Subject:
Title
IMPROVING WIRELESS COVERAGE IN VIENNA (15 MINUTE STAFF PRESENTATION)
Body
PURPOSE:
PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE TOWN COUNCIL ABOUT WIRELESS COVERAGE IN VIENNA AND RECEIVE GUIDANCE FROM THE COUNCIL ON NEXT STEPS. THIS TOPIC IS A PRIORITY OF THE TOWN COUNCIL FOR 2026.
KEY QUESTIONS:
Key questions for the Town Council to consider include:
1) Should the Town consider changes to zoning in such areas as height limits, review processes, and locations to encourage infrastructure investments?
2) Would the Town Council be interested in making Town-owned property available for investments in wireless infrastructure, including cell towers?
3) What other ideas does the Town Council have for improving coverage?
BACKGROUND SUMMARY:
For the past 30 years, there has been continual growth in the adoption and use of portable devices that are reliant on wireless infrastructure. What began for many as a convenience and second phone, in addition to their home and/or business landlines, has now become essential. Approximately 20% of homes nationwide still have landlines and a decreasing percentage of businesses have them (this data is harder to get but one estimate, from Ironton Global, is that 60% of businesses have landlines). Meanwhile, according to the US Census Bureau, more than 95% of Fairfax County households now have at least one cell phone. Nationwide, an estimated 78.7% of households have only cellular phone(s), with no landline (https://www.statista.com/chart/2072/landline-phones-in-the-united-states/). Though staff has not been able to find Vienna-specific data, there is very little reason to think that what is true in the country and in Fairfax County is not true in Vienna. Smartphones are the primary method of communication for the vast majority of people, who use them for phone calls, texting, Internet access, and the huge number of applications that rely on access to the Internet.
Many residents and business representatives have expressed co...
Click here for full text