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Committee backs Muni–BART agreement to extend underground cellular service
Summary
The committee forwarded an agreement allowing BART to negotiate carrier licenses and extend BART’s underground cellular and fiber into the Muni Metro tunnels. Carriers are expected to cover roughly $6 million in capital costs and pay ongoing license fees; analysts estimate potential annual revenues of $1–3 million shared by agencies.
The Budget & Finance Committee on Oct. 19 voted to forward a resolution authorizing the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to execute a communications agreement with the Bay Area Rapid Transit District that would let BART negotiate license agreements with telecommunications carriers to extend BART’s underground commercial fiber and cellular infrastructure into the SFMTA’s underground system.
Connor Johnson, chief of staff to Board President London Breed and sponsor of the legislation, said carriers would pay capital costs—Johnson cited sources that estimate about $6 million in capital spending—and would pay annual license fees to the agencies. “We will be able to provide cell service for the approximately 200,000 Muni Metro riders every day,” Johnson said.
Gail Stein (SFMTA) and Travis Engstrom (BART) described the technical approach: BART will lead carrier negotiations and host a neutral-host system that leverages existing radio equipment; Engstrom said combined cellular and fiber revenues could range from $1 million to $3 million annually depending on carrier participation. The agencies said construction is estimated to take 12–18 months after agreements are finalized and that carriers would pay construction costs, so no construction cost is anticipated to the city.
Supervisors asked whether the project will cover tunnels such as Twin Peaks and the Judah tunnel; BART staff said the agreement covers all underground MTA properties and aims to extend the network to current and planned underground reaches. Staff also noted operational benefits including improved location services and the potential for agencies to use the network for enterprise communications.
Budget analyst Harvey Rose recommended approval, describing the arrangement as favorable for the city. The committee forwarded the resolution with a positive recommendation to the full Board without objection; Supervisor Mark Farrell was excused.
