Wireless companies, especially Verizon and private partner Extenet, have been swapping out traditional street lights in the North End for micro cell towers hosting a distributed antenna system to enhance wireless phone and data usage in the neighborhood.
The system is being installed on city-owned street light poles in the North End. The poles have a large square base and an antenna on the top. Verizon and other wireless carriers can buy service from Extenet to enhance their LTE wireless coverage in the area.
Although readers who participated in our poll last year mostly supported the poles, the construction involved for installation, along with the space taken up on the sidewalk, is causing frustration with residents. A recent 311 claim shows one of the new poles on the corner of Hanover and Parmenter Streets shutting down the sidewalk completely.
What do you think? Will the improved wireless coverage be worth it? Vote in our poll and add your comments in the section below.
Learn more about the Wireless Distributed Antenna System Network in Extenet’s presentations to the North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association and North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council.
Note: Web polls are unscientific and reflect only those who choose to participate. NorthEndWaterfront.com polls do not have any official significance and are only intended for the interest of our readers.
If you look at the proposed equipment photos in the presentations to the neighborhood associations, none of them show the gigantic bases that seem to have been installed on all of the new poles in the neighborhood. Classic.
Note that when the presentations seeking initial approval were made to the neighborhood groups, “historic” streets would not have these things, and ma y streets would have the slimmer poles with box at the top of the pole.clearly that was just for the initial show and tell.
Now they are everywhere, ruining the streetscape, and causing complications for attempts to replant dying trees.
These boxy oversized poles are really ugly and are an actual obstruction to the North End narrow sidewalks, aside from being totally inappropriate to any historic neighborhood. Horrible if this company misrepresented the size and appearance to the neighborhood group. They should be removed. I have spent countless days in the North End and reception is no worse than other neighborhoods.
You are all fools should of said no at the beginning it’s too late now you let them do it
Since people pay more attention to their cell phone than they do to anything else, it would seem that they are necessary. But it’s like putting cheeze out for the rats. Does the world really need an answer to “Guess where I am now?”. This is 90% of the North End traffic. Imagine a world where people wouldn’t know where you are now. These things are a total waste.
Did anyone honestly expect that these companies would be concerned with the appearance of the neighborhood when they installed these monstrosities?
It’s now up to our local politicians to hold the company accountable. The average citizen has no leverage.
Appearances aside, these pole are an obstacle for wheelchairs, mobility challenged people, moms with carriages or small children in tow. Our sidewalks have been torn up and then very poorly repaired after installation causing additional hazards. Where is the city oversight?
Too late. They’re installed.
Besides the pole themselves. Are we sure the wireless signal emitted by these machines are safe? are studies showing links between cellphone us and brain cancer applicable here? As far as sidewalk space wait til it snows.
these would have never been installed in the old days!!!
Nor would they have been installed on Historic Beacon Hill!
How much money goes to the City to allow these polls to come into the Neighbood? Did anyone investigate to see if
it could possibly cause physical problems to residents? Is it all about Money, Again? Who is responsible for doing
the research on these matters?
Why isn’t the North End considered an historic neighborhood?