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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4_MT02061L_Zoning_RF Justification_NSD_Ice Pond_07-25-2024 V2T-Mobile Confidential COVERAGE OBJECTIVE & ENGINEERING JUSTIFICATION 7/25/2024 Prepared by: Dave Girling ICE POND HAGGERTY LANE Bozeman– MT02061L T-Mobile Confidential COVERAGE JUSTIFICATION OVERVIEW Atlas Tower is proposing to build a new structure for the future collocation of multiple carriers at : HAGGERTY LANE BOZEMAN, MT 59715. T-Mobile is proposing to collocate its antennas and equipment at a minimum 69 ft tip height elevation on the proposed new tower. This proposed antenna tip height at 69’ meets T-Mobile’s coverage objectives providing in-building and in-vehicle 4G and 5G wireless coverage within rapidly growing area to the East of Bozeman, Including the Bozeman Deaconess hospital the I90- SH84 intersection and surrounding residential areas. These areas are currently not adequately served by T-Mobile’s network. This coverage objective was determined through a combined analysis of sales requests based on customer feedback. Showing poor to non-existent coverage in the hospital, surrounding business and residential areas. This facility will allow T-Mobile to provide more reliable wireless service with fewer dropped calls, improved call quality, and improved access to additional wireless services that the public now demands. This includes emergency 911 calls throughout the area for all mobile users. There are no collocation opportunities or towers within the coverage area. 2 T-Mobile Confidential COVERAGE JUSTIFICATION (CONT.) FEDERAL LAW ▪The Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits a local jurisdiction from taking any action on a wireless siting permit that “prohibit[s] or [has] the effect of prohibiting the provision of personal wireless services.” 47 U.S.C. § 332(c)(7)(B)(i)(II). ▪According to the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) Order adopted in September 2018, a local jurisdiction’s action has the effect of prohibiting the provision of wireless services when it “materially limits or inhibits the ability of any competitor or potential competitor to compete in a fair and balanced legal and regulatory environment.” Under the FCC Order, an applicant need not prove it has a significant gap in coverage; it may demonstrate the need for a new wireless facility in terms of adding capacity, updating new technologies, and/or maintaining high quality service. ▪Accelerating Wireless and Wireline Broadband Deployment by Removing Barriers to Infrastructure Investment, Declaratory Ruling and Third Report and Order, WT Docket No. 17-79, WC Docket No. 17-84, FCC 18-133 (rel. Sept. 27, 2018); 83 Fed. Reg. 51867 (Oct. 15, 2018),affirmed in part and vacated in part,City of Portland v. United States, 969 F.3d 1020 (9th Cir. 2020),cert. denied, 594 U.S.___, 141 S.Ct. 2855 (June 28, 2021)(No. 20-1354) (“FCC Order”). ▪A local government’s denial of an application to install a personal wireless service facility has the effect of prohibiting the provision of personal wireless service if materially inhibits or limits T-Mobile’s ability to deploy the facilities, technologies, or services that conform to T-Mobile’s network standards and objectives. 3 T-Mobile Confidential COVERAGE JUSTIFICATION (CONT.) FEDERAL LAW (CONT.) ▪While T-Mobile is no longer required to show a significant gap in service coverage, in the Ninth Circuit, a local jurisdiction clearly violates section 332(c)(7)(B)(i)(II) when it prevents a wireless carrier from using the least intrusive means to fill a significant gap in service coverage. T-Mobile U.S.A., Inc. v. City of Anacortes, 572 F.3d 987, 988 (9th Cir. 2009). –Significant Gap. Reliable in-building coverage is now a necessity and every community’s expectation. Consistent with the abandonment of land line telephones and reliance on only wireless communications, federal courts now recognize that a “significant gap” can exist based on inadequate in-building coverage. See, e.g., T-Mobile Central, LLC v. Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, 528 F. Supp. 2d 1128, 1168-69 (D.Kan. 2007), affirmed in part, 546 F.3d 1299 (10th Cir. 2008); MetroPCS, Inc. v. City and County of San Francisco, 2006 WL 1699580, *10-11 (N.D. Cal. 2006). –Least Intrusive Means. The least intrusive means standard “requires that the provider ‘show that the manner in which it proposes to fill the significant gap in service is the least intrusive on the values that the denial sought to serve.’” 