County staff brief commission on proposed state tower lease and FirstNet considerations

Counsel briefed the commission on a proposed lease with the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (Department of Safety and Homeland Security) for a communications tower on county-owned property off Morrison Street. The proposed term discussed in the correspondence was 45 years, though counsel said lease and user-agreement durations are negotiable and the county could seek a user agreement to allow county public-safety agencies to use the facility.

Staff said the state’s engineers identified the site to expand statewide communications services (including highway patrol and TBI) and that the state has funding for construction. Counsel recommended law-enforcement and relevant department directors attend a follow-up meeting to discuss operational needs and whether the county should build its own tower or pursue the state option.

Commissioners also discussed FirstNet, the nationwide public-safety broadband network which operates as a prioritized sideband on commercial carriers. Staff explained that if the county or its responders are FirstNet subscribers and phones have the activated eSIM, FirstNet can prioritize emergency traffic when network congestion occurs; however, coverage and radio connectivity in remote portions of the county depend on tower placement and subscriber status. Commissioners agreed to have law-enforcement committee pursue additional information and to invite relevant directors to present at a future meeting.

No final decisions were made; staff asked for committee follow-up and additional technical briefings.