The locals in Lake Success, Long Island turned out en masse for a public hearing on Monday night to protest a 13-node small cell project for their town, according to The Island Now.
Verizon, represented by its developer ExteNet, produced a map showing gaps in area coverage and said they were trying to provide a “better mobile experience” for the residents. Four of the nodes would be in residential areas and those would be tabled for further discussion, Mayor Adam Hoffman said.
Susan Rabold, a Cityscape representative hired as a consultant by the village, told The Island Now, local governments are legally bound to let service providers deploy their networks.
“You have to let them in,” Rabold said. “You have to act expeditiously on the request. You have to treat them all equal.”
A resident who is also a real estate broker, said the nodes will only drive down property values. “I promise,” she said.
Another resident who is a lawyer, cited a federal case with the Town of Islip. The town was able to reject a cell node application based on aesthetics and a lack of need to improve cell coverage, the Island Now reported. “I kept hearing from ExteNet about wanting to engage our community,” he said. “And if you look around this room, we are engaged, and we don’t want this.”
October 19, 2018
