As cellular phone companies scramble to meet the growing demand for service, an increasing number of churches are making it onto the short list of sites to house cellular antennas that create a new revenue stream for churches of thousands of dollars annually.
In 1999, about 500 churches in the United States leased space for cellular towers, according to Jim Fryer, publisher of Fryer's Site Guide, which lists tower sites. By 2001, that number more than doubled to 1,200.
The best known is the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., which has a 234-foot-tall antenna on its west tower. Fryer said Motorola is paying about $10,000 a month to lease the tower.
While most churches can't command that kind of money, Fryer said $1,000 to $2,000 a month is a fair price. The better the location, the higher the price churches may command.
"Any church that is located in a good, thriving suburban area could probably pull in $2,500 and above," Fryer said.
Industry observers estimate a need for more than 200,000 towers to be added by the end of the decade.
Meeting that demand has become a challenge. Residents in many communities complain
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Verizon Wireless spokesperson Andrea Linsky said her company first tries to locate commercial structures to attach antennas to when upgrading cellular coverage in an area. Water towers, billboards and existing antennas are options.
"We've actually (attached antennas to) the lights over Wrigley Field and the lights over Fenway Park to provide signal in the ballparks," she said.
Increasingly, providers are turning to stealth-design techniques to hide their antennas. Giant flagpoles, crosses and even trees are being fabricated to house antennas and associated equipment.
When commercial sites are not available, companies try to find structures in residential areas. Churches, with tall steeples, are options often explored.
Knowledge is Power
Still, cellular providers aren't going to just throw money at churches and Fryer said church officials should make sure their interests are represented. The companies have an advantage when it comes to negotiating leases because they do it frequently. The church, in most cases, is going to the cellular bargaining table for the first time.
"I would say get a telecommunications attorney to write the lease," he suggested. "I don't think (cellular providers) are evil, but they will try to get the best deal possible."
Attorney Harold Larson of Farmington Hills, Mich., said legal representation is important because everything the cellular provider is responsible for needs to be written into the lease. This includes details ranging from meeting Federal Communications Commission and Federal Aviation Administration requirements to such things as cosmetic upkeep.
Larson said churches should do their homework. Pastors should talk to others who have negotiated leases and carefully study the construction plan the provider draws up to make sure it will not interfere with normal church operations.
Churches can operate from a position of strength because they have something the cellular provider needs. Larson says churches should use this leverage to the fullest and not be intimidated.
"You have the opportunity to negotiate most terms of the lease agreement because the supply of cell antenna sites is low but the demand is high," he said. "I have never had to give in on an issue I felt was important."
The Good With the Bad
In an interview for Wireless Review magazine, Calvin Gray, director of network operations at Powertel, which is now part of T-Mobile, spoke of difficulties in leasing from churches. He said churches can be a tough sell and often require lengthy negotiation.
Although not the most expensive properties, he said, churches are not the cheapest options either.
"(They) are a little bit higher than average," Gray said. "If we are going after them, it's because we have been unable to find another piece of property to fit our needs."
According to the Rev. Todd Sutton, that was the case when Verizon sought to expand coverage in the area near Lakeview Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"They just can't get the coverage and there is no pole already located around here where they can co-locate," Sutton said.
Lakeview's steeple was not tall enough and when Verizon made public its intention to erect a 120- to 145-foot, single-spire monopole on Lakeview's property, preliminary plans called for a cross to be mounted atop it. That was not enough to make everyone happy about the church's windfall. Some neighbors in the community expressed opposition to the plan.
"We've had some support from people in the community and we've also had some people tell us of their concerns," Sutton said. "As far as I'm concerned -- and as far as members of our Session are concerned -- we're just going to continue to answer as many questions as we can and give people as much information as we can."
Sutton said being a good neighbor is a big consideration.
"Absolutely. The church has been a good neighbor for a long time. I think it is important for churches to be involved in their communities and their neighborhoods. We want to do that," he said.
Because his church has a good relationship with neighbors, Sutton said, dialogue with those who oppose the tower has been cordial and open.
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"I keep them informed, they keep me informed and we're willing to, if we do have an issue, work it through," he said. "What I'm hoping for is kind of a win-win situation. I don't want to have to explain some monstrosity of a pole every time I go out into the community. I don't want to have to explain it to the church."
At Trinity Episcopal Church in Tilton, N.H., where AT&T Wireless is mounting an antenna inside the steeple, the experience has been quite pleasant, according to the Rev. Janet Lombardo.
"It's been absolutely fine. There haven't been any problems," she said. "They've been very accommodating and it's been absolutely painless."
The growing occurrence of churches as antenna sites is not without reason.
"Traditionally, churches tend to be at a higher elevation and also tend to be in the center of a geographical area, the center of the town for instance," Linsky said. "They often make an interesting alternative for us when we look to site in residential areas."
For the most part, the cellular providers make the initial contact after areas where improved coverage is needed are scouted.
"Literally, we've got guys who go out there and drive around looking for tall things," said Alexa Kaufman, spokesperson for AT&T Wireless. "Depending on what our needs are, we'll reach out to various prospective folks that we can be a tenant of."
If a church is a good candidate, there is a good chance it will be contacted eventually by a cellular provider, Fryer said.
"I would say so. If they are the tallest structure in the area and there is no competing structure, I say it's only a matter of time before somebody knocks on the door and wants to know if they can put something up there," he said.
