Central Brooklyn Says No Thanks To 5G Towers

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — Central Brooklyn is saying no thank you to controversial plans to install more 32-foot 5G towers across the city — at least until the city comes and answers local concerns about rollout.

Community Board 9 joined the citywide pushback to installed and planned 5G towers, objecting what they see as invasive design, haphazard rollout, safety concerns and lack of communication from city agencies.

The board on May 24 unanimously called for a moratorium on new 5G towers — of which the region already has many — until city agencies come answer concerned residents' questions.

"The community has come out requesting more information," said Board Member Primo Lasana. "As a Community Board, this is a display of the power of the community voice so that we can gain an audience from the city agencies who are going to speak to us from a more informed position."

A representative of NYC’s Office of Technology and Innovation told Patch Community Boards and other local representatives received notice on all potential Link5G locations and each included a 60-day public comment period. LinkNYC is meeting with local leaders across the city, a representative told Patch.

“We’re always working to ensure that the siting process for each kiosk includes robust public engagement,” an OTI representative told Patch in a statement. “We look forward to continuing this dialogue with Community Board 9 as we roll out this vital service."

Residents expressed concern with the towers' 32-foot tall build and "extremely insufficient" allowance as close as 10-feet away from residences, according to the resolution.

Residents also wanted answers on the potential environmental, health and safety impacts of installing such infrastructure.

"The community-at-large has expressed their views that Link5G is unnecessary and unwanted in Community District 9 in Brooklyn at present and until many of the issues identified have been resolved," board members wrote in the resolution.

Rollout began in 2015 and will ultimately include 2,000 5G kiosks — 90 percent of which will be in "underserved areas" in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and above 96th Street in Manhattan, according to a representative of the OTI.

The poles are equipped with a 911 call button, free WiFi, charging ports, calling capabilities, ad displays and 5G cellular technology, The City reported.

The new, taller towers are an upgrade to the previously 10-foot connectivity towers installed by the city — largely deemed a revenue failure, The City reported in 2022.

A representative of the OTI contended the original kiosks have proven “invaluable” — connecting about 425,000 calls per month and facilitating many New Yorkers’ sole access to high speed internet during the pandemic.

But Community Board 9 saw some issues with the previous rollout.

"Community Board 9 in Brooklyn and other communities through out the NYC... have reported adverse impacts resulting from existing LinkNYC infrastructure, including visual impacts, inappropriate usage, impacts on sidewalk clearances, and rat infestation," Board members wrote in the resolution.

The 5G towers are specifically meant to make improvements in communities that have faced “under-investment,” according to LinkNYC. Some 40 percent of NYC households lack combined home and mobile broadband, and 18 percent of households lack both, according to a representative of OTI.

“Over 1.3 million of our neighbors don’t have access to the high-speed broadband service they need to get online for work and school,” the LinkNYC representative told Patch. “Link5G is helping bridge that digital divide.”

But, the board contends, the towers wouldn't address local connectivity concerns.

"There are no reported issues by residents of Community District 9 of cellular gaps and frequent dropped calls that would justify Link5G being installed in the proposed locations... [and] the proposed sites for Link5G don't include any locations in areas known to be potential digital deserts within Community District 9," the board wrote in a resolution.

The moratorium will hopefully invite city officials to come out and hear residents' concerns as initial rollout has not included locals, board members said.

“I really support your studying this and doing something about it because you need to protect the people in your community in so many ways,” said local resident Sue Peters.