By Alexia Sparling, an insider at Lease Advisors.
The demand for cellular service has continued to dramatically increase in recent years. This increase is more apparent now than ever; recent reports estimate that data traffic consumed by users increased by 69 percent from 2011 to 2012. According to software and infrastructure company, Ericsson, “there will be a tenfold increase in the amount of data on mobile networks by 2019 as compared with 2013.” This expeditious demand for access to data translates into a need for more cellular sites to be built, especially in areas where service is already weak and demand is not being met. Providers are responding by rapidly constructing towers wherever necessary.
Many Americans are happy to lease their land to these wireless providers in exchange for monthly payments. However, when it comes to real estate near residential areas, schools, and parks in particular, Americans are not always excited by the prospect of a nearby cellular tower. The concern is often that children, and even the elderly, are at greater risk to the potential dangers imposed by long-term exposure to the radiation emitted by these structures. In Bowie, Maryland, a coalition has formed in response to the proposition to build a cell tower on the property of Benjamin Tasker Middle School. The coalition is the first of its kind and was organized to stop the construction of ten total cell towers at various school locations. The activist group, known as the Maryland Coalition Against Cell Towers on School Grounds, consists of concerned parents and community members belonging to four counties within Maryland.
A 2009 contract with the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) reportedly agreed to erect 70 cell towers on or near school properties. Over the next five years, the contract would produce $2.5 million dollars in revenue. Schools are generally grateful for the opportunity to cash in on their property. PGCPS spokesman Max Pugh explains: “There is a financial incentive for utilizing our school properties to gain funding for programs and services that will benefit our students.” Despite the fact that the lucrative economic return on these towers is a strong incentive for school boards, community members are displaying more unified opposition than ever. The coalition group is concerned for the health and safety of the children and workers involved and are frustrated that locals were unaware of the contract until recently. They have also voiced concern for the effects that the construction and existence of these towers would impose on the surrounding environment. A representative of PGCPS has publically stated that the school district is open to discuss the concerns being expressed by community members. The Maryland Coalition Against Cell Towers has gained vast media attention and has inspired petitions against tower construction at other schools as well. The organization could be effective enough to stop the further construction of towers in these so-called vulnerable areas. If they are able to deter or cease the building of cell towers within their own districts, could they inspire other communities to form similar coalitions?
As activist groups maintain that public property is not a suitable site for the construction of towers, cellular providers are left wondering where their towers will be welcomed. “So many cities put in their zoning ordinances that [wireless towers] need to stay out of residential areas because of the concerns citizens have, and that is what drives them into commercial and public properties,” says engineer Garrett Lysiak with OWL Engineering.
In the ongoing debate, education officials purport that cell towers emit safe and non-lethal radiation regulated by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, however the collation continues to push back while gaining momentum in their fight.
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