572 F.3d at 995, quoting MetroPCS, Inc. v. City of San Francisco, 400 F.3d 715, 734 (9th Cir. 2005). These values are reflected by the local code’s preferences and siting requirements. 4 T-Mobile Confidential COVERAGE JUSTIFICATION (CONT.) COVERAGE OBJECTIVE ▪Figure A – Existing T-Mobile Coverage shows existing T-Mobile wireless services in the general area of the proposed new site, which demonstrates the current deficiency in coverage in the targeted service area. The Blue Dot indicates the location of the proposed new Cell tower. The Magenta Dots indicate the location of existing T- Mobile Cell tower sites; coverage from T-Mobile existing Cell tower sites is shaded in yellow and green. As can be seen, there is a coverage deficiency in in-building coverage in all areas not shaded in green. Currently, the target coverage area has minimal to no 4G/5G in-building service required to provide broadband wireless service to the community. ▪Figure B – Projected New T-Mobile Coverage identifies the projected coverage from the proposed new Cell tower with an overall antenna tip height of 69’. The proposed antenna tip height is the minimum necessary to help meet the coverage objective relative to nearby complementary wireless facilities. This is also the height where a T-Mobile wireless device can be reliably used to make and receive telephone calls and use data service in the presence of varying signals. ▪Figure C – Side-by-Side Comparison of Coverage with & without the Proposed Site 69ft 5 T-Mobile Confidential FIGURE A – EXISTING SERVICE WITHOUT PROPOSED SITE 6 MID BAND (AWS-2100 MHZ) LTE SERVICE MAP (RSRP) Reliable Coverage: -100dBm < RSRP Marginal Coverage : -115dBm < RSRP < -100dBm Existing T-Mobile Facilities Proposed Facility Legend Population - Reliable Coverage Existing Sites w/o New Tower Pops 47,680 Planned Bands to be used Band 25 1900 MHz Band 66 2100 MHz Band 12 690 MHz Band 71 600 MHz Band 41 2500 MHz T-Mobile Confidential FIGURE B – EXISTING SERVICE WITH THE PROPOSED SITE WITH 69’ ANTENNA TIP 7 MID BAND (AWS-2100 MHZ) LTE SERVICE MAP (RSRP) Reliable Coverage: -100dBm < RSRP Marginal Coverage : -115dBm < RSRP < -100dBm Existing T-Mobile Facilities Proposed Facility Legend Population - Reliable Coverage Existing Sites w/o New Tower 47,680 Existing Sites + New Tower 49,152 Net Increase +1472 Square Miles - Reliable Coverage 4 Increase (mi²) T-Mobile Confidential FIGURE C – COMPARISON OF EXISTING COVERAGE AND COMPOSITE COVERAGE FROM PROPOSED SITE @ 69’ 8 MID BAND (AWS-2100 MHZ) SERVICE (RSRP) EXISTING COVERAGE MID BAND (AWS-2100 MHZ) SERVICE (RSRP) COMPOSITE COVERAGE Reliable Coverage: -100dBm < RSRP Marginal Coverage : -115dBm < RSRP < -100dBm Existing T-Mobile Facilities Proposed Facility •4 Additional mi² of reliable covered with the addition of MT06117A Legend (mi²) Existing Coverage Population – Existing Coverage Reliable Coverage 52 47,680 Marginal Coverage 27.1 17,559 Total 79 65,239 Legend (mi²) Proposed Coverage Population –Proposed Coverage Reliable Coverage 56 49,152 Marginal Coverage 25 16,464 Total 81 65,616 T-Mobile Confidential COVERAGE METHODOLOGY T-Mobile’s RF engineers use the following signal strength standards to demonstrate the quality of coverage depicted on the maps herein. ▪Reliable Coverage.Green represents minimum signal strength of -100dBm, T-Mobile’s design criteria for reliable in-building residential voice coverage at 2100 MHz. This signal strength is required for customers to take advantage of T-Mobile’s Home Internet services. ▪Marginal Coverage.Yellow represents minimum signal strength of -115dBm, but less than -100dBm, T-Mobile’s design criteria for in-vehicle coverage at 2100 MHz. Yellow represents in-vehicle coverage where T-Mobile customers are unable to access high speed internet indoors. ▪No Coverage. Signal strength less than -115dBm is not shown, as it does not meet T-Mobile’s design standards for reliable in-building or in-vehicle coverage. 9 T-Mobile Confidential ALTERNATIVE SITE ANALYSIS SEARCH RING ▪T-Mobile’s radio frequency (“RF”) engineers performed an RF engineering study, considering multiple objectives, to determine the approximate site location and antenna height required to fulfill the noted network objectives for the targeted service area. From this study, T-Mobile’s RF engineers identified a “search ring” area where a Cell tower may be located to provide effective service in the target coverage area. ▪Targeted Search Ring indicates the search ring T-Mobile’s RF engineers established for this proposed site. A discussion of the methodology T-Mobile’s RF engineers used to identify the search ring is included at the end of this RF