CC SR 20220906 02 - CPUC Battery Backup Report
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 09/06/2022
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to receive a compliance report on back-up power
mandates for telecommunication facilities.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file a report regarding telecommunication facilities compliance with
the State mandated 72 hour of backup power requirement; and
(2) Direct Staff to send a letter to the telecommunication providers servicing the City
requesting compliance as required by California law.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Jesse Villalpando, Senior Administrative Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Draft letter to the City's telecommunication providers (page A-1)
B. Link to State Senate Bill 341
BACKGROUND:
In 2019, following widespread communication outages resulting from wildfires and the
use of Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) by privately-owned electric utilities, the
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) undertook several rulemaking measures
to consider telecommunications service resiliency strategies.
In July 2020, the CPUC adopted decision D.20-07-011, which applied to wireless
telecommunications service providers (wireless and wireline). That decision included a
72-hour backup power requirement for the wireless providers' facilities in High Fire Threat
Districts to ensure minimum service coverage during disasters or commercial grid
outages.
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Subsequently, in February 2021, the CPUC adopted a similar decision D.21-02-029,
applicable to providers of wireline telecommunications services. The 72-hour backup
requirement protects individuals who are least likely to have cell phones during
emergencies.
The state legislature has also taken action to ensure better telecommunications services,
especially 9-1-1 service, in the face of unstable electric power supplies. On September 3,
2021, Senate Bill 341 (SB 341) was passed requiring telecommunication providers to
maintain public outage maps and directed the California Office of Emergency Services
(Cal OES) to develop regulations for such maps. Additionally, SB 341 requires the CPUC
to adopt and implement backup electricity rules for telecommunications providers to
maintain service for at least 72 hours and authorize s Cal OES to share information related
to community isolation incidents with the CPUC.
Following the approval of CPUC decisions and the passage of SB 341 , the City began
accepting applications from various telecommunication providers to install backup
generators.
This evening, Staff is presenting a current status report on telecommunication facilities
compliance with the state-mandated 72-hour backup requirement. Furthermore, if
desired, direct Staff to send a letter to the City's telecommunication providers that are not
in compliance, requesting they provide a timeline on when the state required back-up
generators will be installed.
DISCUSSION:
In April 2019, the City Council adopted Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code, Chapter
12.18, Wireless Telecommunications Facilities in the Public Right-Of-Way. This
ordinance establishes criteria for governing the installation of wireless telecommunication
facilities in the public right-of-way (ROW) including back-up generators, managing ROW
installations better, and protecting the aesthetics of the City and adjacent property values.
There are many existing wireless facilities in the City, and requests for additional wireless
facility installations continue to be received. As a result, the City has approximately 180
wireless installations in the ROW. Below are various examples of wireless facilities placed
on existing infrastructure, such as streetlights, wooden utility poles, or stand-alone
installations where no existing poles are located.
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Compliance Analysis of Telecom Facilitates
The CPUC decision mandating telecommunication providers to develop comprehensive
resiliency plans to ensure planning and network investments to maintain services to
customers during a disaster or power outage, including PSP shutdowns, is crucial to the
City's emergency communication network planning.
The City has repeatedly reached out to telecommunication providers throughout the past
year and requested a meeting and documentation proving that the 72-hour backup power
has been implemented. Concurrently, Staff evaluated the existing infrastructure of cell
towers to determine if the state's backup power mandate was implemented. To date, staff
analysis of cell towers within the City has revealed that, in general, telecommunication
providers have not installed the backup power required by California law.
Based on the information gathered, some locations in the City are currently objectively
infeasible or impossible to deploy diesel generators for backup power either permanently
or temporarily due to space, technological restrictions, landlord restrictions, or other
practical issues. Specific cell sites (microcells or small cell sites) have no or limited space
for batteries on the poles and cannot accommodate permanent or portable generators or
face community opposition or zoning restrictions. Because small cells or microcells are
placed in the right of way, there is typically no space to install either permanent or portable
generators. As a result, there could be service disruptions for these loca tions during a
power outage where overlapping macro coverage is not present . Additionally, some cell
towers have a form of battery backup power. When the power goes out, they rely on
batteries. If backup generators have been installed at the site, the towers will draw power
from them if the batteries are depleted.
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Wireless Telecommunications Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes provides an interactive GIS map of the City’s Wireless
Telecommunications Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way on its website, which can be
found here: https://www.rpvca.gov/916/Wireless-Telecommunications-Facilities.
To date, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes has received approximately 40 requests for
permits for installing Natural Gas generators, specifically for the backup mandate, from
the telecommunications provider Cox Communications. About sixteen of them have been
issued permits at this time, with the remainder to follow.
Staff is providing the following list of service providers, the location of their
telecommunication facilities in the City's ROW, and site-specific information, including the
address, antenna type, site owner, and pole type mounted that are currently in need of
complying with state and CPUC 72-hour backup power requirements.
