City of Medford announces new US$1 million cellular and LMR tower funded through a public-private partnership with the Public Safety Tower Company (PSTC)
By Donny Jackson, Editor, Urgent Communications
An Oregon city has announced the completion of a new US$1 million cellular and LMR tower—built with no public money—that was funded through a public-private partnership with the Public Safety Tower Company (PSTC).
Medford Fire Chief Eric Thompson said the agreement with PSTC resolved difficult communications challenges facing the city’s public-safety LMR network, the water commission’s radio system, and coverage gaps realized by subscribers of FirstNet, which is built and operated by cellular carrier AT&T.
“We were going to have to have a new tower, regardless,” Thompson said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “This works, because it’s a cost-effective solution to a complex problem. Through the partnership between the water commission, the city and Public Safety Towers, we were able to accommodate everybody’s needs.
“We had aging infrastructure. We had gaps in communication. We had to relocate the aging infrastructure that we had. We were able to accomplish all of those issues with this new tower build. It’s pretty cool.”
Under the terms of the public-private partnership, the city of Medford provided PSTC with land for a new 135-foot tower to replace an aging 75-foot tower that previously hosted radio equipment for the city’s VHF conventional system, Thompson said. The new taller tower is able to support the co-location of communications gear for FirstNet, the water commission, and the county-owned 700 MHz digital trunked LMR system that Medford first responders will begin using in the early spring of next year, he said.
“We were able to gift them the property,” Thompson said. “They [PSTC] are allowing us to put our public-safety radio equipment on there at no charge. And at the same time, they’re able to have a cell tower and improve the cell coverage for the community.
“So, the community has an enhanced opportunity to call 911 to get help—before, we had gaps—and our communications in emergency services is now more consistent and more reliable.”
Being able to address all of these issues without using tax revenue is critical, according to Thompson.
It’s a positive for the community. It’s a positive for the department. And we’re not going to the taxpayers and asking them to fund this,” he said.
“We could have been in a situation where maybe we don’t have the opportunity to fund a fire engine or another critical piece of equipment to help serve the public. Now, we have a partner that is helping us do that. It’s just a phenomenal opportunity—it’s exciting.”
Thompson said he believes the public-private-partnership utilized in Medford should be considered by leaders in other communities in the US, noting that the arrangement saved the city from both the capital cost of building a new tower and the ongoing expense of maintaining it.
“I think we owe it to our communities to think outside the traditional box and embrace innovation, embrace partnerships and collaborate with both public and private entities to find cost-effective solutions for community problems,” Thompson said.
“This kind of proves that, when we work together, we can enhance our service. The winner here is the community—and public safety, of course.”
PSTC CEO Doug Lodder agreed.
“Fire Chief Thompson and the City of Medford have demonstrated real leadership by saving their taxpayers a million dollars through this innovative partnership,” Lodder said in a prepared statement. “This is what good governance and forward-thinking collaboration look like, and it’s a model other communities can learn from.
“When public-safety agencies need cellular coverage for 9-1-1 callers and responders, PSTC can often provide that coverage at no cost to the city. We build the tower at our expense and recoup the investment through leases with wireless carriers. The result is a cost-free, shared solution that enhances connectivity while reducing the number of towers needed, preserving both resources and the skyline.”
PSTC was founded more than three years ago with the idea of working with cellular carriers and government jurisdictions to developing public-private partnerships like this one in Medford.
Managing director of InfraRed Capital and principal investor in PSTC, Jorge Centeno said the Medford deal is an indication that the PSTC model can work.
“Public safety needs reliable wireless coverage to effectively perform their duties,” Centeno said in a prepared statement. “FirstNet, built in public-private partnership with AT&T and the federal government, … will be an anchor tenant on the tower, bringing reliable connectivity for public safety on FirstNet, while expanding coverage for 9-1-1 callers and emergency personnel alike.
“Financing the build of critical infrastructure in partnership with public-safety agencies is central to our investment strategy for PSTC. This project exemplifies PSTC’s mission to strengthen community resilience through connectivity.”
President of AT&T’s FirstNet unit,Scott Agnew said the Medford agreement indicates the promise of such public-private partnerships at the local level.
“As public safety’s partner, we are dedicated to solving their communications challenges,” Agnew said in a prepared statement. “Given the scale of wildfire devastation across Rogue Valley and Southern Oregon, we are proud to have worked with the City of Medford and Public Safety Towers Company to expand connectivity to an area where first responders said they need it most.
“Now, public safety in the City of Medford will have access to their crucial, dedicated Band 14 spectrum, in addition to boosting connectivity for commercial users across the community. That’s the power of FirstNet.”
