Subject: (Masory) "Cell phone industry needs to grow up" (fwd)
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 070300 -0600 (CST)
From: "Roy L. Beavers" <rbeavers@llion.org>
To: emfguru <rbeavers@llion.org>
--------------------------------------------------
........I have visited Boca Rotan (on Orange Bowl football trips)....
It is a very nice Florida community......Now I know why.....guru......
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 14:15:58 -0800
From: Shoshana Masory
To: "Roy L. Beavers"
Subject: Editorial: "Cell phone industry needs to grow up"
Dear friends,
Following the banning of cell towers from residential areas and public
schools by the City of Boca Raton on January 26, 1999, the Boca Raton News
ran an editorial on Friday, January 29, 1999, entitled, "Cell phone
industry needs to grow up." Editorial Page Editor, C. Randall Murray,
graciously gave me permission to share this editorial on our list for
educational purposes as the newspaper does not have an internet edition.
Gary will scan into FACTS website.
Boca Raton News
33 S.E. Third St. Boca Raton, Florida 33432
Fax (561) 338-4944 Letterline (561) 338-4917
E-mail address brnewsrm@bocanews.infl.net
CELL PHONE INDUSTRY NEEDS TO GROW UP
Bravo, as they say it in the theaters after a good performance. Boca
Raton City Council members deserve an ovation for standing up to the
telecommunications industry and prohibiting cell towers on all public
school property and most residential land.
The infant industry seems to a problem being a good neighbor, as
witnessed by the lawsuit filed by BellSouth Mobility Inc. Tuesday against
Palm Beach County over a tower county officials want removed in Camino Del
Mar Country Club.
For some reason, industry representatives cannot seem to understand that
whether it's the City Council or County Commission, elected officials have
an obligation to protect residents and the taxpayers. That is just what
the City Council members did when they put limits on where cellular towers
can be built in Boca Raton.
The new ordinance approved Tuesday night will allow towers on private
school property, but not in downtown Boca Raton or public school property
or most residential property.
The ordinance also sensibly limits towers to 150 feet and encourages
companies to share the towers.
Of course, cell phone business representatives squawked. They
want the city to accommodate them. But that is not the way zoning matters
are handled here. Indeed, in zoning matters-and the placing of cell
towers is a zoning matter-the companies must accommodate the residents.
That is why this city does not have a gas station on every corner.
That is why the city prohibits manufacturing and commercial enterprises in
residential communities. There are plenty of places in the city for these
towers, just as there are plenty of places for industrial and commercial
buildings.
It would seem, though, the telecommunications industry does not really
want to be a good neighbor. If it did, its representatives would not be so
quick to make in-your-face comment like, "It's OK if the city wants to do
monitoring (of radio frequency emissions) at its own expense, we're just
not going to pay for it."
There has been some concern that emissions from cell towers are harmful,
just as there has been concern that power line emissions are harmful.
While studies of electromagnetic fields have been inconclusive, the concern
of some scientists and many parents is still quite real. A responsible
company surely would want to take precautions. Asking for emissions
monitoring is not unreasonable.
But BellSouth apparently does not want to be reasonable, judging
from its lawsuit against the county over the Camino Del Mar tower. The
Company filed the lawsuit one day before its representatives were to meet
with county officials in an appeal hearing before the Construction Board
of Adjustment and Appeals, effectively delaying any action on the tower
for three months. The timing is, to be charitable, suspect.
And the lawsuit will cost taxpayers tens of thousands of
dollars-at least. We, however, suggest what this suit is completed,
county officials seek to have the money the county will spend defending
this case-taxpayer money-recovered from BellSouth.
Oh yes, we also suggest that this infant industry grow up and become
better neighbors.
Under Mayor Carol Hanson's picture the editorial reads:
APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE
City Council members deserve an ovation for standing up to the
telecommunications industry and approving the ordinance limiting the
placement and heights of cell towers.
WRITE/CALL
Mayor Carol Hanson
City Hall
201 W. Palmetto Park Road
Boca Raton, FL 33432
(561) 393-7708
(561) 367-7014 (fax)
Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.feb.se/EMF-L/EMF-L.html