Modem Transmitters OKd for Light Poles

A Los Gatos-based company has won permission to install a wireless modem network for computers on citywide light poles.

The City Council this week agreed to allow Metricom Inc. to install the shoebox-sized devices on La Habra-owned street lamps, despite a complaint from a resident who said the transmitters’ radio waves could be harmful.

Council members said they voted for the network because they were told that the voltage emitted from the transmitters is low enough to meet public health standards and regulations.

Metricom will pay the city a franchise fee of 5% of its gross revenue generated in the city. Once the radios are mounted, Metricom subscribers in the city will be able to go online without having to hook into phone lines.