Subject:
Title
SIGNAL STRENGTH TESTING FOR CELL PHONE COVERAGE
Body
PURPOSE:
FOR THE TOWN COUNCIL TO DISCUSS WHETHER THE TOWN SHOULD CONTRACT WITH A PRIVATE FIRM, FROM A PARTY NOT CONNECTED TO A CARRIER OR TOWER/MONOPOLE DEVELOPER, TO PROVIDE AN ASSESSMENT OF SIGNAL STRENGTH OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS IN VIENNA.
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. Does the Town Council wish for staff to pursue procuring a vendor who can assess signal strength for cell phone coverage?
2. If the answer to the first question is “yes,” what are important features of the scope of work that the Town Council would like to see in such a service?
3. If the answer to the first question is “yes,” does the Town Council wish this assessment to have an impact on the current timeline for making changes to the Town Code?
BACKGROUND SUMMARY:
Mayor Colbert has requested that this item be added to the October 19th work session.
Since 2025, Town staff have been exploring the potential approaches to improving wireless/cellular coverage in Vienna. This activity has been in response to comments from Council members, residents, and business representatives noting poor cellular reception within the Town. In early 2026, the Town Council adopted its five priorities for the calendar year and placed improving wireless coverage on this list. Since then, the Council has held three work sessions to discuss the topic. At the last session, on September 14th, the Council reviewed draft code changes in service of this goal and asked staff to return to a future meeting (rather than work session) with an updated draft so that the Council could refer the proposed changes to the Planning Commission for its review and recommendation. That meeting is currently scheduled for October 26, 2026.
The current plan is for staff to facilitate the review and potential adoption process with a completion date anticipated in early 2027. In parallel, staff would develop a procurement approach for review by Town Council to make Town-own...
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