Residents in a Queens town called Laurelton in New York City, are fighting the efforts of Verizon Wireless. The nation's largest carrier has plans to build a 60 foot high cell tower on land that is zoned for commercial use. Verizon spokesman David Samberg said that the tower is needed and would double the capacity in an area that is congested. Although the spokesman said that the area chosen for the tower was the best option for residents that Verizon could chose, those living in the area are extremely upset with Big Red's plans.
Residents in the area are complaining that the tower would be built in between homes and is an eyesore. Some are upset that the tower would be the tallest structure in Laurelton, while others fear that they will be more likely to get cancer if Verizon gets its way. There is no proof that the signals generated by cell towers cause cancer, and even the American Cancer Society says that there is very little evidence to support that theory.
"It’s an invasion, and it’s just going to be more clutter. Most of us don’t even have Verizon phones. If it doesn’t benefit all of us, it shouldn’t be there."-Tyrell Garcia, 30, Laurelton resident
On June 5th, there will be a public hearing during which residents will take the opportunity to speak their minds. Those living in the area know that there is precedent on their side. In 2005, Nextel removed four small rooftop towers that were place on a building next to an elementary school after multiple rallies by residents.
Verizon's Samberg said that the towers are needed to bring the carrier's XLTE service to the area. Using a combination of AWS and the 700MHz spectrum, XLTE adds capacity in congested areas. The spokesman compares it to expanding a two lane highway and converting it into a four-lane expressway.
Area near 230th street in Laurelton, where Verizon wants to build a 60 foot cell tower
source: NYDailyNews
Get a Motorola Razr 2025 for just $199.99!
Switch to a 2-month Total 5G or 5G+ plan with Total Wireless and score this foldable deal.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: