Agenda - 12-15-2009 - 6f - Laserfiche WebLink

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ATTACHMENT B ~ Proposal to Assist with the Development of a Future Vision of Reliable Broadband Coverage throughout the Un~Served and Under Served Portions of Orange County October 13, 2009 Submitted by: Steve Baker, Director of Business Development -Services American Tower Corporation 400 Regency Forest Drive Cary NC 27518^7723 Phone: 443.691.8135 AMERICAN TOWER CORPORATION ~ 400 Regency Forest Drive, Cary NC 27518 October 12, 2009 Submitted via Overnight Delivery Orange County Deparhnent of Asset Management and Purchasing Services Attention: David Cannell, Purchasing Agent 129 E King Street - PO Box 8181 Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 RE: Response to RFP # 5157 Dear Mr. Cannella Please consider this a response to Orange County's Request for Proposals related to the development of reliable broadband coverage throughout the un-served and underserved portions of Orange County ("the County"), North Carolina. American Tower Corporation ("ATC") herein proposes to: (a) provide general consulting services to the County related to broadband deployment; and (b) develop new wireless communication tower facilities (where applicable) in the County for the purposes of expanding broadband in un-served and underserved areas. For your reference, ATC is a leading independent owner, operator and developer of wireless communications tower sites. ATC owns and operates over 26,000 communications sites in the United States, Mexico, Brazil and India. In the State of North Carolina ATC owns and operates over 980 communications sites, 15 of which are within Orange County. Our core business involves leasing our communications sites to multiple wireless service providers. We also have dedicated teams that construct new towers and provide various site development services for wireless service providers. ATC is uniquely positioned to partner with the County on the proposed project for the following reasons: • Financial Strength In these turbulent economic times we feel it important to illustrate our financial attributes, which differentiate us greatly from our peers. ATC is a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) traded company (ticker symbol: AMT) with a current market capitalization of over $13.5 billion. Our shareholders are primarily large financial institutions and mutual fund companies. Furthermore, our balance sheet and debt ratios are the best of the publically traded tower companies, and as of July 29, 2009 (the date of our latest earnings release), ATC had over $374,000,000 in cash on-hand with additional borrowings available through existing credit facilities. • Local Presence ATC has long maintained a Cary, North Carolina office which provides various sales, operations and services functions. Due to our local knowledge and expertise, we are well positioned to "hit the ground running" on the subject project. • Operational Excellence ATC continually solicits feedback from stakeholders (customers, landlords, investors and employees) in an effort to improve its operational performance and overall delivery speed. In this vein, ATC has invested significant capital in mergers, acquisitions, personnel and technology to enhance operational excellence. ATC also has a formal Six Sigma-based process excellence program, where dedicated personnel focus solely on continuous improvement. In sum, our efforts result in industry-leading cycle times and customer satisfaction. • Carrier Relationships ATC has long, deep-seated and meaningful relationships with all the wireless service providers within the greater Orange County marketplace. Due to the quantity of communication sites we operate in the area, we are in constant contact with wireless service providers. As such, we are very confident in our ability to "lease up" any proposed new tower sites with multiple wireless service providers. Given our industry-leading personnel, deep customer relationships, financial capacity and local knowledge, I feel this partnership represents an exciting mutually beneficial opportunity. I look forward to receiving feedback from you regarding our proposal. Sincerely, Stephen Baker Director of Business Development -Services 1