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AT&T
Antenna
Location Site Address Site Owner Type of
Antenna Pole Type
1 ROW 5702 Montemalaga Dr. AT&T Panel JPA Wood
2 ROW 28738 1/2 Golden Meadow Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
3 ROW 27215 Hawthorne Blvd. AT&T Panel JPA Wood
4 ROW Across from 27200 Silver Spur
Rd. Crown Castle Panel Streetlight
5 ROW 28541 1/2 Indian Peak Rd. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
6 ROW 6119 Crest Rd. Crown Castle Panel Street Sign
Post
7 ROW 26577 Hawthorne Blvd. AT&T Panel JPA Wood
8 ROW 26600 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
9 ROW 26810 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. AT&T Panel JPA Wood
10 ROW 5044 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
11 ROW 5893 Crest Rd. AT&T Panel Streetlight
12 ROW 5903 Crest Rd. Crown Castle Panel Stand Alone
Pole
13 In Park
Property 30359 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Crown Castle Panel Streetlight
14 ROW 4901 Palos Verdes Dr. South AT&T Panel JPA Wood
15 ROW 30530 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East AT&T Omni Stand Alone
Pole
16 ROW 30536 Rue Langlois Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
17 ROW 4207 1/2 Schooner Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
18 ROW 2701 Palos Verdes Dr. South Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
19 ROW 31297 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Unknown Panel Streetlight
20 ROW 3801 1/2 Crest Rd. East Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
21 ROW 3225 1/2 Crest Rd. East Crown Castle Omni JPA Wood
22 ROW 40 1/2 Miraleste Plaza Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
23 ROW 4004.25 Palos Verdes DR East AT&T Panel Stand Alone
Pole
24 ROW 29270 Palos Verdes Dr. East Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
25 ROW 28958 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
26 ROW Hawthorne Blvd. and Vallon Dr. Crown Castle Panel Traffic Signal
27 ROW 27801 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
28 ROW 28209 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
29 ROW 4401 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
30 ROW 1972 1/2 Caddington Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
31 ROW 28501 Western Ave. AT&T Panel JPA Wood
32 ROW 29671 Western Ave. AT&T Panel JPA Wood
33 ROW 6619 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Crown Castle Panel Bus Stop
Metro
Antenna
Location Site Address Site Owner Type of
Antenna Pole Type
5
1 ROW 6125 1/2 Monero Dr. Metro Panel JPA Wood
2 ROW 2703 1/2 Silver Spur Rd. Metro Panel JPA Wood
3 ROW 28410 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Metro Panel Stand Alone
Pole
4 ROW 26631 Hawthorne Blvd. Crown
Castle Panel JPA Wood
5 ROW 27030 Hawthorne Blvd. Metro Panel JPA Wood
6 ROW 28410 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Metro Panel JPA Wood
Sprint
Antenna
Location Site Address Site Owner Type of
Antenna Pole Type
1 ROW 2562 1/2 Via Sonoma Sprint Panel JPA Wood
2 ROW 26633 1/2 Lightfoot Pl. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
3 ROW 5417 1/2 Elmbank Rd. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
4 ROW 6017 1/2 Montemalaga Dr. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
5 ROW 5532 Montemalaga Dr. Sprint Phaser JPA Wood
6 ROW 6116 1/2 Monero Dr. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
7 ROW 27931 1/2 Indian Rock Dr. Sprint Phaser JPA Wood
8 ROW 27201 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
9 ROW 27655 1/2 Warrior Dr. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
10 ROW 27600 Hawthorne Blvd. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
11 ROW 27301 1/2 Highridge Dr. Sprint Panel Streetlight
12 ROW 27917 1/2 Hazelridge Dr. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
13 In Park
Property 28719 1/2 Lomo Dr. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
14 ROW 6639 1/2 Eddinghill Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
15 ROW 7060 1/2 Hedgewood Dr. Sprint Panel Streetlight
16 ROW 29015 1/2 Trailriders Dr. Sprint Phaser JPA Wood
17 ROW Abbottswood Dr. - 80' east of
Golden Meadow Dr. Sprint Panel Streetlight
18 ROW 30351 Hawthorne Blvd. Sprint Panel Bus Stop
19 ROW 30840 Hawthorne Blvd. Sprint Panel Bus Stop
20 ROW 3500 Palos Verdes Dr. West Sprint Panel Stand Alone
Pole
21 ROW 30840 Palos Verdes Dr. South Sprint Panel JPA Wood
22 ROW 5521 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. South Sprint Phaser JPA Wood
23 ROW
Palos Verdes Dr. South -
Between end of slide and
schooner
Sprint Panel JPA Wood
24 ROW Palos Verdes Dr. East and Calle
Aventura Sprint Omni Streetlight
25 ROW 30732 1/2 Corinna Dr. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
26 ROW 30570 Rue De La Pierre Sprint Phaser JPA Wood
27 ROW 31031 1/2 Via Rivera Sprint Panel JPA Wood
28 ROW 3155 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. South Sprint Panel JPA Wood
29 ROW Palos Verdes Dr. South East of
Terranea in center median Sprint Phaser JPA Wood
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30 ROW Palos Verdes Dr. South - 90' E of
Clipper Sprint Panel JPA Wood
