STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Channel Islands Telephone Company
Channel Islands Telecommunications Project

Application No. A.07-08-014

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review of the proposed Channel Islands Telephone Company (CITC) Channel Islands Telecommunications Infrastructure Project (Project). The proposed Project would include installation of telecommunication infrastructure within, upon, and near existing structures on 15 sites scattered over four of the Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. These four islands include San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz Islands, all of which are part of the Channel Islands National Park.

CITC has filed a grant application with the CPUC to obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct telecommunication facilities and to provide local exchange and interexchange services to and with these four previously underserved Channel Islands. The CPUC is the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Lead Agency on this Project, and the National Park Service (NPS) is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Lead Agency. A joint NEPA/CEQA review will be performed to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of this Project.

The objective of the CITC-proposed Project is to provide high-quality, reliable telephone communication services between locations on the islands and between the islands and the mainland. In addition, the system would have broadband data capability that could be used by the NPS employees, other island residents, and the public to access the internet, communicate by email, make cellular telephone and payphone calls, and utilize other broadband applications.

The proposed Project is subject to review under both NEPA and CEQA. This website provides access to public documents and information relevant to the NEPA/CEQA environmental review process.

Application

The CPUC Application of Channel Islands Telephone Company for the Channel Islands Telecommunication Infrastructure Project may be viewed here.

Project Description

The Channel Islands Telephone Company proposes to install cellular telecommunications infrastructure at 15 locations on four of the Channel Islands, including:

• San Miguel Island
• Santa Barbara Island
• Santa Cruz Island
• Santa Rosa Island

The project would be located on National Park Service (NPS) land in the Channel Islands National Park. The four Channel Islands under NPS jurisdiction that would be involved with the proposed project are largely maintained in a natural state, but contain a limited amount of development, including research stations, campgrounds, trails, and staff residences.

The proposed project is needed because NPS and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) staff currently has limited ability to communicate between locations within the Channel Islands and with personnel and other contact points on the mainland. The islands have a very high frequency (VHF) radio system that allows communication among radio-equipped ranger stations on the five islands, as well as from handheld radios. Satellite internet service is also available at some ranger stations that allows secure access to government internet provider (IP) addresses on the mainland. NPS personnel also possess cellular telephones; however, the cellular service is unreliable because the islands are at the outer limit of the cellular service area. The location of the islands makes the cellular telephone service unreliable on some parts of the islands and wholly absent on others. Recreational visitors to the islands have no land-line telephone access, and little to no cellular telephone reception.

The proposed project would provide cellular telephone and landline service at all ranger stations, campgrounds, residences of the five islands, and the Santa Rosa Island and San Miguel Island airstrips, as well as on all portions of the islands within an approximately 0.5-mile radius of each of the 15 facility locations. This new service is intended to be consistent and reliable, with a reliability of available service of 99.99999 percent. The new service would provide telecommunication capabilities to both Channel Islands National Park staff and visitors, including service for personal cellular telephone communications. 

The purpose of the proposed telephone service is to provide:

• Improved communications for NPS and NOAA staff, researchers, NPS residents, and recreational visitors among the five islands, as well as between the islands and the mainland
• Communication in the case of an emergency or accident to allow for swifter emergency response
• Improved real time weather reporting data to allow for more accurate travel predictions, which will reduce unnecessary and/or aborted boat and aircraft trips to and from the islands, both for NPS and commercial/recreational vehicles

Environmental Review

The CPUC expects that an Environmental Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) and a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) will be the appropriate NEPA/CEQA joint document to be prepared for this project.

Notice of Preparation

A Notice of Preparation (NOP) was prepared and mailed to various agencies and interested parties on October 21, 2009. The purpose of the NOP is to solicit input from the public and agencies about the scope of analysis to be included in the upcoming IS/EA. The NOP was circulated for a 30-day review period that ended on November 20, 2009. A copy of the NOP can be found here.

Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration

On November 14, 2012, the CPUC released a Notice of Intent to Adopt a MND/Notice of Availability for the Channel Islands Telecommunications Project. The findings of the Draft IS/EA and MND are that the proposed project, as mitigated, would not have any significant effects on the environment.

The Draft IS/EA and MND can be viewed here.

The Draft IS/EA and MND are also available at the following public libraries:

Ventura County Library
Avenue Library Branch
606 N. Ventura Avenue
Ventura, CA 93001

Santa Barbara County Central Library
40 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Public Review Period

The Draft IS/EA and MND has been circulated for a public review period from November 14, 2012 through December 14, 2012. Comments on the Draft IS/EA and MND will be accepted through 4:30 p.m. on December 14, 2012. Any comments received after that date will not be included in the Final IS/EA. Comments regarding the Draft IS/EA must be sent with the name and address of an appropriate contact person to:

For Additional Information

The CPUC and the NPS, through its Environmental Review Team, is conducting an environmental review of the project. To request additional information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone, as follows:

Project email: Jeff.Smith@panoramaenv.com
Project fax number: (650) 373-1211
Project voicemail: (650) 340-4821

The CPUC’s Project Manager is:

Jensen Uchida, CPUC Project Manager
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco CA 94102
Tel (415) 703-5484
Fax (415) 703-2200

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