There is nothing like a day at the beach. Sun, surf, sand and…a cell tower protest? In Dewey Beach, DE, residents are looking to kick some sand in the face of Verizon Wireless, because of the small cells it has deployed to provide coverage on the beaches.
The Save Dewey Beach Foundation has launched a petition demanding that Verizon relocate the five small cells it has placed near Dewey’s beaches and that Tilson modify its current application planning to install nine more.
Lawyer Alex Pires has filed a class-action lawsuit against Verizon Wireless in the Delaware Court of Chancery, according to WRDE “Coast” TV, but the foundation’s web site admits there are “rarely legal grounds to force wireless companies to move their telephone poles.”
“Although wireless carriers have the ability to do this and the FCC is giving broad authority for wireless companies to expand their 5G networks, no one ever imagined that Verizon would be so irresponsible and place telephone poles in environmentally sensitive areas,” the foundation said.
The foundation is promoting the “Save Dewey Beach Protest” on July 5. On Facebook, nearly 1,000 people have indicated an interest with 50 committed to attending.
The Foundation also wants the carriers to work together to design a master plan for building out their networks covering each beach town.
“They need to develop solutions that are appropriate for the natural settings and coastal communities in which they wish to work,” the petition said. “Having each of the four wireless carriers place their own 5G poles near our beaches is unacceptable.”
The petition demands a guarantee that beachgoers and wildlife will not be harmed by RF emissions and that the environment will not be compromised by a “cheaper network solution.”
“[The carriers need to] give to our communities and do the right thing. Be more responsible with the coastal environments in which you work,” the petition said. “What type of company thinks a network design for a coastal town with numerous environmentally sensitive areas should ever include placing poles that encroach on families, beaches and our precious wildlife?”
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