Los Angeles gives first approval to earthquake rules for cell towers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles is close to having the first-ever seismic standards for building cellphone towers in the United States, as leaders gave preliminary approval on Friday to regulations intended to ensure residents will be able to communicate following a major earthquake. The rules, which still must be approved by the Los Angeles City Council on a second vote as early as next week, are the first seismic standards for cell phone towers in the United States, officials say. "In the event of an earthquake or major disaster, the ability for our first responders to communicate, and for everyday Angelenos to call for help or reach out to our friends, family and loved ones, is critical in our ability to respond to and recover from traumatic events," City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who sponsored the measure, said in a written statement. The regulations call for new, freestanding cell phone towers to be built to the same standards as public safety facilities, able to withstand the vigorous shaking that accompanies a major earthquake. The measures, first proposed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, does not apply retroactively to cell towers that are already in place or those attached to other structures. A growing proportion of Americans are choosing to live without the traditional landline telephones, and a 2012 National Center for Health Statistics found nearly a third of Los Angeles County residents lived in households that rely on wireless phones exclusively. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb)