Findings
been identified west of Albemarle Sound in Bertie and Washington counties,
and in areas southeast and northeast of the City of Goldsboro.
The newly proposed FAA regulation will only apply to commercially
operated UAVs. Private recreational UAV use remains regulated
under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012.
The FAA expects the number of UAVs being used in US airspace to
increase to 30,000 by 2020.
In more rural parts of the US, UAVs are becoming increasingly used
for agricultural purposes to monitor crops and fields.
Uninterrupted service of the wireless telecommunications network is a
valuable community service, and the telecommunication infrastructure
should be managed to ensure adequate towers are available to meet the
needs of the community.
Because of the impact that communication towers and antennas can have
on military training activities, it is important to exercise careful and
thoughtful planning when siting new telecommunications towers. Cell
towers vary in height, and though notification is required to the FAA and the
FCC for towers that exceed 200 feet, or are located near airports, local land
use controls are required to ensure communications towers are
appropriately sited and coordinated.
ISSUE
VO‐4
Future Cell Towers
Additional cell towers are needed to provide coverage in
northeast North Carolina jurisdictions which could
conflict with military training operational areas.
Areas within the five‐mile notification area boundary around the installation
require coordination with Seymour Johnson AFB and the NC Building Code
Council for cell tower permits. For areas outside of the five‐mile notification
area a review is done between Seymour Johnson AFB and the FAA.
However, there is no requirement at the local level for documentation from
the federal or state levels that the review took place. There is a need to
ensure wind energy project permits include documentation from either the
state or FAA as a part of the local jurisdiction approval process. Tower
heights become a compatibility issue when the height of the tower breeches
the minimum operating floor of MTRs which may be as low as 100 feet AGL.
While the military airspace allows operation beginning at the ground
surface, the Air Force does not fly below 500 feet AGL.
Compatibility Assessment
Reliable wireless communication is vital to communities for many reasons,
including the dependence on wireless communications during emergency
situations and because of the potential negative economic impacts on
communities that are unable to provide this service to prospective local
businesses.
Areas near the DCR experience gaps in coverage of cellular service. Many of
these areas are in Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell, Bertie, and Washington Counties.
Main providers in the area, including T‐Mobil, AT&T, and Verizon have
variable coverage though service coverage maps show all providers have
gaps in the area of Stumpy Point and Gum Neck continuing down the coast
to the Pungo and Pamlico Rivers. Some coverage deficiencies have also
Page 5.23‐12
Figure 5.23‐3 identifies the existing communication towers within MTRs
considered vertical obstructions based on the tower height and MTR
minimum operating floors. Table 5.23‐3 identifies existing towers
documented in the DOD Area Planning publication on MTRs for June 2015.
Background Report