Justification document. There are no existing towers within the Search Ring. All existing towers outside of the search radius would not meet the service objectives of the proposed area. 10 T-Mobile Confidential SEARCH RING METHODOLOGY T-Mobile’s RF engineers used coverage propagation software systems to predict the coverage provided by the proposed new Cell tower. The software and T-Mobile’s RF engineers considered the general factors outlined below, as well as more project-specific factors such as the type of antenna, antenna tilt, etc. Within coverage areas, network changes, traffic volume, outages, technical limitations, signal strength, customer equipment, obstructions, weather and other conditions may interfere with service quality and availability. ▪Coverage. The antenna site must be located in an area where the radio frequency broadcasts will provide adequate coverage within the targeted service area. The RF engineer must take into consideration the coverage objectives for the site as well as the terrain in and around the area to be covered. Because radio frequency broadcasts travel in a straight line and diminish as they travel further away from the antennas, it is generally best to place an antenna site near the center of the desired coverage area. However, in certain cases, the search ring may be located away from the center of the desired coverage area due to the existing coverage, the surrounding terrain, or other features that might affect the radio frequency broadcasts, e.g., buildings or sources of electrical interference. ▪Clutter. T-Mobile’s Cell tower must “clear the clutter”—the Cell tower site must be installed above or close to RF obstructions (the “clutter”) to enable the RF signals to extend beyond and clear the clutter. T-Mobile radio frequencies do not penetrate mountains, hills, rocks, or metal, and are diminished by trees, brick and wood walls, and other structures. Accordingly, T-Mobile’s antennas must be installed above or close to the “clutter” to provide high quality communications services in the desired coverage areas. Additionally, if the local code requires us to accommodate additional carriers on the support structure, the structure must be even taller to also allow the other carriers’ antennas to clear the clutter. ▪Call Handoff. The Cell tower site must be in an area where the radio broadcasts from the site will allow seamless “call handoff” with adjacent Cell tower sites. Call handoff is a feature of a wireless communications system that allows an ongoing telephone conversation to continue uninterrupted as the user travels from the coverage area of one antenna site into the coverage area of an adjacent antenna site. This requires coverage overlap for a sufficient distance and/or period of time to support the mechanism of the call handoff. ▪Quality of Service. Users of wireless communications services want to use their services where they live, work, commute and play, including when they are indoors. T-Mobile’s coverage objectives include the ability to provide indoor coverage in areas where there are residences, businesses and indoor recreational facilities. 11 T-Mobile Confidential SEARCH RING METHODOLOGY (CONT.) ▪Radio Frequencies Used by System. The designs of wireless communications systems vary greatly based upon the radio frequencies that are used by the carrier. If the carrier uses radio frequencies in the 600 MHz to 850 MHz range, the radio signals will travel farther and will penetrate buildings better than the radio frequencies in the 2100 MHz band. As a result, wireless communications systems that use lower radio frequencies will need fewer sites than wireless communications systems that use higher radio frequencies. ▪Land Use Classifications. T-Mobile’s ability to construct a Cell tower site on any particular property is affected by state and local regulations, including zoning and comprehensive plan classifications, goals, and policies. T-Mobile’s search rings take these laws and regulations into consideration. 12 T-Mobile Confidential CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE 13 This document and the information it contains are confidential T-Mobile property, and is not to be reproduced distributed,or shared with any individual or entity not expressly authorized by T-Mobile. T-Mobile designates this document, and all information contained within it, as "Confidential Information" under the terms of any agreement between T-Mobile and the entity for whom this document was prepared and is subject to all limitations on such Confidential Information imposed by any such agreement.