Small cell permitting data • MuckRock

13 Communications
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Communications

From: Todd Feathers

01/11/2022

Subject: California Public Records Act Request: Small cell permitting data

Portal

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the California Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

1) Data detailing the location, ownership information, and status of all 5G-enabled small cell installations in the city as of the date this request is completed. This dataset/spreadsheet should include, where available, the following data fields:
- Longitude & latitude of 5G small cells
- Street address of 5g small cells
- The name of the company that owns the small cell
- The status of the installation (i.e., pending approval, already installed, etc.)
- Installation date
- Fee paid
- Term of installation (i.e., 5 years, 10 years, etc.)
- Any other relevant data fields the department tracks

2) All department strategic plans or comparable documents describing the city's goals, procedures, and policies regarding 5G deployment.

3) All contracts, memorandums of understanding, or comparable agreements between the department and 5G vendors.

I ask that all fees be waived as I am a journalist and intend to use the requested records to publish articles in the public interest. In the event you choose to impose fees, I request a detailed breakdown of the fees, including the hourly wage of each employee involved and an explanation justifying the employee hours required to fulfill the request.

Should you choose to reject this request or redact portions of responsive documents, I ask that you provide a detailed breakdown of the statutory exemptions and associated case law underlying your decision to withhold each/any portions from public review.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Todd Feathers

From: Department of Public Works

01/12/2022

Subject: Your City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336 has been opened.

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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Hi there

Your record request #22-336 has been submitted. You can see it anytime at the link below.

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Questions about your request? Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at City and County of San Francisco. Technical support: See our <a href='https://help.nextrequest.com/knowledge/requester-resources'>help page</a>

From: Department of Public Works

01/12/2022

Subject: [External Message Added] City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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Hi there

A message was sent to you regarding record request #22-336:

We received your public records request, dated Jan. 11, on Jan. 12. Public records requests received after the close of business, or received on a weekend or holiday, are considered received on the next business day. You have requested the following records:

1) Data detailing the location, ownership information, and status of all 5G-enabled small cell installations in the city as of the date this request is completed.

Our department will identify and compile the requested information. The Sunshine Ordinance requires departments to respond as soon as possible or within 10 calendar days from receipt of any records requests. Therefore, we will contact you as soon as the responsive documents are ready for you to view and will do so on or before Jan. 24, as permitted by San Francisco Administrative Code § 67.21(b) and California Government Code § 6253(c).

It is not necessary to create a NextRequest account to view responsive records. Once they have been released, a link, valid for 30 days, will be provided to view the records. Additionally, unless privacy concerns prevent it, Public Works makes all records requests visible to the public. You may search for requests at https://sanfrancisco.nextrequest.com/.

From: Department of Public Works

01/24/2022

Subject: [External Message Added] City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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Hi there

A message was sent to you regarding record request #22-336:

California courts have determined that public records laws do not impose absolute requirements upon governmental agencies, and are subject to an implied rule of reason. The scope of your request and volume of records it covers will place a huge and unreasonable burden on this department in locating and reviewing responsive records, and will make it impossible for us to comply with the request in a reasonably prompt manner. We invite you to narrow your request, so that we might fully respond to the request within a reasonably prompt time frame.

We are available to help you with this.

Also, please clarify what you mean by "Any other relevant data fields the department tracks."

Regards,

David A. Steinberg

Custodian of Records

San Francisco Public Works

From: Department of Public Works

01/24/2022

Subject: [External Message Added] City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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Hi there

A message was sent to you regarding record request #22-336:

Pursuant to California Government Code Section 6253(c), we are invoking an extension of up to 14 days (until Feb. 7) because of the voluminous nature of the request and the need to compile or extract electronic data.

We will await your response to our earlier communication asking you to to clarify and narrow your request.

Regards,

David A. Steinberg

Custodian of Records

San Francisco Public Works

From: Todd Feathers

01/25/2022

Subject: RE: California Public Records Act Request #22-336

Portal

Hello,

I'm happy to consider narrowing my request, but it would be helpful if you provided a bit of explanation as to why this request is so burdensome. Does the city of San Francisco not track where 5g-enabled small cell cites are located? My understanding is that permits for these cells are submitted to and processed by SF Public Works.

With regards to the phrase "Any other relevant data fields the department tracks," I am referring to any other data points SF Public Works may include in its database of small cell permits that I did not specifically list in my original request. For example, some city databases include fields regarding the type of pole the small cell is installed on, whether the small cell is on public or private property, etc.

Thank you very much for your help, and please don't hesitate to contact me with any further questions.
Todd

From: Department of Public Works

02/03/2022

Subject: [External Message Added] City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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A message was sent to you regarding record request #22-336:

For the information requested, we don't have a system where the information is readily available. We have a basic system that has limited information. For more nuanced items, we would need to look through different permits and documents for each permit on the system. If you wish to add the type of small cell for the pole, we would need to look through each permit for this information. Small cell for public works is located only on the public property. You are also asking for all 5G without a timeframe, so this requires a lot of research.

Currently, we only have one staff member responsible for Personal Wireless Service Facilities on the public right of way in regards to PG&E utilities poles, and that individual would have a limited amount of time to do research for this request each week, meaning it would likely take months to fulfill as currently submitted.

I hope that helps explain why the current request is overly burdensome.

Regards,

David A. Steinberg

Custodian of Records

San Francisco Public Works

From: Department of Public Works

02/07/2022

Subject: [External Message Added] City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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A message was sent to you regarding record request #22-336:

We have conducted a diligent search for records responsive to your request and have located responsive records. Because of the expansive nature of your request, the volume of records responsive to your request is significant. Staff have already expended a significant amount of time over the past weeks to locate records. The volume of responsive records to your request made it impossible for us to complete your request by today's deadline.

Due to the scope of your request, and the substantial staff time Public Works has expended thus far, we are invoking a “rule of reason” to use additional time to respond to your request.

We are still waiting for a response to our latest communication and need instructions on how you would like to proceed with your request.

Regards,

David A. Steinberg

Custodian of Records

San Francisco Public Works

From: Department of Public Works

02/14/2022

Subject: [External Message Added] City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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A message was sent to you regarding record request #22-336:

We are unable to proceed with your request until we receive a response to our communications of Feb. 3 and Feb. 7.

Regards,

David A. Steinberg

Custodian of Records

San Francisco Public Works

From: Department of Public Works

02/22/2022

Subject: [External Message Added] City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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A message was sent to you regarding record request #22-336:

As we have written several times, we are unable to continue processing your request until we receive additional instructions from you.

If we do not receive further instructions from you by Friday, Feb. 25, we will consider this request closed.

Regards,

David A. Steinberg

Custodian of Records

San Francisco Public Works

From: Department of Public Works

02/25/2022

Subject: Your City and County of San Francisco public records request #22-336 has been closed.

Portal

City and County of San Francisco

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Record request #22-336 has been closed and published. The closure reason supplied was:

We did not hear back from you when we asked for more clarification about your request. Since we are unable to conduct a diligent search for responsive records without your guidance, we consider your request closed. If you are still interested in your request, you are welcome to submit a new request with more details at any time.

Regards,

David A. Steinberg

Custodian of Records

San Francisco Public Works

Files

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Submitted	Jan. 11, 2022
Est. Completion	None