Vital Statistics: $1,995 per pole, 20 year agreement, 2.3% Annual Escalator
Lincoln, Nebraska’s Right-of-Way Manager David Young spoke with Community Broadband Bits Wednesday about the city’s new venture into small cell technology.
According to Community Networks podcast host Christopher Mitchell, the state-imposed restrictions on municipalities in Nebraska have not prevented Lincoln from finding a way to make a smart investment in conduit and public fiber. City Spokesman Young said an extensive conduit network and smart local policies in Lincoln have improved competition, expanded access, and now the small cell program is improving mobile broadband.
Young describes some of the challenges, processes, and the special considerations communities must address for small cell deployment. Better cell coverage was the first goal of the project, he said but also describes how improved coverage helps the Lincoln compete with other cities in several ways.
As a resource, Young allowed Community Networks to post a Verizon Master Lease Agreement, and relevant attachments for the Lincoln small cell project to help local governments considering a similar venture get started. The agreement stipulates a 20-year arrangement in five year increments with the city and an annual rental rate per pole of $1,995 with a 2.3 percent annual escalator.
In addition to its broadcasts, Community Networks also publishes a map of over 450 communities in the U.S. that tracks a variety of ways in which local governments have invested in wired telecommunications networks as well as state laws that discourage such approaches.
February 3, 2017
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