31 ROW In front of 2967 Crest Rd. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
32 ROW 3336 Crest Rd. East Sprint Panel JPA Wood
33 ROW 29270 Palos Verdes Dr. East Sprint Panel JPA Wood
34 ROW 28900 Palos Verdes Dr. East Sprint Panel JPA Wood
35 ROW 27845 1/2 Western Ave. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
36 ROW 16 Martingale Dr. Sprint Panel JPA Wood
34 ROW 5497 Crenshaw Blvd. Sprint Panel Streetlight
T-Mobile
Antenna
Location Site Address Site Owner Type of
Antenna Pole Type
1 ROW 5812 Montemalaga Dr. T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
2 ROW Crenshaw Blvd. - 160' south of
Crestridge Rd. T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
3 In Park
Property Ryan Park T-Mobile Panel Streetlight
4 ROW 30570 Palos Verdes DR East T-Mobile Omni Streetlight
5 ROW 32435 Schooner Dr. T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
6 ROW 2989 Crest Rd. T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
7 ROW 3751 1/2 Crest Rd. East T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
8 ROW 4221 Palos Verdes Dr. East T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
9 ROW 29285 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East T-Mobile Panel Stand Alone
Pole
10 ROW 28988 Palos Verdes Dr. East T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
11 ROW 28860 Palos Verdes Dr. East T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
12 ROW 28541 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
13 In Park
Property 27780 Palos Verdes Dr. East T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
14 ROW 2636 1/2 Sunnyside Ridge Rd T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
15 ROW 5487 Crenshaw Blvd. T-Mobile Panel JPA Wood
16 ROW 30548 1/2 Ganado Dr. Crown
Castle Omni JPA Wood
Verizon
Antenna
Location Site Address Site Owner Type of
Antenna Pole Type
1 ROW 26855 Springcreek Rd. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
2 ROW 5583 1/2 Montemalaga Dr. Crown Castle Omni JPA Wood
3 ROW 6017 1/2 Montemalaga Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
4 ROW 5307 1/2 Montemalaga Dr. Verizon Panel JPA Wood
5 ROW 28017 1/2 Indian Rock Dr. Crown Castle Omni JPA Wood
6 ROW 28504 1/2 Golden Meadow Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
7 ROW 27298 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Verizon Panel JPA Wood
8 ROW Crenshaw Blvd. - 60' South of
Crestridge Rd. Verizon Panel JPA Wood
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9 ROW 26920 Hawthorne Blvd. Verizon Panel JPA Wood
10 ROW 28914 1/2 Crenshaw Blvd. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
11 ROW 6703 Trailriders Dr. Crown Castle Omni JPA Wood
12 ROW 29311 Golden Meadow Dr. Crown Castle Omni JPA Wood
13 In Park
Property
30359 3/4 Hawthorne Blvd. - Ryan
Park Verizon Panel Streetlight
14 ROW 3344 1/2 Hawthorne Blvd. Verizon Panel
Stand Alone
Pole
15 ROW 2852 1/2 Calle Aventura Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
16 ROW 53 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Crown Castle Panel
Street Sign
Post
17 ROW 30701 1/2 Casilina Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
18 ROW Ganado Dr. and Floweridge Dr. Crown Castle Omni
Stand Alone
Pole
19 ROW 4207 1/2 Schooner Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
20 ROW Palos Verdes Dr. South and
Seacliff Crown Castle Panel
Street Sign
Post
21 ROW 29012 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
22 ROW 7247 Crest Road Crown Castle Omni
Street Sign
Post
23 ROW 28880 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Verizon Panel JPA Wood
24 ROW 28501 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Verizon Panel JPA Wood
25 ROW 27804 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Verizon Panel JPA Wood
26 ROW 28215 1/2 Palos Verdes Dr. East Verizon Panel JPA Wood
27 ROW 3804 Hightide Dr. Crown Castle Omni JPA Wood
28 ROW 28351 Western Ave. Verizon Panel JPA Wood
29 ROW 29599 3/4 Bayend Dr. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
Unknown
Antenna
Location Site Address Site Owner Type of
Antenna Pole Type
1 In
Easement 2562 1/2 Via Sonoma Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
2 ROW Hawthorne Blvd. - Hess park Crown Castle Panel Bus Stop
3 ROW 2546 Palos Verdes Dr. South Crown Castle Panel Streetlight
4 ROW 26855 Springcreek Rd. Crown Castle Panel JPA Wood
Letter to Telecommunication Providers
Wireless networks are critical infrastructure for emergency response. Recent events have
demonstrated that the days of short, temporary backup power are behind us and that
outages are not an option. We must move forward with efficient backup power and
resilient networks. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the neighboring communities of
Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates all lie within a High Fire
Threat District. Rancho Palos Verdes is the most populous city in California, located within
a district with High Fire Threat. Since almost the entirety of the Palos Verdes Peninsula
is situated in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone designated by Cal Fire, fire
prevention is the top priority for four Palos Verdes Peninsula cities.
