A Call For Cell Network Proposals From the City Council

From the San Jose Mercury News:

"An effort to prevent the proliferation of unpopular "distributed antenna systems" in Palo Alto moved forward Monday night, but at least one wireless provider said it had no plans to change course as a result.

The city council voted 8-0 to ask companies to submit proposals for a comprehensive wireless communications network that would take advantage of electric utility substations and the roof of City Hall. Council Member Gail Price was absent.

By allowing the construction of 100-foot-plus, shared "macro" cell towers on public property, the city hopes to limit the spread of smaller but more intrusive distributed antenna systems in neighborhoods. AT&T recently made waves with its plans for a system of 80 utility pole-mounted antennas and helped fuel the effort to find an alternative solution.

"I'm happy that we're moving forward on this," Council Member Nancy Shepherd said. "This is a good thing for Palo Alto.""

Read the full story HERE.