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Attachment 4 Small Cell Wireless Facilities The City of Pleasanton recognizes the need to balance the important benefits to the community provided by access to advanced wireless communications infrastructure against the legitimate local concerns about potential aesthetic impacts and threats to public safety. The City also recognizes that state and federal laws place certain limits on the City's police powers over wireless facilities.Since 1998, the City's zoning regulations have been applied to strike the balance most appropriate for Pleasanton in a manner consistent with applicable laws. Recently, new and pending federal regulations for so-called "small wireless facilities" further restrict the City's authority to determine the appropriate balance between the various interests at stake.This FAQ provides information about the City's current regulations and changes that are planned in response to these new federal regulations, as well as information about the City's current regulations and changes that are planned in response to the new laws. Why are changes to the City's Wireless Regulations needed? In September 2018 the FCC issued an order focused on "small wireless facilities"that are part of the shift from 4th Generation (4G)to 5th Generation (5G) wireless technology. The FCC order imposes new limits on state and local government authority to make decisions based on aesthetics, shortens review time frames even more than those currently in place, and establishes a new standard of review for courts that is more favorable to wireless providers who challenge local regulations. Updates to the City's regulations are needed to make sure they are consistent with the FCC order, and, within those limits, guide the design and location of new small cell facilities in Pleasanton.Without compliant regulations, the City may not be able to regulate these deployments. What is wireless technology? In simple terms, wireless technology refers to any system that allows for communication or transmission of information without use of cables or other wired connections. Although most people think of wireless technology in conjunction with personal cell phones and other"smart" devices, wireless facilities also serve to connect city infrastructure, emergency communication systems, and other key networks.All wireless facilities are supported by a network of wired data connections, usually cables in the ground or overhead,that provide the stream of data to and from the antenna, which is then transmitted wirelessly to the end user. What is 5G wireless? How is it different from 4G wireless? "4G" and "5G" are abbreviations for the 4th and 5th Generations of wireless technology standards.The standards are differentiated by their performance capabilities—how much and how fast the data moves through the networks and the applications that the network can support. The most recent and significant shift is from 4G to SG wireless technology. Unlike 4G technology,which primarily relies on larger"macro" antennas or cells to send and receive wireless signals at relatively low frequencies, 5G will generally operate on higher frequencies in the radio spectrum, with smaller and more numerous service areas "cells" to allow the carrier to reuse the frequencies more efficiently and reduce the number of users attempting to access each cell. 5G has significantly faster data transmission rates than 4G and reduced "latency" or time lag between when a signal is sent and when it is received.The smaller