New York City is expanding internet access, which means more 5G infrastructure. Patch Media reported the city plans to install 32-foot tall wireless towers along 18 blocks of the Upper East Side to bridge the digital divide.
NYC’s Office of Technology and Innovation presented potential sites for LinkNYC kiosks to a Community Board on Tuesday. Since 2015, the city has been replacing payphones with 9-foot tall towers, emitting WiFi and serving as advertising space. The next phase of LinkNYC kiosks (32-foot tall towers) are on deck to help power WiFi, USB chargers, nationwide calling, and access to 911 and 311, reported Patch Media.
According to Upper East Side officials, the city and its partner in the venture (CityBridge) are “restarting the deployment of LinkNYC kiosks.” The city anticipates that the poles could be operable by mid-January 2023, depending on the board’s feedback.
Some detractors oppose the poles, reported Patch Media, fearing they will eclipse the shorter commercial buildings, while any advertising on them could outshine adjacent shops. Residents in Brooklyn, where the new poles have already been installed, call them “monstrosities” that stick out “like a sore thumb.”
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