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As discussed, the City has repeatedly reached out to telecommunication providers
requesting a meeting and additional information on their implementation of the state
mandated 72 hour backup generator. Staff has yet to receive a satisfactory response from
telecommunication providers regarding their ability to provide 72 hours of backup power
to ensure coverage during a power outage.
Staff believes that there is merit to sending a letter to the City’s telecommunication
providers requesting they provide a timeline on the implementation of 72 hour
battery backup as mandated by California law (Attachment A).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
It is important to note that the item before City Council this evening is an Emergency
Preparedness Committee (EPC) Work Plan Goal. The EPC has been monitoring the
statewide implementation of the CPUC-mandated resiliency requirement for major
wireless providers for over a year. The direction provided this evening will allow the EPC
to implement this work plan component.
CONCLUSION
The CPUC and the state's recent communication resiliency strategies to ensure that
residents have access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure during an emergency are
necessary to ensure that communication systems are operational when they are most
needed.
Staff recommends that the Council review the information presented in this report and
direct Staff to send a letter to the City's telecommunication providers requesting
the implementation of this mandate as required by California law.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available for
the City Council’s consideration:
1.Identify areas of concern regarding the compliance mandate and direct Staff
to address these concerns at a future meeting.
2.Do not authorize Staff to write a letter to current telecommunication
providers.
3.Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
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September 6, 2022
Via Email
SUBJECT: Prioritization of the Installation of the State-mandated 72-hour Backup
Generators for Telecommunication Facilities
Dear _______,
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes writes to express concerns regarding your company’s
lack of urgency to implement necessary and appropriate wildfire resiliency measures,
specifically 72-hour backup generators, as mandated as part of the California Public
Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) adopted Decisions 21-02-029, and Decision (D.) 20-07-
011 Adopting Wireline (and wireless) Provider Resiliency Strategies.
Rancho Palos Verdes is home to approximately 42,000 residents, and the overall Palos
Verdes Peninsula has a population of approximately 63,000 residents, who heavily rely
on communication notifications in the event of a major incident, such as wildfires. Lessons
learned from recent wildfires and PSPS events in California, identified that the failure of
California's communications network endangered the lives of customers and first
responders. This is especially concerning for the public because a multi-mode and multi-
language emergency communication network is one of, if not the most , important pillar of
preparedness as it ensures that residents have access to current, accurate, and reliable
disaster information when commercial power is unavailable or interrupted.
According to City records, backup generators have yet to be installed by your company.
To this point, the City has repeatedly reached out to representatives from your company
requesting a meeting and/or information on the estimated timeline of the installation of
the State-required backup generators. We have yet to receive a satisfactory response.
In general, representatives have cited plans to utilize mobile generators (e.g., COWS)
without acknowledging the time required to deploy the mobile generator or the number of
residents it would serve. This is particularly concerning given that the City's emergency
communication network relies on the CPUC requirement that telecommunication
providers adopt a 72-hour backup power supply to ensure a minimum level of service and
coverage during a natural disaster or power outage in Tier 2 or 3 high Fire Threat Districts.
The rise in catastrophic wildfires is a direct threat to Californians. Strengthening our
state’s wildfire prevention, preparedness and mitigation efforts will continue to be a top
priority for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. We are calling on all telecommunication
providers serving the Palos Verdes Peninsula to immediately provide written confirmation
that the 72-hour backup requirement has been met at all applicable provider facility
locations, and if not, to submit a written schedule outlining when full compliance will be
met.
Furthermore, to ensure that Californians have access to safe and reliable utility
infrastructure during an emergency, the City requests that additional measures be taken
A-1
by your company to ensure compliance with the CPUC resiliency mandate as required by
California law, and urges you to prioritize and significantly accelerate implementation of
these measures within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes in order to ensure that
communication systems are operational when needed the most.
Thank you for considering this request. We appreciate your considerable efforts to ensure
that your costumers have access to secure, dependable, and resilient communication
resources.
Sincerely,
David Bradley
Mayor, Rancho Palos Verdes
c: Rachel Peterson, California Public Utilities Commission
Rancho Palos Verdes City Council and City Manager
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