Salinas considers license agreement for cell towers

The City of Salinas is considering an license agreement for the installation of potentially dozens of small cell phone towers all over town.

This all centers around AT&T’s effort to improve the 4G networks around town, which some residents say gets slow during peak hours. While AT&T is the first wireless company to push for these small cells in Salinas, city staff say other companies may want to jump on board soon.

“I get dropped calls all the time and it’s just very slow,” said Marysu Erickson, a Salinas resident who has AT&T service.

“I think I have better service than a lot of people here who have AT&T or T-mobile or Virgin Mobile, I used to be Virgin Mobile, it was awful,” said Maura Rodriguez, another Salinas resident.

Smartphone use has boomed over the last 10 years, and with that, telecommunications companies are trying to keep up with demand.

To make date speeds faster and more reliable, the city says AT&T is looking to deploy a series of small cell towers.

“By and large, this is something that you’re going to see over the next decade at least,” said Andrew Myrick, the Salinas economic development manager.

Myrick believes there could be over a hundred small cells installed by AT&T alone. He says the company is looking to install them on street lights.

Myrick acknowledges some of the controversy surrounding cell towers: aesthetics and fears over radio frequency exposure, which some people believe causes cancer and other health problems.

The Federal Communications Commission regulates how much exposure cell phone towers can emit, and since these numerous small cells are closer to the ground, the city will be keeping an eye as well.

“Part of what we’re going to be looking at as we go through this is we’re going to be exploring and monitoring those emissions, not just per site, but also cumulatively,” said Myrick.

Myrick says this is likely happening whether the city objects or not. A recent FC directive prevents cities from barring companies from installing these cell towers. But they can regulate how they are installed.

Some Salinas residents, however, are excited for faster service.

“Honestly I think it’ll be a great idea. Anything to boost service a little bit and to make things smoother for anyone that’s got AT&T,” said Nathaniel Erickson.

Next Tuesday, the city council will consider whether to approve that license agreement with AT&T. While staff reiterated to KION that the FCC’s order means the city must allow these towers in, that restriction is being challenged in federal court right now.

The American Cancer Society says most researchers think cellphone towers do not pose health risks under normal conditions.