Opposition to 5G Installation, Columbia, SC

Manage Your Account Home News Business Politics Sports Opinion Food Health Entertainment Features Obituaries Real Estate E-Paper Newsletters Photo Galleries Videos Advertising Contests Sponsored Content Classifieds Other Sites Subscribe Careers site-logo 67° Sunny Toggle navigation Login Buy & Sell My Account Subscribe E-Paper Obituaries Newsletters Columbia group worried about health effects from new 5G wireless technology By Adam Benson abenson@postandcourier.comJan 17, 2020 5G Verizon officials attended a community meeting in Columbia to review the company’s plans for future 5G deployment. The technology run though backpack-sized boxes like this one. Adam Benson/Staff By Adam Benson abenson@postandcourier.com Facebook Twitter Email Print Save COLUMBIA — While infrastructure to support 5G networks is being deployed around South Carolina, some Columbia residents want policymakers to take their concerns about the technology’s health effects into account as providers look to build out systems. Known as “small cells,” the backpack-sized devices are portals for the newest iteration of wireless communication, allowing for the transmission of high speed data more quickly. Cities like Charleston embrace wireless industry's 5G pivot. They had little choice. BUSINESS Cities like Charleston embrace wireless industry’s 5G pivot. They had little choice. By Mary Katherine Wildeman mkwildeman@postandcourier.com Members of the newly formed Columbia Coalition for Wireless Safety Standards attended a promotional event this week at an American Legion post on Pickens Street, where Verizon Wireless representatives discussed the technology. The coalition distributed flyers with links to peer-reviewed studies, government reports and industry warnings about exposure to radiation and long-term physiological effects from radio frequency waves that carry the 5G signal. “Going to Verizon to ask them about their 5G technology is a little bizarre. They’re the purveyors of the technology, so it’s similar to me going to a wolf and saying, ‘Are my hens going to be safe in the hen house tonight?’” said Lex Kisteneff, a founder of the coalition. “The place to get real information is from the science that is peer-reviewed, and not corporately funded by the telecommunications industry,” Kisteneff said. No South Carolina cities are among the 31 nationwide where 5G is available through Verizon, but it and nearly all other major telecommunications companies are laying groundwork to provide the service with faster download speeds for the future. “Verizon’s the biggest one we’re dealing with right now, but we have nodes throughout the city for pretty much every cell phone company, so they’re making the changes,” said Rachel Bailey, the city’s zoning administrator. T-Mobile announces nationwide 5G rollout, including in Charleston BUSINESS T-Mobile announces nationwide 5G rollout, including in Charleston By Mary Katherine Wildeman mkwildeman@postandcourier.com In Columbia’s commercial districts, companies can install nodes on existing telephone poles with a permit. Taller ones can also be erected in their place. But in residential areas, such as the American Legion post that Verizon officials visited, Columbia’s Board of Zoning Appeals reviews the proposals where the public has a chance to weigh in. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! Charleston City Council may limit 5G tower installations near schools NEWS Charleston City Council may limit 5G tower installations near schools By Mikaela Porter mporter@postandcourier.com Members of the coalition want the health effects of using 5G to be considered in those rulings. “I feel like the public’s voice is getting squashed,” Kisteneff said. “We don’t want to politicize this issue. We’re more concerned with human health.” Charleston officials are figuring out how to balance the arrival of 5G in their community as well. Last month, a City Council member asked attorneys to look into a “no-install” zone around schools, day cares and neighborhoods. “The potential of public health hazards is increasingly being studied by the science community,” councilwoman Carol Jackson told The Post and Courier. 5G Residents from Columbia’s Pickens Street area attended a community meeting this week, where Verizon officials were on hand to explain 5G technology. Adam Benson/Staff By Adam Benson abenson@postandcourier.com Kate Jay, a Verizon spokeswoman, said despite Columbia not yet being a 5G city, the hardware improvements are keeping residents and businesses competitive in other ways. “Small cells are for more than streaming videos and posting to social media sites. These sites provide needed infrastructure for initiatives such as enhanced cloud storage for schools,” she said. “Small cells are typically mounted on existing structures ... and are designed to be ‘low and tight’ and blend in to the environment to make them less obtrusive.” The Federal Communications Commission in 2018 prohibited local governments from blocking the installation of small cell infrastructure on public property and set a $270 annual cap on how much they can charge carriers per unit. Scott Slatton, director of advocacy and communications for the Municipal Association of South Carolina, said expanding 5G into all corners of the state carries economic development and educational opportunities. Over the next five years, Columbia can expect to see $110 million worth of investment into 5G networks, creating more than 1,200 jobs and adding more than $200 million worth of economic growth, according to projections by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. AT&T spent more than $175 million on network improvements in the Columbia region between 2016 and 2018, making upgrades to 1,100 systems statewide over that time, according to a company news release. Follow Adam Benson on Twitter @AdamNewshound12. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save MORE INFORMATION Letters to the Editor: Airport needs to do right thing in CEO controversy Tags Columbia 5g 5g Networks 5g In Columbia 5g In South Carolina Small Cells Verizon Charleston Charleston City Council Adam Benson Adam Benson Author email Site Links About Staff Mobile Apps Newsletters Become a member Place an Ad Advertising Rates Editorial Classifieds RSS Feed Related Properties Aiken Standard - Aiken, SC Georgetown Times - Georgetown, SC South Strand News - Pawleys Island & Murrells Inlet, SC The Berkeley Independent - Moncks Corner, SC Journal Scene - Summerville, SC The News - Kingstree, SC Moultrie News - Mount Pleasant, SC The Gazette - Goose Creek, SC The Star - North Augusta, SC Free Times - Columbia, SC Spurs & Feathers - Columbia, SC Evening Post Books - Charleston, SC Contact Information Post and Courier 134 Columbus Street Charleston, SC 29403 Phone: 843-577-7111 News tips/online questions: webteam@postandcourier.com Delivery/subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com Follow Us © 2020, Post and Courier, an Evening Post Industries company. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy