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Little Canada CUP Application 1 April 1991 Page 2 <br />emergency reporting system. Mr. James R. Beutelspacher, 911 Project Manager for <br />Minnesota, recently wrote, the unimpeded growth of cellular service is an important <br />adjunct to 9 -1 -1 emergency reporting ". His letter is attached for your information. <br />Cellular Grid System <br />Cellular service provides subscribers with office quality phone service by developing a <br />grid of antennas arranged in a geographically hexagonal pattern. Each hexagon is a <br />"cell" created by an antenna and serves as the link between the customer and the <br />system while the customer is within that particular cell. Each cell can only handle a <br />certain number of calls simultaneously. As the number of customers increase, the grid <br />must be changed to handle the appropriate number of simultaneous calls. This usually <br />means that more cells need to be created within the same area resulting in a new grid <br />pattern of smaller cells. A new antenna must be constructed each time a new cell is <br />created. As the grid matures and more cells are added, antennas are made shorter <br />because of each cell's smaller coverage area. Antennas are also constructed to expand <br />the grid of coverage into new areas. The proposed antenna will increase the capacity <br />of the system in the Little Canada area. <br />The cellular mobile phone system operates on a specific set of channels set aside by <br />the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The filtering of spurious signals is very <br />tightly controlled. Cellular telephones operate within a very strictly controlled set of <br />allotted frequencies between 835 to 897 megahertz. U S WEST NewVector Group is <br />currently operating over 160 cellular antennas around the country with no case of <br />television or radio interference reported. <br />Search Area Criteria <br />We have been working for several months to locate an antenna site in this part of the <br />metropolitan area to solve cellular phone service coverage needs. Many factors go into <br />the selection of a location for an antenna site. These include market factors, technical <br />considerations, cellular grid, zoning and land use compatibility, landowner willingness to <br />sell or lease, land forms of the surrounding area, existing buildings and other <br />obstructions, and accessibility to roads. All of these factors taken together create a <br />narrow site search area for location of the antenna. In urbanized areas, USWNVG seeks <br />sites within business or industrial areas as their first priority. <br />The technical aspects of fitting a new cell site into the grid pattern dictates a small <br />search area for new antenna sites. The search area is further refined by topographical <br />features and a sophisticated computer modeling that takes into account existing antenna <br />sites, predicted coverage of the new cell and FCC service area requirements. Federal <br />Aviation Administration regulations must also be followed in locating and constructing <br />antennas. <br />Once the search area has been defined by these technical constraints, zoning and land <br />use factors can be addressed. We have discussed the regulations with respect to <br />telephone and radio antenna towers with Steve Grittman. From our discussions and our <br />review of the City Zoning Ordinance, we understand that essential services are a <br />permitted use in the Business - Warehouse District. However, Section 903.100 Subd. E of <br />Page 48 <br />