Proposed city ordinance opens the door to better internet for Lucas, Texas

At the December 3rd, 2020 Lucas City Council meeting, the Lucas Planning and Zoning Commission will recommend a new city ordinance that is a big step toward better internet for Lucas Texas residents.

The recommended ordinance will enable small and local Wireless Internet Service Providers like Rise Broadband and Big Wave Wireless to quickly improve internet service to poorly served areas of Lucas. 

The city ordinance clarifies and codifies what companies like Rise Broadband and communities around the nation have been doing for years, namely installing a limited number of small signal booster/repeaters devices at customer homes so their neighbors without a direct line of sight to a water tower can get high speed wireless internet service.

Everyone understands Uber and “ride sharing”….this is “tower line of sight sharing” for internet. 

There are multiple tangible benefits to this practice. Customers who were previously unable to get wireless internet service can now sign up for that service. Existing customers whose wireless internet service is affected by distance or limited line of sight can now get more reliable service. This will also give residents an additional viable choice for high speed internet service to their homes. 

Fast solution with no cost to the city

Rolling out small repeater/booster devices can be done in a matter of months with no city involvement or expense. 

Rise Broadband has been building receiver towers and installing rooftop repeater/booster equipment on private property for years. This city ordinance simply codifies and clarifies what’s already being done. 

What about the number of residential towers?

Currently, if residents want wireless internet service and there is not a direct line of sight from their roof to a water tower, that resident has to put up their own personal antenna tower. The means that there can be neighborhoods in the city where multiple homes each have their own residential antenna tower. 

By allowing small repeater/booster devices to be installed on private property, one tower can serve a whole neighborhood (30-40 homes around it), thus eliminating the need for every property to have their own tower.  In areas of the city where DSL internet service is slow, a single residential antenna tower can be installed to bring high speed wireless service to the neighborhood.

What about big companies like AT&T and Verizon?

Wireless and cellular service offered by companies like AT&T use a very different technology than WISPs and are highly regulated by the federal government on what they can do. The types of towers used by AT&T, Verizon, etc. are very different, take up much more land and are much taller (up to 200 feet) than typical residential antenna towers. 

This city ordinance will not stop those companies from continuing with their current or future internet service plans. 

Some have suggested that the city should build more big telecom towers (like the tower on Stinson Road) for poorly served areas. In addition to the cost and time burden on the city, this would require residents to give property easements to the city to build them. None of that is ideal in terms of quickly getting fast, low cost solutions in place for Lucas residents who need it.

Send an email to the Lucas City council to show your support for this ordinance

Show your support for the new ordinance to help poorly served areas of the city by sending an email to the Lucas City Council to pass the ordinance as recommended by the P&Z Committee. 

Your note doesn’t have to be fancy or long. Just let them know you care and you want better service that this ordinance will provide.

Send your emails to CityCouncil@lucastexas.us

Learn more about Big Wave Wireless at BigWaveWireless.com.

Learn more about Rise Broadband at RiseBroadband.com.

For tips and hints on how to improve your home internet service, check out our article “Help My Internet is Slow”.

If you would like to talk to a Lucas resident volunteer for one on one help to figure out why your home internet is slow, jump to our “Neighbors Helping Neighbors Lucas Texas” group on Facebook at  “Neighbors Helping Neighbors Lucas Texas”