MEDINA, WASH.-A zoning commission hearing originally scheduled for May 28 in Seattle, concerning a lawsuit filed by Sprint Spectrum L.P. against the city of Medina, Wash., which charges the city’s six-month moratorium on tower building violates the Telecommunications Act and Federal Communications Commission rules, was postponed indefinitely, reported Ed Mattix, chief public relations officer of Sprint Spectrum.
The city of Medina requested more information on the technical needs of Sprint’s personal communications services network, and other issues including tower siting, collocation of towers and site location, Mattix said.
However, Medina City Attorney Kirk Wines said such a hearing was never scheduled. He did confirm a hearing on the issue would occur, but said no date has been set.
Sprint Spectrum said it needs to place towers in Medina to support the high calling volume on the Evergreen Point across Lake Washington. Medina is a two-square-mile city situated at one end of the bridge, near Bellevue, Wash. City Attorney Kirk Wines said the federal law indicates local authorities cannot completely restrict access to telecommunications and that the intent of the moratorium is only to evaluate what wireless providers need.
Medina already is home to AT&T Wireless Services Inc.’s and AirTouch Communications Inc.’s (previously U S West NewVector Group) cellular towers.
Mattix confirmed his company possesses a court order that “clearly said there was a zoning commission hearing scheduled for May 28 and this is when the discussion would continue on the Medina site issues … and that was the one postponed.”