January 20 , 2010
ît!*' ^Jortlanò (Observer
Page '
Wireless Antenna Draws Heat
residents. “They intend to move state law gives wireless companies
forward.”
the right to attach to utility poles,
Also present at the meeting was provided they pay $5,(XX) a year to
David Soloos, the deputy director the city, plus fees to the utility pro­
of the city’s Office of Cable Com ­ vider.
munications and Franchise Man­
However, Soloos explained that
agement, whose message to resi­ Portland City Council voted in May
dents was: The city’s hands are tied of last year in favor of a resolution
on this one.
asking the Federal Communications
He explained that federal and Commission to look into potential
health effects of wireless technol­
ogy.
“The city has done its part,” he
added, telling people to contact
their congressional representatives
if they wanted further action- an
answer residents weren’t satisfied
with.
continued
« i
photo by J ake
T homas /T he P ortland O bserver
Colin O'Neill is one o f several residents o f the Beaumont-Wilshire
neighborhood who feel like Clear, an Internet service provider
with big plans for Portland, is railroading an antenna and equip­
ment cabinet into their neighborhood.
You don’t have
to save the world.
Proposal runs into strong opposition
by J ake
T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
Residents are fuming over an at­
tempt by Clear, a mobile Internet
com pany, to in stall one o f its
WiMax Network antennas on a util­
ity pole next to the Wilshire Market
on Northeast 37th Avenue and Fre­
mont Street.
At a meeting last week at Beau­
mont School, about 80 people spent
two hours expressing concerns,
often heatedly, about the proposed
installation and the possible health
impacts of wireless technology, as
well as the noise it could generate
and its potential to be an eyesore.
Present at the meeting was Kevin
Martin, a land use and planning
consultant for Clear, to field ques­
tions from residents.
He explained that Clear had cov­
ered m ost of Portland, but still
needed antennas in a few “leftover”
neighborhoods to com plete its
coverage map.
“We feel like leftovers,” muttered
one resident.
Clear, which offers Internet ser­
vice in 25 markets nationwide, ini­
tially looked into putting an an­
tenna at Beaumont School. How­
ever, P ortland Public Schools,
which has antennas in six schools,
denied its request last year after
strong community push back.
Martin said that this pole was the
last resort the company had.
“Clear has not told me to back
down on this,” Martin bluntly told
Just turn the
bathroom lights off.
if we all make simple changes, we can make a big impact. Turning o ff lights when you
leave a room is a good start. You can also install energy-saving compact fluorescent
light bulbs, lower your thermostat, replace energy-craving appliances w ith ENERGY
S JAR-' appliances and much more. You'll save energy, money and you’ll be doing your
part. You’ll find plenty o f energy-saving answers at p a c ific p o w e r.n e t.
^PACIFIC POWER
Let’s turn the answers on.
I
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