News stories tagged with "cell-phones"

(05/26/09) Workers in the town of Keene, in Essex County, are stringing new fiber cable that will bring high-speed internet access to hundreds of homes that had relied on much slower dial-up access. The project, funded in part with a state economic development grant, is seen as a model for bringing broadband access to rural North Country towns. As Brian Mann reports, the organizers hope that the project will open Keene to new kinds of economic activity.

(03/16/09) On Friday, the Adirondack Park Agency gave the green light to a new cell phone tower near Paul Smiths College, north of Saranac Lake. The project comes at a time when towers are being built at a rapid pace across the Adirondacks. As Brian Mann reports, that progress follows years of feuding between state regulators, cell phone companies and environmentalists.

(07/23/08) It's more than seven months since the Adirondack Park Agency approved the first of a series of cell towers Verizon wants to build along the Northway, but the company still hasn't started construction. A Verizon spokesman says work should start within the next month. Chris Knight has more.

(07/23/08) The Adirondack Park Agency is reviewing other applications that could lead to more reliable cell service in other parts of the park. On Friday, the agency approved an application from T-Mobile and Omnipoint Communications for a cell antenna on an existing 200-foot tower near Northway exit 35 in the Town of Ausable. APA spokesman Keith McKeever said APA staff were able to approve the T-Mobile application in just ten days because it doesn't need a new tower. The agency received another co-location application from AT&T Mobile a week ago. The company wants to put an antenna on an existing tower in the St. Lawrence County Town of Fine.

Other cell projects that do need new towers are also being reviewed. They include a new 100-foot tall tower west of state Route 9 in the Town of Lewis, in Essex County. The tower could accommodate up to three additional carriers. McKeever said it would provide some coverage along the Northway. He said APA staff expects several more applications for new cell towers in the coming months.

(08/27/07) A group of North Country lawmakers is joining with members of a local rescue squad and the AAA driving club to demand temporary cell phone towers on I-87. A remote stretch of the highway has no phone service. The lack of towers was blamed for a death last winter. As Brian Mann reports, supporters say temporary towers might save lives.

(03/09/07) Cell service providers, local and state elected officials and representatives of the Adirondack Park Agency came together Wednesday to take what was described the first step towards improving cell phone coverage in the Adirondacks. The event, which drew more than 125 people to the Harrietstown Town Hall, was organized by State Senator Betty Little. It comes after a series of accidents on the Adirondack Northway that have turned into a rallying point for improved cell coverage. As Chris Knight reports, most people felt the meeting was productive.

(03/08/07) North Country lawmakers will hold a public session on cell phone coverage this morning in Saranac Lake. Todd Moe has more.

(02/07/05) Local officials in Saratoga County are hoping to build 3 controversial broadcast towers on mountain summits inside the Adirondack Park. This week, the APA will decide whether to send the project to a full public hearing. Brian Mann reports.

(11/18/04) Cell phones are taken for granted in most of the U.S. They're a part of everyday life. But in parts of the country where scenery is cherished, cell phone towers are often described as "visual pollution". Now, companies like Verizon and Nextel are disguising their antennas as pine or palm trees -- even the occasional cactus. As Brian Mann reports, a camouflaged tower proposed for the hills above Lake George is drawing mixed reviews.

(11/08/04) Officials in Saratoga County have moved a step closer to winning approval for a new emergency communications system in the southern Adirondacks. The plan calls for 90-foot towers and new roads to be built on three pristine mountain summits. Pro-environment groups say the towers are unnecessary and will wreck scenic vistas. But as Brian Mann reports, the Adirondack Park Agency now says many of the technical questions for the project have been answered.