data traffic on AT&T’s wireless network has increased by 470,000% since 2007, the company said.

“When your cellphone or mobile device shows a spinning wheel as it attempts to pull up an internet page or video, that’s an indication that the system is overloaded at that particular time,” Hutchens said.

The new small cell towers are designed to address that by providing additional capacity and speeding up service.

“Customers near a small cell tower may experience data speeds 10 times faster than before, but the average probably is closer to four times faster,” Hutchens said.

In Hoover, AT&T is starting with targeted areas where there are either gaps in coverage or places where high demand puts a strain on the system. The company is putting the small cell towers in places where a lot of people gather at the same time, such as the Riverchase Galleria, Riverchase Office Park, and high-traffic corridors such as U.S. 31, Interstate 459, U.S. 280 and John Hawkins Parkway.

Verizon and Crown Castle have started with similar areas, but also places such as Lorna Road and Trace Crossings.

AT LEAST 70 APPROVED SO FAR

The city of Hoover approved the first small cell tower in the city in September 2018, records show.

As of Oct. 15, the city had approved 28 small cell tower locations for AT&T, plus 31 for Verizon and 11 for Crown Castle, city records show. That’s a total of 70 small cell towers approved, and city officials were reviewing applications for another eight locations, said Jim Wyatt, Hoover’s building official.

A second reason the wireless communication companies want small cell towers is that they will lay the groundwork for the fifth generation of wireless technology known as 5G, which will offer more cost-effective ways for the companies to deliver gigabit internet connections to consumers, Hutchens said.

“The idea behind the small cell towers is to provide better service to customers without building giant cell towers all over the place,” said Hoover Councilman Mike Shaw, chairman of the council’s Technology Committee.

City leaders are eager to facilitate rapid deployment of small cell facilities, but also want to preserve the character of the areas where they are installed and keep them from being an eyesore.

Hoover’s ordinance allows for the wireless providers to use existing utility poles or to erect new poles. Wyatt said most of the companies are installing new poles. The city typically is requiring that the poles be metal unless they are in an area where most poles are wooden and metal poles would look out of place.

Hoover’s regulations also require small cell towers not interfere with the operation of traffic control equipment and be located at least 20 feet away from energized electrical distribution lines unless otherwise approved by the utility company.

Hoover is one of the early cities in Alabama for AT&T to target, Hutchens said. Others include Gardendale, Homewood, Mobile, Montgomery, Mountain Brook, Orange Beach and Tuscaloosa.

AT&T will continue seeking to deploy more small cell towers in Hoover, but due to the competitive nature of their business, they did not want to divulge how many.

Efforts to reach officials with Verizon and Crown Castle were unsuccessful.

FEDERAL REGULATIONS

Hoover first approved new regulations to allow the small cell towers in June 2018, but in September 2018, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order with national standards that put limitations on fees that cities can charge for small cell towers.

The FCC ruled beginning in January 2019, cities could charge no more than $270 per year for a license fee for each node. Hoover’s ordinance had a $500 annual fee, so the City Council amended it in January to comply with federal regulations.

The Hoover council also bumped up its initial permit application fee from $200 to $500, and allowed up to five nodes per application, with an additional $100 fee for each small wireless facility beyond five.

The communication companies have been lobbying the Alabama Legislature to get statewide rules for implementation of small cell technology because some cities have not yet passed ordinances to allow it and because ordinances differ from one city to the next. Hutchens said they would like some uniformity. At least 29 states and territories have adopted such legislation, he said.

Wyatt said the communication companies have been pleased with Hoover’s modified ordinance and the speed in which the city has been evaluating permit applications. Also, other cities are calling to review Hoover’s ordinance.

Hutchens confirmed AT&T is pleased with Hoover’s ordinance now that it complies with federal regulations.