Bills Regulate Cell Phone Tower Placement
by richard gentilviso

Photo Vinny DuPre New tower construction is underway on building located in Astoria/Long Island City.

Assemblymember Michael Gianaris has introduced legislation regulating the placement of wireless cell phone towers on residential buildings. Speaking at the November 18 meeting of Community Board 1, said Gianaris he and his colleague, City Councilmember Peter Vallone, Jr. had jointly announced the bills earlier in the day at City Hall.

Described by Gianaris as "like the Wild West", the local proliferation of cell antenna towers and the safety and health concerns associated with them was first noted at the September meeting of Board 1 by the Astoria Neighborhood Coalition, a grassroots group of residents of 33rd Street.

Gianaris said the bills call for a four-month moratorium on new construction of cell towers, a new study concerning health effects and oversight on siting of cell towers. "Residents wake up to find cell phone towers hanging over their heads and have nothing to say about it," he said.

Gianaris said continuous cell phone service, especially for safety in so-called "dead zones", was important but that statistics show over half of all existing cell towers duplicate their function. National subscribers to cell service number 150 million people with about 6 million people relying on cell phones exclusively. That number is expected to grow to 30 million people in the next five years.

"The federal government will tell you there are no health related concerns (to cell antennas) but they’re looking at studies from over 20 years ago, so we’ll ask DOH (the Department of Health) to do a study on long-term health effects," Gianaris said.

Vallone has called for public hearings on the potential for harmful health effects of cell antennas. "Knowledge is the key to providing reliable cell service and ensuring the safety of the public, and right now we don’t have any," Vallone said in a November 19 Newsday report.

Congressmember Carolyn Maloney has also requested a health study from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates the wireless communications industry.

John Campos of the Astoria Neighborhood Coalition said cell antenna radiation is measured by "far field" and "near field" categories. "Near field radiation would affect anyone who went on the roof," he said. The FCC safety standard is 1,000 microwatts per square centimeter.

Community Board 1 voted to support a resolution calling for public hearings on the siting of radio frequency/microwave telecommunications facilities at the community board level within New York City residential areas.

"I support the cell tower resolution," said one board member, adding, "but a lot of [residential] developments have been appro-ached." Cell service providers offer residential building owners agreements up to $30,000 per month to allow cell phone antenna towers.

"Right now, [cell providers] are granted a blanket exemption. The city has been very permissive about it," Gianaris said.

In other business, the board disapproved an application for an arcade at 19-26 Steinway St. (Rack’s Cafe Billiards) while granting revocable consent to construct a wall at 20-23 41st St. in two public hearings.