Subject: [NEXTEL-1] FCC to Study Impact of Cell Phone Towers

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 15:36:12 -0400

FCC to Study Impact of Cell Phone Towers
Thu May 1,11:04 PM ET

By DAVID HO, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Federal regulators launched a broad effort Thursday to
study and police how the growing number of cell phone and broadcast
towers sprouting across the country affects historic sites, Indian land and
the environment.

Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) Michael Powell
said his agency will work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to study
why migratory birds fly into towers. An estimated 5 million to 50 million birds
die in such accidents each year, according to Fish and Wildlife.

"I know there's a problem, and towers are one of the possible causes,"
Powell said. "We don't know exactly how or why."

Researchers suspect that lights on the towers attract the birds. Powell said
more research is needed to understand the problem and the role of lights
and tower height and design.

Powell said the new plan is the FCC (news - web sites)'s first
comprehensive effort to protect the environment and historical sites while
speeding the installation of communications equipment. The FCC intends to
hire more staff, improve cooperation with industry, toughen enforcement of
environmental rules and possibly change regulations.

The cell phone industry expressed concern.

"Dead spots and dropped calls can only be eliminated by new cell sites,"
said Tom Wheeler, president of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet
Association. "Government actions that delay or complicate the process of
building a more robust network for our consumers are particularly unhelpful."

Powell said the FCC also would work to ensure that American Indian tribes
are consulted when towers are proposed for sites that might have historic,
cultural or religious significance.

There are more than 100,000 communications towers in the United States,
including antennas for cell phone signals and television and radio
broadcasts, according to the FCC. The vast majority of those towers are
taller than 200 feet and have lights to prevent aircraft collisions.

Several environmental groups are suing the FCC over communications
towers near the Gulf of Mexico, where many birds stop during spring and fall
migrations.

The groups want the FCC to review the danger to birds before towers go up
and keep birds away from existing towers with devices like noisemaking
machines.

Al Manville, a biologist with Fish and Wildlife, said the FCC effort is a good
start and that "we need to look at the bigger picture — the effects of towers
on things like wetlands and fisheries and birds."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030502/ap_on_go_ot/fcc_environment_3

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