All that opposition to a new wireless antenna in Northeast Portland doesn’t appear to be having an impact – at least not so far.
RespectPDX, the group leading the campaign, says Clearwire will apply for the permit it needs to build the antenna on Friday.
If you’re wondering what’s the big deal over cell and wireless towers in Portland, here’s your chance to find out.
Three neighbors from Northeast Portland went before the Portland City Council this morning, saying the city can – and should – do more to keep wireless towers out of residential areas.
The three are among many neighbors trying to stop Clearwire from installing a wireless internet antenna on top of power pole at NE 37th and Fremont.
But it’s not just this neighborhood dealing with this issue, they warned commissioners. Hundreds more towers could be built in the next few years, many of them only eight blocks apart. “Every neighborhood in Oregon will be facing this,” said Caitlin Johnson.
One thing is certain after Tuesday night’s meeting over a proposed wireless antenna in Northeast Portland. The issue isn’t going away. Neither are neighbors’ concerns over noise and possible health impacts.
For the record, the meeting was held for the Beaumont Business Association. A representative sent by Clearwire was there to explain the company’s plans for installing the antenna on a utility pole at NE 37th and Fremont.
Maybe these kinds of meetings are normally dull and not well attended. That would explain why the Clearwire rep came with only a half dozen copies of documents to hand out. Turns out he was several dozen copies short. As many as 50 people from the neighborhood turned out. There were three television news cameras on the side of the room. That’s how big this issue has become.
If you read part one of this story, you know by now that citizens and local governments don’t have much say over the installation of new wireless towers and antennas. The Federal Communications Commission is running the show. And the FCC is paying more attention to the meeting the growing demand wireless services than it is to questions about possible health problems.
That’s a problem for people like Anne Trudeau of RespectPDX.org, the group fighting a proposed Clearwire wireless internet and phone antenna in Northeast Portland. They can talk all they want about how they think the antenna could harm their health. They can present all sorts of studies linking low levels radiofrequency energy to increased cancer rates. But it doesn’t matter. Federal law says when it comes to placing wireless towers, you’re not allowed to even consider health questions.
What are the dangers of wireless towers? I’m not enough of an expert to weigh the conflicting information. So I went in search of someone who is.
(Note: I live about a mile from the site of this proposed wireless antenna.)
Whoever said, “You can’t fight city hall,” ought to reconsider. City hall is easy compared to keeping wireless and cell phone antennas out of neighborhoods.
Anne Trudeau of RespectPDX.org has learned this the hard way. The group is trying to block attempts by Clearwire to install a wireless internet and phone antenna on a utility pole in Northeast Portland at 37th and Fremont.
Most of the time, these projects don’t get a whole lot of attention. But in this case, RespectPDX has managed to shake up things a bit at city hall, and get the attention of the Oregonian, KGW, and the Portland Observer. They’ve even brought in an award winning documentarian with major mainstream creds from CBS News and 60 Minutes.
But all these efforts may not make a difference. Because as the demand for more wireless access increases around the country, even as questions grow about safety, the laws governing these installations are stuck more than 20-years in the past.
