Wanted to mention that about a year ago, when I complained to Verizon about a
weak signal at our house, they said they had difficulty with TP signal strength
so I’d be interested in their boosting service in our area.
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
On Thursday, April 7, 2022, 9:47 AM, Colleen Cordes <ccordes@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Neighbors,
Recently what appears to be a small wireless facility -- the kind informally
called "small cell tower" -- was mysteriously installed on a tall new Pepco
pole in a corner of the Takoma Horticultural Club's lovely new Centennial
Garden, on the Philadelphia Avenue side, right about at Boston. The exact spot
is probably in the Maryland State right-of-way (State Highway 410), although
it's very close to what presumably is the City's Boston Avenue right of way. It
looks like it's not yet been turned on, but could be at any time -- like today.
It also looks like whichever companies are responsible for installing this
wireless equipment have not followed County rules! There seems to be no record
in the County's database (or the City's) of any company applying to place a
cell tower at that location.
Question: What can and will the City do to make sure what looks like three
cell antennas atop the pole are not turned on before the City and County
finishes investigating the sudden appearance of this wireless facility and
whether it's been illegally installed???
There's a role for us too -- if anyone sees workers working on that pole,
please alert us all ASAP and let Daryl Braithwaite, City Director of Public
Works, Mayor Stewart, and Councilmember Kovar know immediately. (Daryl's office
number: 301-891-7615 or 301-891-7633.)
It appears that Pepco and Verizon Wireless, the telecom apparently planning to
use it, have not yet activated the antennas, as there's a set of wires that
doesn't go all the way up the pole, and no obvious equipment box on the ground
or on the pole that this kind of wireless facility usually includes. There's
also no meter yet in the box mounted to the pole that seems designed to hold
the meter. (Meters allow Pepco to track the energy used by wireless
facilities.) That box is labelled "VERIZON WIRELESS SERVICE" and has another
label on it that has the address: "399 Philadelphia Ave Tacoma [sic spelling]
Park, MD."
Still, even if it is not yet transmitting wireless radiation, companies are
not supposed to go anywhere near this far, in terms of installing a wireless
facility, without first going through the County's Tower Committee review, and
then also actually getting a building permit from the County Department of
Permitting Services. Even if the pole is on State property, the system that the
State and Montgomery County have long agreed to is that applications for
wireless facilities in State rights of way (or other State property) in the
County are supposed to go through the County's review and permitting process.
If it's on City property, it would also need a City permit.
It appears to have three cell antennas at the top, with two blue and white
signs under them. They appear to be alerts that these are transmitting
antennas, the kind of signs used to note that emissions at high levels of
radio-frequency (RF) radiation will occur above the signs.
I told the Horticultural Club about this on Friday, and talked to Daryl
Braithwaite, the City Public Works Director, who handles wireless-facility
issues, about it a week ago. (Daryl, please correct me if I get anything wrong
here.) Daryl was able to begin researching the issue Wednesday. (Another
resident alerted me about this, as they knew I've worked on cell tower issues
through Community Vision for Takoma, which advocates for the public interest in
regulations for cell towers.) I asked Daryl yesterday if she could immediately
post a "Stop Work" Order at the site. She emailed back that the City doesn't
have authority to do that. But she agreed it does look like a small cell
facility, and she's contacted the County Tower Committee and the State Highway
Administration to try to figure out what's going on. She said she assumes the
structure is on the State right of way.
So what urgent action IS the City going to take to prevent a small cell tower
from being turned on when the City has good reason to suspect it has not been
properly reviewed or permitted?
The best option I can think of is for the City to immediately contact Pepco
and Verizon Wireless and strongly request that they stop work at the site until
this is sorted out. The City certainly has the authority to do that.
Otherwise, a crew could show up at any time -- like today -- to finish up
there, and activate the antennas while she and County officials are still
researching this..
It will help if others also let Daryl, the Mayor, and Councilmember Kovar
(although we hope he's resting and getting over COVID!) know there's interest
in having the City make at least that much of an effort to protect residents'
interests here. Otherwise, Pepco and telecom companies will get the idea that
they're not required to follow the rules in Takoma Park -- especially along
State highways like Piney Branch, Highway 410, and Carroll Avenue. But
following the rules is important, to make sure wireless facilities are legally
sited and safely operated. (I've cc'ed Daryl, Peter, and the Mayor.)
Let me know if more background on related issues is needed -- like a U.S. Court
of Appeals' blistering ruling against the FCC in August. The court found that
the FCC has failed to show that the FCC's safety limits for human exposure to
radio-frequency radiation adequately protect either people -- especially
children -- or the environment. Those limits are now 25 years old, ignoring
years of growing scientific evidence that the limits are not protective enough.
(Many thanks here to Mayor Stewart, Councilmember Kovar, and most of the rest
of our City Council, who signed onto a powerful amicus brief in that case
challenging the FCC, making them part of this historic decision.) You can read
the ruling here:
https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/FB976465BF00F8BD85258730004EFDF7/$file/20-1025-1910111.pdf
Apologies for length! - Colleen
