Vital statistics: generates $10,000/yr in revenue for city, GCI pays $850/month for permit
A large, popular park in Anchorage is getting a new cell tower to boost coverage but not for all the normal reasons. AT&T had plans to build a tower in the park in 2014, but did not find it economically viable. Then Alaska-based GCI stepped in.
The project doesn’t make financial sense for GCI either but the company is going to build it anyway. Why? GCI employees and their families use the park. “It’s a big facility, and it really needs the coverage,” said GCI attorney Mark Moderow who told the Alaska Dispatch News that his own children use the park.
Concerns about safety and emergency response in the park have spurred calls from fire, police and rescue personnel. An assistant fire chief said sometimes 911 callers have to walk long distances in order to get a cell signal and call for help. It’s also hard for emergency responders to find callers in the park, he said. Temporary cell equipment and towers have been brought into the park with limited success at boosting coverage.
GCI signed a year-long real estate permit with the city that the city can withdraw at any time, according to the account. GCI and its subsidiary Alaska Wireless Network will pay the city $850 per month for the permit.
City officials believe the permit for the 65-foot “spruce tree” will generate roughly $10,000 a year in revenue and hope it can be finished by the start of ski season.
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