Ordinance OK’d outlining protocols for 5G equipment

BENTONVILLE — The city is gearing up for the next phase in wireless technology by adopting an ordinance outlining protocols for small cell facilities needed for 5G technology.

Small cell facilities are a type of broadband infrastructure that typically consists of small antennas that are placed on existing structures and ground-mounted equipment, according to the National League of Cities’ municipal action guide “Small Cell Wireless Technology in Cities.”

Small cell facilities help to complement traditional macrocell tower coverage and add capacity in high demand areas such as downtowns, urban areas and stadiums, the guide states. Macrocell tower coverage spreads

several miles whereas small cell coverage spreads a few hundred feet.

The City Council approved 7-0 the ordinance at its meeting Tuesday. Council member Bill Burckart was absent.

The small cell wireless facilities will consist of short poles spaced close together in areas of high density, according to Travis Matlock, the city’s engineering director. They have about a 1,500-foot radius.

This new equipment doesn’t fall into any existing categories — such as pole attachments, standard cell towers or fiber-optic cable — already addressed in city code, Matlock said in a memo to the City Council.

The 11-page ordinance includes requirements communication companies will need to meet to place the facilities as well as the fees they’ll be charged when placing them in a city right of way or easement.

The application fee could top at $250 for five small cells and $25 for each additional one, according to the ordinance. The city will also charge an annual rate of $100 for each small cell in a city right of way.

Companies will not be allowed to place any equipment on city-owned poles, including electric poles, light poles and traffic signals, Matlock said in the memo.

That could change with a recent Federal Communications Commission decision that would prohibit municipalities from preventing wireless communications providers from using public infrastructure, Matlock told council members during the meeting.

The small cell facilities will consist of a metal or fiberglass pole that has no exposed wires. Each will also need to meet the city’s visibility and aesthetic requirements, meaning no large equipment can be placed in rights of way and easements, he said.

There were about 13,000 small cells throughout the country in 2017. That number is expected to grow to 800,000 by 2026, according to CTIA, a trade association representing the wireless communications industry.

One wireless communications provider has 15 sites it would like to use once the ordinance goes into effect, Matlock told council members. Downtown and South Walton Boulevard are two areas being considered.

City council member Stephanie Orman asked about what could be done to prevent too many small cells in a certain area.

The federal government has said cities cannot discriminate against any one provider, so it is possible that there are areas where a small cell is located every 1,500 feet so all of the service providers can offer the same coverage, Matlock said.

“We’ll have to do our best to keep it as clean as possible,” he said.