Infrastructure update: New wireless communications boxes coming to Rancho Santa Fe

The Rancho Santa Fe Association board recently reviewed and approved the installation of 50 new meter pedestal boxes throughout the community to boost the local wireless communications network.

Extenet, a digital infrastructure company, has its small cell nodes mounted to SDG&E poles around Rancho Santa Fe, supporting major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. “They have been around in Rancho Santa Fe for about 15 years and the existing nodes are not capable of supporting 5G so they need dedicated power,” Association Planning and Development Director Maryam Babaki explained at the board’s Aug. 7 meeting.

The carriers have identified coverage gaps in Rancho Santa Fe with customers complaining about dropped calls, weak signals and poor data performance, according to Babaki’s report. In order to support 5G and more reliable mobile connectivity, Extenet needs to provide power to the meters with additional infrastructure.

As SDG&E no longer allows placement of power meters on its poles, standalone cabinets about five feet away from the poles are required.  For over a year, the Association’s Infrastructure Committee went back and forth with Extenet over different variations for the boxes.

“Considering we’re working in a FCC environment, there’s not a whole lot that can be done,” Babaki said. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules restrict local governments from creating regulations that would prohibit or “have the effect of prohibiting” wireless service deployment.

Historically, the cabinets range in size from 16 to 20-inches wide, however, Babaki said Extenet was willing to work with the Association to come up with something that would be the least impactful and still meet their technical needs. The committee and Extenet settled on the smallest available option with a 12 inch by 12 inch box that is 63 inches high, about 5’3”.

At the board’s Aug. 7 meeting, members expressed concerns about the proximity of the new boxes to the community’s trail system, as well as the overall aesthetics: “It’s going to be ugly,” remarked resident Laurel Lemerié.

RSF Association board Director Mark Simpson, a member of the Infrastructure Committee, assured the members that throughout the process they were very sensitive to the aesthetics and to the placement near the trails. He said even though Extenet doesn’t really need the Association’s approval, they did their due diligence and worked with the committee to get to this selected design.

“We are concerned about them influencing the trails and we are going to stay on top of it,” Simpson said. “This is coming…we have gone through these iterations a lot and this is the best design, the least intrusive.”

RSF Association Chief Administrative Officer Dominique Albrecht said once the pedestals are installed, there is also an opportunity to wrap them or change the color to something like a forest green so they can better blend in with the surroundings.