Property owners are being asked more and more to approve equipment modification to the cell tower or rooftop antennas on their property and/or building. The following are some things to consider when asked to approve an equipment modification:
The “Why” – Recently, AT&T’s executives stated that there is going to be a continued growing amount of modification activity on cell sites across the United States. The reason is simple-data traffic has grown at an unforeseen rate.
Modifications to equipment on both cell towers and rooftops are not just for the purposes of increased performance, but to reduce operational costs. Tower and rooftop modifications don’t just improve performance.
The “Pitch” – The primary way a wireless carrier will approach a property owner is to define the work as simple “routine maintenance” versus being described as a modification. The reason is simple-repairs/maintenance events are allowed, while a modification may require an approval and an ability of the landlord to renegotiate the lease.
The “Truth” – The goal of the party seeking to perform the modifications is to get your approval, complete the work and ultimately get paid. A property owner needs to completely understand its rights under its cell site lease to not only determine if rent can be increased, but also to be able to protect its property from work that could limit its future development and, ultimately, devalue it when it is time to sell it.
Contact us today to determine both what opportunities and risks surround any requested cell site modification.
