We are homeowners fighting to keep cell sites out of easements in yards.
We are homeowners fighting to keep cell sites out of easements in yards.
We are not political activists. We are homeowners, just like you. Our house is the most important (and expensive) asset we own and most of our savings is invested in our house. We have kids that play outside and congregate at neighbors houses. We are multicultural and have all walks of life in our neighborhood. On 8/6/2021 one of us got a knock on the door and the man said they were replacing the light pole in the yard (which is part of the public easement). This was odd, since the city replaced the pole a year ago when one down the street fell over and hit a landscaper. The homeowner asked if it was a cell tower, and the man said "yes". Then pulled out a piece of paper and said, "call this number if you have questions, construction starts tomorrow".
As we researched this we found this problem all around the country. In 2018 the FCC passed a law giving cell companies access to city easements at rocket bottom one time land purchase rates to install a tower that was "not aesthetically displeasing". The FCC stripped out local control that previously gave cities the authority to regulate where towers are put. This is unique to cell towers. Cities can still prevent power plants or garbage dumps, or water towers or other "utility" from using your easement, but not cell phone companies.
In 2019 over 50 cities across the US, Republican (Plano, TX, Birmingham, AL) and Democrat (Portland, Berkeley), sued the FCC and lost in the US 9th Circuit and appealed to the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case and ruled the FCC rules giving cell phone companies access to public easements without following zoning or city regulations is constitutional. One lady, in a town council meeting complaining about the tower on her yard said poignantly-
"When I lived in Russia, the government took what they wanted and I had no say and no payment. Now I live in the United States and the government is taking my property and I have no say and no payment."
For a country that prides itself on personal rights and freedoms we are giving away both of those to cell companies.
In 2020, The Children's Defense Network filed a lawsuit against the FCC stating the current RF radiation guidelines were written in 1996 and the FCC continues to rely on those despite significant technological advances. In August 2021 the US Court of Appeals in DC ruled the FCC must revisit their health guidelines -
"The agency has shown low levels of radio frequency emissions from connected devices don't cause cancer. However, the commission hasn't ruled out other negative health effects — such as reproductive and neurological issues.....The Commission failed to provide a reasoned explanation for its determination that its guidelines adequately protect against the harmful effects of exposure to radio frequency radiation unrelated to cancer," the panel said.
Between using city easements in our yards to install towers, the potential diminished home values, and outdated regulations, we should not have these poles on our lawn.
City Councils say there is nothing they can do, but they can pressure the Cell companies and band together to challenge state law and Federal law. The prior Gilbert Mayor (Jenn Daniels) was given an award by the cell company lobbying group (CTIA) for streamlining Gilbert's zoning laws to more easily take your property and put a tower on it - https://www.ctia.org/news/ctia-awards-gilbert-mayor-jenn-daniels-with-5g-wireless-champion-award.
Use our template above to send an email to your city council. In Gilbert, AZ our city council contact info is - Brigette.Peterson@gilbertaz.gov (mayor), Yung.Koprowski@gilbertaz.gov, Scott.Anderson@gilbertaz.gov, Laurin.Hendrix@gilbertaz.gov, Scott.September@gilbertaz.gov, Kathy.Tilque@gilbertaz.gov, Aimee.Yentes@gilbertaz.gov. The Mayor's and town council phone number is - (480) 503-6764
After emailing / calling the city council, contact your state representative and ask to change ARS 9.591-9.599 to give power back to cities. Use our template below to email them. Gilbert is in Travis Grantham's and Jake Hoffman's district. Travis' phone is (602) 926-4868 and email tgrantham@azleg.gov. Jake's Phone is (602) 926-3292 and email is JAKE.HOFFMAN@azleg.gov. Our state senator is Warren Petersen. His phone is (602) 926-4136 and email is WPetersen@azleg.gov. Send them the form letter above.
Our Arizona Senators are Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly. You can reach them at https://www.sinema.senate.gov/contact-kyrsten and https://www.kelly.senate.gov/. We have 9 congressional representatives (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/AZ#representatives) with Andy Biggs covering Gilbert/Mesa/Chandler - https://biggs.house.gov/contact/email?zip5=85233&zip4=3259&time=16292646581216741408. Send them the form letter
Email Verizon at supportarizonawireless@verizonwireless.com or call them at 480-783-5254 and tell them you DON'T (or do) want a tower on your yard that will reduce your property values by 20-30%. You can use our template above. They will send you to a website that says 5G is great. This is NOT about the health impacts of 5G, it is ABOUT your property rights and property VALUE (which will go down the moment a cell company puts a tower on your lawn). Send them the form letter
Sign our petition to the state legislature that we want them to REQUIRE cell companies to work with cities and homeowners (HOAs) on cell tower placement to minimize use of individual homeowners property - http://chng.it/7BVyvCGTHr
Join our facebook group (TBD) and share this website.
Call Cox or Centurylink and ask them to match Verizon's pricing. If we don't buy Verizon's (or AT&T's or T-Mobile's) cell services they won't recoup their investment. Support companies that value your property rights and work with you to place towers that don't lower your home value!
We didn't want to start this website. We had no idea what was about to happen when on 8/6/2021 a Verizon rep knocked on the door and said they were replacing the light pole. Cell companies, combined with the city, state and federal representatives have given cell companies complete access to easements on your property in a race for faster internet
Our mission is to let people know what we are giving up for faster internet. Our property values will decrease with no compensation and our ability to fight back has been severely curtailed by our state and federal government. Our cities have either acquiesced or been willing participants. We want everyone to know that the cell companies
Our mission is to let people know what we are giving up for faster internet. Our property values will decrease with no compensation and our ability to fight back has been severely curtailed by our state and federal government. Our cities have either acquiesced or been willing participants. We want everyone to know that the cell companies are coming for the PUEs in your yard. The 5G waves can travel a max of 1,000 feet. In our neighborhood every 4th light pole is marked for replacement. They are coming and can take the easement to do what they want with it. The pictures on this page are REAL pictures of REAL towers in people's yards (some homeowners could be compensated, we have not talked to any of the homeowners in these pictures - except our own).