[TowerTalk] hosting a commercial service on my tower

Tue Jan 21 22:50:15 EST 2014

I host a ISP  in a rural area (unlicensed 802.11 service to neighbors) 
on a dedicated 10' stick of R25 with 1500' elevation and 20 to 40 mile 
sight line.  I get free 8Mbit bidirectional service and as many 
permanent IP addresses as I want.  Not a big deal and can be cancelled 
with 30 day notice.  However, if you have a real tower involved in 
addition to the technical tower questions, you should check the codes as 
the permitting, study, review. costs/ etc. etc. difference here (WA/King 
Cty) is HUGE for amateur radio vs commercial towers.  A low profile 
802.11 ISP might be below the radar and process which puts the cell 
tower guys through a regulatory wringer.

I'm told that prime metro tower sites rent at $1k per month per antenna, 
you might ask for a percentage of the subscriber revenues.

OTOH, if you have the space and a good site, contact a tower site 
development consultant re a commercial tower with space for rent.

Grant KZ1W

> I think the compensation they offered to rent space on your tower is
> ridiculously low.
>
> My other thought is if you can afford a tower and antenna installation like
> you have, why is $3,500 and $50/month for good Internet service an issue for
> you, HI?
>
>   
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Dick
> Green WC1M
> Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 12:56 AM
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] hosting a commercial service on my tower
>
> Today a commercial wireless ISP approached me about placing a group of
> antennas on my tower and a "small" building at the base. In exchange, they
> offered free installation of a fiber optic cable down my 1100-foot driveway
> and free high-speed internet service (for comparison, Comcast quoted $3,500
> for the cable run and $50-$70 per month for service.) Right now we have 3
> mbps DSL and it's not adequate for our needs.
>
>   
>
> The height and location of my tower are ideal for expanding the ISP's
> service into a new area. It's 115' of Rohn 55 with a small Force 12 6-el 10m
> monobander at the top of a five-foot mast (about 4 sq ft windload), a Cal-Av
> 2D-40A 2-el 40m beam (16 sq ft) at the bottom of the mast and just above the
> thrust bearing in the top plate, and  a 3-stack of 4-el SteppIRs on ring
> rotors at 34'/64'/96'. The SteppIRs are 10 sq feet each. All cables to the
> tower are direct-buried about 2-feet down and the run is about 225 feet with
> a nearly 90-degree turn.
>
>   
>
> I have a bunch of questions about doing this, especially what terms I should
> require in the contract if I decide to do this. Here's what I have so far:
>
> 1.       What speed internet service will they provide to us? Are there any
> strings attached?
>
> 2.       Would a commercial use invalidate my tower permit?
>
> 3.       Would the added wind load be acceptable for my tower?
>
> 4.       Could there be RFI between our respective antennas?
>
> 5.       Will the ISP's antennas limit access to my antennas in any way?
>
> 6.       They have to install new conduit to the house and tower - What
> should I require them to do during/after?
>
> 7.       What's the size of the utility "building" or enclosure and how will
> it be constructed/installed?
>
> 8.       How much electricity will their equipment consume and who will pay
> for it?
>
> 9.       Do I have any liability for tree branches along the driveway taking
> out their fiber run?
>
> 10.   What happens if I want to sell the house? (i.e., Can the tower ever be
> removed?)
>
> 11.   Will they indemnify me if their climber gets injured or killed on my
> tower?
>
> 12.   Is free fiber installation and internet service fair compensation for
> the value they're getting?
>
>   
>
> I realize most of these require a more research, and I'm not necessarily
> expecting answers from this group. But I could use some feedback on whether
> these are the right questions to ask and whether I've left out anything
> important.
>
>   
>
> One thought I've had is whether this could be parlayed into a long-term
> solution for dealing with my tower when I get too old to climb it or have to
> move into the old-folks home (or worse..) I sometimes lay awake at night
> wondering what I'd do in those cases, or what my wife would do about the
> tower if something happened to me. I'm wondering if I could do a deal where
> the ISP would take over ownership and maintenance of the tower, including
> removing my antennas if and when I no longer need them. Of course, that
> would put a permanent potential blot on the value of our property, but if
> the ISP would require a perpetual agreement anyway, and I was willing to go
> along with that, it would be a good rider to have.
>
>   
>
> I'd appreciate any comments, especially from anyone who has considered a
> similar proposal.
>
>   
>
> 73, Dick WC1M
>
>   
>
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