CROWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. — Downtown Brooklyn is grateful for its controversial plan to install more 32-foot-tall 5G towers across the city, at least until the city comes along and answers local concerns about the rollout. He says he won’t.
Community Board 9 joins a citywide movement against the installation and planning of 5G towers, speaking out against what it sees as invasive designs, haphazard deployments, safety concerns, and lack of communication from city officials. did.
On May 24, the board unanimously voted to pause construction of new 5G towers in the area, which already has many, until city officials answer questions from concerned residents. I asked.
“The community wants more information,” said board member Primo Lasana. “As a community board, this shows the power of the community voice and gives us an audience with city officials who can speak to us from a more informed standpoint.”
A representative from New York City’s Office of Technology and Innovation told the Patch Community Board that other local representatives have been notified of all potential Link5G sites, each including a 60-day public comment period. Ta. LinkNYC is meeting with local leaders across the city, a representative told Patch.
“We are constantly working to ensure that the installation process for each kiosk includes robust public participation,” an OTI representative told Patch in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our dialogue with Community Board 9 as we roll out this important service.”
According to the resolution, residents expressed concern about the tower’s 32-foot-tall structure and the “grossly inadequate” clearance for its proximity to homes as close as 10 feet.
Residents also wanted answers about the potential environmental, health and safety impacts of installing such infrastructure.
“The entire community is of the opinion that Link 5G is unnecessary and undesirable at this time in Brooklyn’s Community District 9 until many of the identified issues are resolved,” board members wrote in the resolution. It is written down.
The rollout will begin in 2015 and will eventually include 2,000 5G kiosks, OTI representatives said, 90% of which will be located above 96th Street in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan. They will be installed in “underserved areas,” he said.
The poles are equipped with a 911 call button, free Wi-Fi, charging ports, calling capabilities, advertising displays and 5G cell phone technology, according to a city report.
The new, taller tower is an upgrade from a 10-foot-tall connecting tower the city previously installed, which was largely considered a revenue failure, the city reported in 2022.
OTI representatives said the original kiosks proved “invaluable,” connecting about 425,000 calls per month and providing many New Yorkers with the only access to high-speed internet during the pandemic. claimed to have been done.
However, Community Board 9 found several issues with the previous rollout.
“Community Board 9 in Brooklyn and other communities across New York City…reported negative impacts resulting from the existing LinkNYC infrastructure, including visual impact, inappropriate use, impact on sidewalk clearance, and rodent infestation. ” board members wrote in the resolution.
According to LinkNYC, the 5G towers are specifically aimed at improving communities facing “underinvestment.” According to OTI representatives, about 40% of New York City households do not have access to a combination of home broadband and mobile broadband, and 18% of households do not have access to both.
“More than 1.3 million of our neighbors lack access to the high-speed broadband service they need to connect to the internet for work and school,” a representative from LinkNYC told Patch. “Link5G helps bridge that digital divide.”
However, the council argues that the tower would not be able to address local connectivity issues.
“Residents in Community District 9 have not reported any issues such as cell phone gaps or frequent dropped calls that would justify the installation of Link5G in the proposed location… [and] “The proposed location for Link5G does not include locations in areas known as potential digital deserts within Community District 9,” the board wrote in its resolution.
Board members said the moratorium would hopefully allow city officials to come and listen to residents’ concerns, since the initial rollout did not include local residents.
Local resident Sue Peters said: ‘I wholeheartedly support you studying this and doing something about it, because you need to protect people in your community in many ways. ” he said.
