5G base stations under construction around San Jose
Small cell towers are being installed around San Jose to improve connectivity and speeds, but some of those towers are just a few feet from homes and bedrooms.
San Jose, California – Tiny 5G transmitters are being installed across San Jose to improve wireless connectivity, but some residents are outraged, saying they’ve never been asked about the antennas that have appeared just feet from their homes and bedrooms.
It came as a surprise to a group of nearby residents one morning as they watched a contractor erect a pole and attach antennas and other equipment to it.
“I want it removed,” said neighbor Mike Sapozhnikov. “I never wanted it there.”
Sapozhnikov and his wife are two of the San Jose residents who have accused the city of not following or enforcing its own distancing rules and local notification requirements, leaving their neighbors in the dark.
“We weren’t given proper notice,” Galina Sapozhnikov said. “We weren’t given the opportunity to voice our concerns before the city approved the permit.”
Mobile operators are rapidly applying for city permits in a race to introduce 5G technology, which boasts faster wireless data and services.
5G stands for the fifth generation standard for broadband mobile networks, which will enable enhanced voice and data capacity and more efficient coverage through a network of small radio antennas.
San Jose has approved 1,850 permits for small cell towers, primarily installed on streetlights across the city, with 875 now up and running, according to the city.
Each purple dot represents a city-approved permit for a small cell tower atop a streetlight.
“This is essential,” said Deputy Mayor Kip Harkness. “Almost everyone, even our homeless residents, depends on internet connectivity and cell phones to get around and stay safe.”
Harkness said San Jose has historically had some of the worst cell phone coverage of any major city in the U.S. Currently, 95,000 residents have no cell phone coverage.
Neighbors say they’re not opposed to 5G technology, but that many of the small cell towers are too close for comfort.
“My kids are little and they sleep in a room that faces the street,” resident Fiaz Mohammed said. “It’s literally five feet from their bedrooms.”
Studies by several federal agencies and the World Health Organization have found no link between radiation from cell towers and cancer or other diseases.
But the American Cancer Society says it could still be years before the long-term effects of cellphones and transmitting antennas are known.
The city of San Jose argues that it cannot deny permits based on health concerns or simple complaints, and it does not have the authority to decide where small cell towers are located.
City law requires that antennas be installed at least 20 feet away from any private property, but because streetlights are in a public right-of-way, the city says they are exempt from the distance requirement.
“We own and control all of these street lights,” Harkness said, “so the permitting process is very simple and quick.”
Once a permit is issued, wireless carriers will be required to notify neighbors by certified mail several weeks before installing the equipment.
Several residents told KTVU they were not informed before the 5G equipment was installed on Campo Aureo Street.
“At the end of the day, the city is making a profit off of its residents without really caring about them,” Mike Sapozhnikov said.
AT&T and other carriers pay the city a $750 annual fee to lease the poles on which they install 5G equipment.
The city said the money raised from renting the poles will go towards the Digital Inclusion Fund, with $10 million currently going to people without internet access.
AT&T said it is not the only company offering 5G, but responded to KTVU’s request for comment in a statement.
“Deploying small cells helps alleviate network congestion in high traffic areas and we base our deployments on several factors, including our customers’ capacity needs and the availability of suitable structures to install our antennas,” spokesman Jim Kimberly said. “We worked closely with the City of San Jose to ensure we complied with legal requirements and obtained the appropriate permits prior to installing our antennas.”
Some residents say they never asked for mini-cell towers to be installed in their neighborhoods and are already enjoying high-speed service.
“I’m all for 5G as long as it’s not as close to homes as it was in this case,” Mohammed said. “I can’t stand to have this thing installed five or six feet from my house.”
Brooks Jarosz is an investigative reporter for KTVU. Email him at brooks.jarosz@fox.com and follow him on Facebook. Twitter: @BrooksKTVU
