With several carriers seeking coverage in the county, the potential number of towers is substantial. Donn Winslow, a builder of cellular towers, said. Each of those carriers has a demand for tower construction. That is why the zoning department is planning to require at least three carriers to locate on each tower, Lincoln County Administrator Dan Miller said. The communication industry opposes the setback requirement, according to Sprint representative Vickie Deming.
Convenience seems to be driving the demand for greater cell phone coverage.
Miller proposed limiting tower construction to agricultural and forested areas. Industry experts opposed that limitation because of their need to reach population centers. If you limit construction to agricultural areas, we won't be able to do that. Licenses for cell phone communications are very expensive according to Winslow. As an incentive to do business, the FCC guarantees the license holders the ability to build towers, he said.