|
The rules, which still must be approved by the Los Angeles
City Council on a second vote as early as next week, are the
first seismic standards for cell phone towers in the United
States, officials say.
"In the event of an earthquake or major disaster, the ability
for our first responders to communicate, and for everyday
Angelenos to call for help or reach out to our friends, family
and loved ones, is critical in our ability to respond to and
recover from traumatic events," City Councilman Bob Blumenfield,
who sponsored the measure, said in a written statement.
The regulations call for new, freestanding cell phone towers to
be built to the same standards as public safety facilities, able
to withstand the vigorous shaking that accompanies a major
earthquake.
The measures, first proposed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, does not
apply retroactively to cell towers that are already in place or
those attached to other structures.
A growing proportion of Americans are choosing to live without
the traditional landline telephones, and a 2012 National Center
for Health Statistics found nearly a third of Los Angeles County
residents lived in households that rely on wireless phones
exclusively.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
