NoVa Neighborhood Lobbies for Cell Phone Tower

• October 11, 2011

by Mark Wellborn

Shoddy service notwithstanding, neighborhoods across the country have justifiably been resistant to the construction of large towers in order to improve residential cell phone service. However, a Northern Virginia neighborhood is bucking that trend.

WAMU recently reported that a group of residents in Waynewood (in the southern section of Alexandria) are lobbying to pass a resolution that would ultimately approve a cell phone tower for the area:

Waynewood resident Brendan Harris says having the towers is a necessary evil. “It’s like telephone poles or light poles. You need them,” he says. If the council adopts the resolution, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors could consider allowing a new cell phone tower as early as next year.

UrbanTurf has written about the growing importance that cell phone service plays in the home buying and renting decision these days, and a couple weeks ago on Atlantic Cities, Tim De Chant dissected why cell and smartphone coverage is getting more and more spotty in major metropolitan areas. What is happening is that cellular networks “are running out of spectrum” as networks advance from 3G to 4G, effectively cutting the range of cell towers.

One of the solutions that De Chant outlines (in cities where building enormous new cell towers is not an option) is a technology called femtocells, small cellular base stations that are typically seen in homes or small businesses. However, based on the use of the term “tower” it seems like Waynewood residents are considering a larger-scale solution.

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This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/nova_neighborhood_lobbies_for_cell_phone_tower/4323