The reception at this cell tower was not great.
Upper Westsider slammed a huge, futuristic 5G cell tower that casts shadows above Columbus Avenue. Some locals call it an eye-opener in the place.
“It looks like a monster,” said Pam Gould, 58, of the tall, three-storey tower that was recently built as part of an expansion of connectivity across the city. “It’s definitely ugly. It seems they threw it there without thinking about it. I don’t like it.
“Like a tree, it covers everything around you,” said Gould, who lived in a quiet neighborhood for 20 years. “Don’t make it that obvious. Put it behind the tree. It won’t fit in this neighborhood.”
The tower, 32 feet tall on the sidewalk on the street between West 94th and 95th Avenues, was set up in March with many long-time residents to build the city’s high-speed internet infrastructure as part of the ongoing Link5G project.
Approximately 200 towers have been installed so far, with around 2,000 towers expected to cross five wards over the next few years. In addition to supporting 5G infrastructure, the tower allows passersby to charge their devices through a USB outlet or connect to local broadcast Wi-Fi.
“Link5G provides the infrastructure needed to increase capacity, expand the communications grid in New York City in the future, and prepares for new technology decades ahead,” a LinkNYC spokesperson said.
“Because the entire network needs to be built in a way, we can access areas where connections are not accessible and we need to choose a location like the location on Columbus Avenue between West 94th and 95th Avenue.”
However, many upper Westsiders are not impressed.
“When I saw it a month ago, I was thinking, ‘What the heck? That was a complete shock to me,'” said Tara Frey, another neighbor of 20 years. “It looks great in Dubai, there are some artificial ones.
“Almost everyone around here has a phone. Why did they think we needed it here,” she said, adding that she has seen so far only homeless people have been connected to it.
Marjan N., 65, a 27-year-old resident, said it was “excessive costs.”
“Charging your phone is pampering people. Do that at home,” Mahjong said. “You ruin people on the one hand, and on the other hand, you make them live in poverty. That’s the Bulls.”
“Is there any value in this area? It’s definitely not,” he said. “How many people do you think they’ll use it? That’s an incredible waste – unless they have other uses that spy on people.”
Ever since 5G first began rolling out in 2019, it has been plagued by conspiracy theorists who have denounced all the technology from disease to government survival rates.
“We know we’re doing it, so we wouldn’t be surprised to find out they’re using it for that purpose,” said Michelle Watson, 64, who has been living on the Upper West Side since 1974.
“I’m going to keep an eye on it and do some more research on it,” she added.
Many studies, including those from the World Health Organization, determined that 5G signals were completely safe.
At least three UWS towers have been proposed on 1880 Broadway, 1886 Broadway and 1900 Broadway, but they are still undergoing the review process that Columbus Tower, which includes many committees, community committees, council members and city agencies.
Some elected officials confronted the tower, including city council member Gale Brewer.
“Our goal is always to find a balance between the evolving needs of cities and the essentials of maintaining the unique character of our neighborhood,” Brewer wrote in a letter to the state’s Historical Preservation Office. Obtained by the spirit.
And when the tower was first installed in 2022, Upper Eastsider tried to block the installation of numerous towers in the neighborhood.
Still, some Upper Westsiders feel lucky to have the cutting edge in their neighborhood.
“It’s great for any neighborhood. We’re lucky to have it,” said Alan Lip, 71, who has lived on the Upper West Side for 45 years.
“It looks like a sculpture, but it’s very modern,” he said. “It looks like what you see in modern cities.”
