Verizon files small-cell wireless application for east-side Carmel; city to send incompleteness letter to stop FCC "shot clock"

City staff announced receipt of a Verizon application to install a small-cell wireless site on the east side of Carmel between 10th and 11th avenues.

Staff said this is the first small-cell wireless application received since the city adopted its wireless ordinance. The application is not yet complete under the city code: staff said required drawings, photos and technical reports were missing. The city intends to issue an incompleteness letter today; staff explained that issuing such a letter stops and resets the Federal Communications Commission shot clock that limits how long a local government has to process wireless applications.

City staff said Jake in the planning department will process the application and that the city has already engaged the wireless attorney who helped draft the ordinance. Staff reassured residents that ‘‘alarm bells go off in this building when wireless applications come in, I promise,’’ and asked residents not to be concerned about missing the shot clock while the city requests complete materials.

No permit has been approved or issued in the transcript. Staff described the next steps as: (1) issue the incompleteness letter, (2) wait for Verizon to submit complete materials, (3) resume the shot-clock timeline when a complete application is filed.

The transcript notes the site location in village blocks and that the incomplete status is a typical first-step occurrence for a first-time wireless application under a new ordinance.