6.15. SR 05-19-1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~-2 16lanning December !996 An example of co-location, shouting several different services that can be accommodated at different heights on one tovoer. public hearing and the actual vote on approval. Getting together Local legislation should also include pro- visions for co-location--the sharing of facilities. Everyone seems to want co- location. Local governments like the idea because it reduces site proliferation, and industry likes it because construction and op- erating costs are reduced. There are some drawbacks, however. For one thing, co-location cre- ates larger sites. The more carri- ers sharing a facilitT, the bigger land potentially more intrusive) it will be. Also, permit review time ma)' increase dramatically, and the extra height of the facil- ity can push the application into a more stringent review category. Finally, established cellular car- riers may have reasonable con- cerns about revenue, operations, and liability when a new carrier is added to an exist- ing site. For local govern- ments seeking to make co-location an attractive option for wire]ess providers, I have three sugges- tions. First, provide in- centives to co-locat-' lng parties. Assure the carriers that the time needed to re- view a co-location request and the rules involved will not greatly exceed those for a single applicant. Second, consider giv- ing the co-locators access to municipal property, speeding 'up per- mit processing, perhaps even lowering application fees. Third, take advantage of the fact that local govern- ment is the central clearing- house for all permit applica- tions. Use your regular annual meeting with the cellular companies as an oppor- tunity to register potential permi! appli- cants. Every time a permit is sought, the registered parties could be informed and invited to contac! the applicant to discuss sharing the facility. A final suggestion: Look to the future. Ask industry representatives to share their expectations of what's ahead in the way of services, carriers, and concerns. William Covington is land-use and environ- mental policy counsel to AT&T Wireless Ser- vices in Kirkland, Washington. He was for- merly director of right-of-way permitting for King County, Washington.