UPDATE Verizon Wireless is still at odds with the Williamstown Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) over a 100-foot proposed tower project, now in its tenth year. Inside Towers previously reported on Verizon’s evaluation of 25 potential sites and making numerous concessions to concerned residents, however, the company is still struggling to obtain the town’s approval for construction…and now small cells are in the mix.
iBerkshires.com reported that the ZBA wants to arrange for a personal appearance by Walter Cooper of Williamsburg, VA, who has been the town’s consultant throughout the proposal process. Cooper’s objective is to discuss his disagreement with Verizon’s RF engineer about how many small cell nodes could be mounted on utility poles to eliminate a 2.8-mile coverage gap in the area. According to Cooper, five or six “nodes” could do the job, rather than the 26 Verizon has cited.
Verizon is on record as saying that it does not believe the small cell solution is one the company would be willing to consider, since it’s a technique typically used in urban settings to boost capacity in a 500 to 750-foot range. With a ZBA denial, the decision is likely to end in an appeal by the telecom in accordance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, reported iBerkshires.com.
One reason Verizon is pushing for the monopole solution, is to allow the company to install a backup generator to keep its service running if power is lost in the area. “We are a reliability company,” Verizon radio frequency engineer Jay Latorre has told the ZBA repeatedly. “Our customers expect reliability.”
iBerkshires.com reported the ZBA voted unanimously to continue its public hearing in May.
April 25, 2018
Reader Interactions