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Jersey Shore residents and representatives from Verizon Wireless clashed Tuesday night over plans to install 5G towers along a popular beach.
Officials in Spring Lake will hear public comment on telecom giant Verizon's application to install six 5G small cell poles along Ocean Avenue as part of the company's efforts to expand its 5G network in New Jersey. Locals say the 35-foot-tall towers will not only disrupt beach activity and pose an environmental threat, but will also be an unwanted eyesore on their beloved shoreline.
Verizon argues that additional wireless capacity is needed along the beach and that 5G towers designed to look like streetlights would ultimately benefit the borough.
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VZ | Verizon Communications Inc. | 44.66 | +0.40 |
+0.90% |
“The summer months experience an extraordinary increase in visitor numbers to the borough's beaches. The increased demand on Verizon Wireless' network far exceeds available capacity, resulting in interference with residents and visitors' ability to make and receive calls and text messages and use their devices to access the internet,” Verizon said in its application to install a 5G tower in Spring Lake. “This application will help remedy this significant wireless capacity issue.”
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Visitors walk past the booth of U.S. IT company Verizon and a 5G sign at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecommunications industry's largest annual conference, held in Barcelona on February 28, 2023. (Getty Images)
Spring Lake City Councilman Edwin Hale told FOX Business he's “open-minded” about Verizon's proposal, but he expects several city residents and city officials to speak out against the plan when the mayor and city council meet at 6 p.m.
“Tonight is the real test to see what kind of opposition residents have,” Hale said.
Verizon did not respond to a request for comment.
Opponents of Verizon's proposal have formed a group called No to the Spring Lake 5G Tower, which is headed by Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit led by former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Children's Health Defense is also part of a similar effort to block a Verizon 5G tower in nearby Belmar.
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A photo provided by Verizon shows one of its 5G towers, designed to resemble a street light. (Verizon Wireless)
“One of the things we're concerned about along with the impact on people is the impact on the environment,” said Scott McCollough, an attorney with Children's Health Defenders. He told NJ.com Earlier this year.
Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican whose district stretches along the Jersey Shore, told Fox Business that his office has had several constituents express concern that “5G towers could have a negative impact on neighborhood aesthetics, local environment and wildlife, health and property values.”
“The rollout of 5G is about advancing communications networks, but it cannot and should not be done at the expense of valuable local input or under unreasonable time constraints,” Smith said.
He introduced a bill called the Ensuring Community Input in Broadband Development Act, which aims to roll back federal regulations that critics say give the telecommunications industry an unfair advantage over local residents in the face of opposition to infrastructure projects.
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Plans submitted with Verizon Wireless' application show where the company plans to install a 5G tower pole on Prospect Avenue in Spring Lake, New Jersey. (Fox News Weather)
Spring Lake Mayor Jennifer Norton said she is in “open discussions” with Verizon about applying for a variance to allow the company to install 5G cell towers. Norton said in June that the city council is “firmly opposed” to the poles along Ocean and Prospect avenues, but officials are open to hearing alternative proposals from Verizon. The Coast Star reported:.
Hale also said he was open to listening to “other options” that could expand Verizon's 5G network while protecting residents' views of the beach.
“Do we even need these towers?” Hale said when asked what concerns he and other City Council members would like to address at Tuesday's meeting. He suggested alternatives might include placing 5G towers offshore along the coast, or even using cell phone on wheels (COW) vehicles during periods of high demand on Verizon's network.
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Council members noted that Verizon also needs to get permission from Monmouth County to move forward with the project.
“My instinct is that the local government and residents would be opposed to something like this,” Hale said. “There may be alternatives that would mitigate the discomfort.”
