If you rely on cell phones for connecting with your family, work, friends, in case of emergencies, or to find local businesses or directions, this is your opportunity to get better wireless service for you and your community.
All Columbus area residents, businesses and visitors benefit from improved Verizon Wireless service, even if they are not Verizon Wireless customers, because of the availability of the Verizon Wireless network for emergency calls should another wireless carrier’s network fail. Additionally, the Platte County Sheriff’s Department and the Columbus Police Department use the Verizon Wireless network and depend on good coverage for voice and data services.
If you live, work or drive in the Columbus area and rely on your cell phone to connect with your family, work, friends, in case of emergencies, or just to shop, this is your opportunity to support better wireless service for you and your community.
Voice your support to your local officials so they know you care about this issue. Take action towards improving wireless service in the Columbus area by:
If you value improved wireless service in the Columbus area and you support Verizon Wireless’s network enhancements, Verizon needs to hear from you. To show your support and let your voice be heard, take a moment to email us. You can click to select any of the sample messages, or create your own.
TBD
The American Legion
2263 3rd Ave, Columbus, NE 68601
For more information, please contact your Verizon Network Representative at 952-946-4742.
Advances in wireless technology allow for aesthetically smaller radio equipment to be placed on light poles along select streets between 8th Street and the Loup River, and in North East Columbus, with placements just north and south of Highway 30 and 33rd Avenue. For these installations, Verizon Wireless will place a single approximately 2-foot tall by 15-inch diameter antenna on top of the pole. Verizon Wireless will also mount one small radio box on the side of the pole near the antenna. In certain locations, Verizon Wireless will replace light poles with a new pole supporting the small cell and a streetlight.
Photosimulations of the small cell designs are shown below.
To provide enhanced service along Highway 30 and surrounding areas east of Columbus, Verizon Wireless will be co-locating a facility on an existing monopole near the railroad tracks where they meet East 29th Avenue. The slimline monopole is located in an industrial complex well away from residential areas.
A rendering of the collocated monopole design are shown below.
Since the launch of the smart phone ten years ago, Verizon Wireless has been introducing new technologies to meet service capacity demands. Today, reliable service and in-building coverage are essential to the everyday lives of Columbus area residents, businesses and visitors. Over the past year, the demand for Verizon Wireless voice and data services has nearly doubled and network enhancements are required to keep up with this ever‐increasing demand. Maintaining a highly reliable, high-speed, high-capacity network is also critical to emergency communications. Columbus area residents, businesses and visitors depend on this reliability of the Verizon Wireless network, especially to communicate with emergency professionals during times of crisis – including police, fire, ambulance and hospital calls.
1. Why is Verizon Wireless proposing small cells in certain Columbus neighborhoods?
Demand for wireless service is expected to increase seven times between 2015 and 2021. The increased use of smart phones, tablets, health monitors and other wireless devices in every-day life relies on the Verizon Wireless network. Increased demand requires placement of small cells in certain areas to supplement existing wireless facilities in the Columbus area. The small cells will improve in-building coverage and boost network capacity, improving voice quality, reliability and data speeds for residents, businesses, visitors and emergency personnel relying on the Verizon Wireless network.
2. Is there any benefit to me from Verizon Wireless network enhancements if I am not a Verizon Wireless customer?
Yes. You will benefit if you contact a Verizon Wireless customer or if a Verizon Wireless customer calls you. Additionally, the Platte County Sheriff and Columbus Police Departments operate using the Verizon Wireless network. Finally, the Verizon Wireless network is available to non-customers for 911 calls should their service be unavailable in a crisis. Without improvements to the network, lives could be at stake. If the rest of the phone system goes down during a disaster, battery backup will continue to provide at least four crucial hours of Verizon Wireless service.
3. What is a small cell?
A small cell is a single small antenna placed on a street light pole along with a small pole-mounted radio placed on the side of the pole. Verizon Wireless small cells on street light poles in Columbus would typically consist of a single approximately 2-foot tall by 15-inch diameter antenna mounted on top of the pole and one small radio box mounted to the side of the pole near the antenna.
4. What about safety?
The Federal Communications Commission, in consultation with multiple federal agencies, sets federal government safety standards regarding small cells. Those standards have wide safety margins and are designed to protect everyone, including children, and were established after close examination of research that scientists in the US and around the world conducted for decades. The research continues to this day, and agencies continue to monitor it. Scientists have studied potential health effects of RF emissions from cell phones for decades. Based on all the research, federal agencies have concluded that equipment that complies with the safety standards poses no known health risks. And advisers to the World Health Organization have specifically concluded that the same goes for 5G equipment. In fact, the RF safety standards adopted by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are even more conservative than the levels adopted by some international standards bodies.
FCC: The FCC provides information about the safety of RF emissions from cellular base stations on its website at: http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/rf-faqs.html.
FDA: The Food and Drug Administration’s Cell phone website.
EPA: The Environmental Protection Agency’s overview of cell phone safety: Cell phone safety.