LAKEPORT >> The Lakeport City Council gave Verizon Wireless an extra five months to file a lawsuit against the city for the council’s denial of the proposed cell tower on High Street.
At a closed session on Tuesday, the council met with company representatives and came to the agreement. According to Councilmember Marty Scheel, the extension was given in hopes that Verizon would find another location and avoid taking legal action.
“We would be pushing Verizon into a corner,” Scheel said. “If they are looking for an additional location, they’re obviously not going to make that in 30 days.”
City records indicate that the telecommunications giant has grounds to sue under the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 because the project was initially approved by the planning commission. Since the appeal’s passage on Dec. 1, the company had 30 days to file a lawsuit.
Now, the new deal — known as a tolling agreement — has given Verizon’s legal team a total of six months to file one. If it does look for another site, its total time given by the city to find an alternative will nearly total a year.
When the first two formal extensions were approved by the city council, the company claimed that it could not find another viable alternative to address coverage gaps in North Lakeport.
Both parties have an opportunity to cancel the agreement given that they give a 45 day notice.
