The burgeoning Los Angeles neighborhood of Del Rey, once a chiefly industrial area, has seen a housing and business boom in recent years. New residents and businesses have brought with them increased demand for cell phone coverage, and AT&T has responded by installing numerous small cell sites across the neighborhood, according to The Argonaut. Some residents object to the proliferation of small cell sites, primarily citing health concerns.
In response, Del Rey residents have started a petition, which has over 200 signatures so far, asking Rep. Karen Bass and Councilman Mike Bonin to ask AT&T to relocate the towers to commercial areas, according to The Argonaut. Councilman Bonin recently revived a motion based on a 2009 federal appeals court ruling, that would ask the city’s attorney to explore legal options for regulating towers.
Residents need the boosted signal because few of them have landlines, according to Jeffery LeDou, Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering analyst. “The small cell sites in Del Rey will provide enhanced voice and data services by helping bolster network capacity to allow faster downloads and improved call quality,” AT&T spokesman Ryan Minniear said in a statement. Minniear insisted that AT&T has done its best to be a good neighbor. “In general, AT&T prioritizes sites which are the least intrusive while meeting the demands of our customers in addressing significant coverage gaps,” his statement said.
Despite the FCC’s Communications Act of 1996 prohibiting local governments from using potential health effects to regulate cell towers, and the American Cancer society findings indicating little evidence to support a connection between cancer and cell phone radiofrequency signal, some residents, like breast cancer survivor Rennee Salvestrini, are not satisfied, according to The Argonaut. Salvestrini, who recently woke up to a new small cell site outside her bedroom window, is considering leaving her home, where she has lived for 10 years, if the small cell remains. “I might have to rethink my whole future, but fight I will,” she said.
February 26, 2018
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