This radio tower near Centennial Park, 600 Rockledge Road, and other high structures such as the water tower behind it often support cell phone antennae. Douglas County commissioners are considering guidelines for when a new cell phone tower can be built.

Wireless companies may get closer scrutiny in the future before they are allowed to place cell phone towers in Douglas County, if county commissioners get their way.

New regulations for obtaining permits for cell towers are under consideration. If approved, they would require an independent study to confirm that a wireless company has explored the possibilities of sharing a tower already in place to meet its coverage needs.

During Monday’s commission meeting, Commissioner Charles Jones wondered about taking an even bigger step.

For every new tower, “we could require that at least two cell phone companies would need to sign off on it,” he said.

Whether any regulations will be put in place is still a long way from becoming a reality. Commissioners discussed the matter during the past week in considering whether to approve a request from T-Mobile for a new cell tower.

T-Mobile wants a tower at 1754 E. 1200 Road, on property belonging to Rich and Karla Nathan.

Representatives for T-Mobile said the firm needs to expand its coverage in that area to meet customers’ needs and because the area is growing.

Jones said he recently tested his mobile phone in the area and found it had a strong signal, although he noted he had a Cingular phone.

Signals received in a car aren’t necessarily indicative of signal strength inside a house or basement, T-Mobile representative Russell Pope said.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission had already given a nod to the tower request, saying in a report that it met all the requirements for placement.

Jones voted against a permit for the tower anyway. He said he doesn’t agree that it should be the county government’s responsibility to provide enough cell towers for every wireless company.

Commissioners Bob Johnson and Jere McElhaney voted to approve the tower permit. They said they didn’t like to disregard the Planning Commission’s recommendation. McElhaney said, however, he wasn’t convinced the wireless industry was always utilizing the technology available to limit the number of towers.

No decision was made on proposed regulations that would require the independent study on tower feasibility. Commissioners want to make the wireless companies pay for independent studies, and they are unsure now what that would cost. They also want to see how county regulations match up with those of the city of Lawrence.