New Yorkers resist the explosion of new 5G towers

Smoldering frustration over new 5G towers popping up across the city has reached a boiling point in Washington Heights, where residents say the poles are unsightly, could pose a health hazard and that the project has been overlooked by the community.

“They were just trying to go ahead and just throwing at these towers behind our historic building, next to the protected bird sanctuary Cabrini Woods,” said Derek Ratzenbock, who spotted a construction crew digging into the ground on a 5G tower next to his building. Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan, one of the January days.

“It seemed to me that it was so secretive because it is not a very busy place,” said Ratzenbock, a professional violinist.

Ratzenbeck, president of his co-op and a Washington Heights resident since 2011, called city council representative Carmen de la Rosa, and construction was temporarily halted.

In an effort to expand new, faster cell networks and fix so-called “internet deserts,” the city plans to deploy 2,000 towers equipped to provide high-speed cell coverage and free Wi-Fi across five boroughs by 2026.

Ninety percent of the towers will be located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and above 96th Street in Manhattan.

The rejection of new towers is not limited to Washington Heights. This is happening all over the city, including in Midtown and the West Village. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, in a letter last month, asked the city to slow its rollout of 5G towers until there are more engagement and education events.

“We need to communicate better with the local community and better inform New Yorkers about these installations,” Levin wrote.

As the area lacked broadband access and was particularly hard hit by the pandemic, which made internet access more important than ever, Inwood and Washington Heights were identified as places that needed towers.

But residents and local authorities are resisting.

The LinkNYC tower is pictured at 63rd Doctor Street in Rego Park, Queens.

5G networks use more towers with weaker signals than traditional cell towers to create a coverage network. Being smaller, they can be placed along sidewalks and closer to homes, roads, and parks than larger towers.

“The sidewalks have become more of a public space. Since COVID, we have learned more about the use of public spaces,” said Sean Khorsandy, executive director of Landmark West, a non-profit architecture and arts organization. “…People are trying to go outside and walk more. We must encourage this. If you want people to walk more, you can’t create more barriers to it.”

To some, the poles seem uncomfortably close to where they live, work, and play. They expressed concern about the physical profile of the towers, as well as any potential long-term health effects.

“Look, I wish I had better service too. I’m sitting maybe five feet from my router in my apartment,” Washington Heights resident Donna Filippone told the Daily News by phone. “My calls are dropped regularly.”

“I don’t think the government is trying to protect its citizens, and they certainly don’t know the cause and effect of the towers,” Filippone said. “This is a residential area. If they needed to create infrastructure, they just chose a really terrible place for it.”

“It was not presented to the community in any form, in any form for feedback,” said Filippone, who works as a sales rep.

In Washington Heights, Council member de la Rosa said she was caught off guard at a meeting when five more new sites were unveiled, although she also admitted that her office missed an email sent about the new sites.

“If it’s not done in a way that enfranchises and engages the community, it can be seen as a negative when it’s not necessary,” de la Rosa said.

Workers install a smart pylon transmitting Link5G atop a LinkNYC kiosk on July 7, 2022 in the Bronx.

Katherine Diaz, chairman of the 12th Manhattan Community Council, also said the city’s rollout has been opaque.

“That’s what’s frustrating and disappointing about this process,” Diaz said. “From the point of view of the government and the city, access to the Internet is incredibly important. … But how do we even have this conversation and promote it?”

“What could have been a linear process of interacting with the community has become quite controversial,” she added.

Content Source

California Press News – Latest News:
Los Angeles Local News || Bay Area Local News || California News || Lifestyle News || National news || Travel News || Health News

Related Articles

Back to top button