New York City Officials Oppose Jumbo 5G Poles

Elected officials and numerous New Yorkers are opposed to giant 32-foot 5G towers being installed across New York City. New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler was joined by Asembly members and New York Councilmembers in a letter sent June 2024 requesting a reconsideration of the jumbo design. Over 2,000 jumbo 5G poles are planned. They are 32 feet high and many poles are located just ten feet from buildings, meaning ten feet bedrooms and living spaces! 

Many New Yorkers are furious. A total of 16 community Boards across the city have issued disapprovals or moratoriums. Community Board 8, which includes areas of the Upper East side of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island, passed a 5G moratorium in 2022 and since then, 15 New York City Community Boards have followed as they learned of the plans for 2,000 5G towers to be erected across the city. 

 

Here are two letters by officials opposed to the jumbo 5G towers sent just last month:

 

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Members Rebecca Seawright and Alex Bores, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and Council Members Keith Powers and Julie Menin wrote a letter on June 25, 2024 to Deborah Marton, President of the Public Design Commission, asking the PDC to reconsider their approval of the current jumbo 5G tower design.

 

In a separate letter on June 18, 2024, Council Member Gale Brewer expressed her opposition to new jumbo 5G  towers in her West Side district to the State Historic Preservation Office about plans for at least five towers, noting that she is “deeply concerned about the potential negative impacts that these structures may have on our historic neighborhood… Our goal should always be to find a balance between the evolving needs of the city and the imperative of preserving the unique character of our neighborhoods.”

 

These letters were shared by the New York Landmarks Conservancy that has been ringing the alarm on these towers for years in a June 2024 post entitled Elected Officials Demand City to End 5G Tower Installations. 

List of Community Boards Opposing And/or, Rejecting 5G Jumbo Poles

Previous Letters from New York Officials Opposing 5G Jumbo Poles

 

January 12, 2023
Letter from Conservation Societies: Historic Districts Council, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, Carnegie Hill Neighbors, Landmark West! , CIVITAS NYC, Village Preservation, The New York Landmarks Conservancy

“The LinkNYC structures are poorly designed, massive, and will clutter the city’s streetscapes, detracting from historic districts and individual landmarks. The towers are inappropriate and out-of-scale for residential areas and for commercial areas in many historic districts, where narrow sidewalks and lower-scale buildings are prevalent.”

 

January 23, 2023

Letter from Jerrold Nadler Congress Member, Keith Powers City Council Majority Leader, Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President, Rebecca Seawright Assembly Member, Julie Menin, City Council Member, Alex Bores Assembly Member, Liz Krueger State Senator to Landmark Preservation Commission

 

April 20, 2023

The FCC wrote to City Bridge stating that the 32-foot tall Link 5G tower kiosk facilities are subject to theCommission’s environmental and historic preservation review and approval requirements.

 

April, 12, 2023

U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urging a review of the proposed installation of Link 5G Cellular Towers throughout New York City’s historic preservation districts.

 

June 25, 2024

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Members Rebecca Seawright and Alex Bores, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and Council Members Keith Powers and Julie Menin wrote a letter on June 25, 2024 to Deborah Marton, President of the Public Design Commission (PDC), asking the PDC to reconsider their approval of the current jumbo 5G tower design in favor of less intrusive equipment.

 

June 18, 2024

In a separate letter on June 18, 2024, Council Member Gale Brewer expressed her opposition to new towers in her West Side district to the State Historic Preservation Office about plans for at least five towers, noting that she is “deeply concerned about the potential negative impacts that these structures may have on our historic neighborhood… Our goal should always be to find a balance between the evolving needs of the city and the imperative of preserving the unique character of our neighborhoods.”

What can we do?

1. Contact your community board and your City Council member. 
2. Contact Mayor Eric Adams and the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation.
3. Sign the petition to halt the 5G rollout in New York City here.
4. Sign these local petitions as well

• Residents of Carnegie Hill Petition: Keep streets free of the new Link5G towers.
• Village Preservation Petition: Stop the Siting of Oversized and Unnecessary 5G Towers in Our Neighborhood!

5. Set up meetings with your City Councilperson local leadership to update them on this issue and call for immediate action.

 

Where can I find the science on 5G and 4G cell towers that indicates safety is not assured ?

The European Parliament requested a research report  “Health Impact of 5G” released in July 2021 concluding that commonly used RFR frequencies (450 to 6000 MHz) are probably carcinogenic for humans and clearly affect male fertility with possible adverse effects on the development of embryos, fetuses and newborns. 

• See a list of published research studies here.  
• Download a PDF on the science of cell towers here. 
• Download a PDF of the science and policy on 5G in New York City here.