A recent comment on our articled titled, "REPRINT of OCT. 2011 Response from CEO Burrell Ellis' Office," questioned our comprehension of the role cell towers play in the "911 infrastructure."
We welcome all comments on both sides of any issues raised on this blog/website, especially from those who might be in favor of cell towers at our schools because that is one opinion we have yet to understand. Even the person commenting on this particular article seems to not grasp the fact that our public school system has one major responsibility - educating children.
So, the diversionary comments regarding 911 services are irrelevent in addition to being untrue. Our schools are well equipped with land lines and students are not even permitted to bring cell phons to school. It is also against the law for anyone under 18 to drive while talking or texting on a cell phone or other mobile device, so it's best that they just leave their electronics at home and come to school prepared to learn.
These cell towers that will soon be built at 8 of our DeKalb County schools (unless a lawsuit is filed to stop them) have nothing to do with education - currently. The money they will bring in is not slated for anything of merit that would help any of the schools being asked to take on this burden. And they will be an eyesore and health hazzard for those who have no choice but to live near them.
How many lives does the annoymous commenter think will be saved by adding another cell tower to our county which is already saturated with them? And, how many lives might one day be lost if RF radiation turns out to be the carcingen that the World Health Organization says is possible?
Here's the comment:
Two facts you are failing to mention.
1) Cell towers are necessary to support the 911 infrastructure. Without adequate cell towers, the 911 system does not work well. Dekalb County needs assistance from cell companies like T-Mobile to effectively operate the county's 911 system. In addition, many of the first responders who work for the county's police, fire and rescue departments rely on their cell phones while working emergency incidents.
2) Cell towers are an EXPENSE to cell companies like T-Mobile, not sources of revenue. Cell phone companies would be delighted if they could just collect revenue each month and never spend a penny on cell towers. But they can't. In order to meet their service commitments to their customers, they have to spend money to build cell towers - an expense, not a revenue. Are you that ignorant of basic business knowledge and facts? on REPRINT of OCT. 2011 Response from CEO Burrell Ellis' Office
While the need to insult others is clearly a sign of insecurity and an attempt to bully or intimadate us into silence, it's a bit too late for that to be effective, so we will overlook it.
Now, let's debunk the premise behind the first "fact" offered up by our commenter. This should be fun. If you are new to cell tower research, you might learn something about how the 911 service is falsely touted as a "need." If you have been involved with fighting a cell tower, you will enjoy seeing that these absurd statements are not only made in your community, but in mine, too.
It says a lot about an industry when you realize that they expect employees to behave in such an underhanded way, doesn't it? They are obviously given a set of questions and answers to post on blog sites, like this one, that likely have no reflection on how the person truly feels about the subject personally. In order to keep their jobs, they must essentially deceive others. Nice, huh?
Okay, comment number one can be broken down into several parts. And, by the way, none of this subject matter is relevent to why we would want a cell tower to be placed on public school property. It has nothing to do with education and the money is not slated to help any of the cell tower schools.
1A.) Cell towers are necessary to support the 911 infrastructure. FALSE
Here's the 411: The nation's 911 emergency response system, built in 1967, was based on the expectation that calls for help would come from land-line telephones. Cell towers are not needed to support a communications system that is based upon land-line service.
Cell towers support cellular communications which is a for-profit industry, not a public utility or a public infrastructure requiring the aid of pubic funds. In fact, cell phones are actually problematic for 911 dispatchers and responders.
Cellphone users "almost assume that they are going to be located — and that's not a fair assumption," says Brian Fontes, CEO of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), which focuses on 911 emergency communications.
Calls that originate from a land line can immediately tell dispatchers the address where the call is coming from and pinpoint the location on an overhead map without the person on the other end having to say a single word. Here is a story about a woman in Greater Atlanta who might have lived if she had called 911 from a land line instead of using her cell phone.
Even the most advanced 911 systems do not allow a dispatcher to get a specific street address for a wireless call. About 93% of the nation's 911 centers have technology that lets the dispatcher immediately see the caller's phone number and the location of the cell tower that picks up the call, but not the exact coordinates of where the person making the call is located.
The dispatcher still has to request the GPS coordinates from the caller which can take several seconds or more and, even then, it does not locate the emergency with much accurasy in the case of a high-rise apartment complex or business center.
1B.) Without adequate cell towers, the county's 911 service does not work well. FALSE
Here's the 411: First of all, there is no area in greater Atlanta that would be considered to have anything less than "adequate" service or an "adequate" number of cell towers.
There are cell phones and cell towers everywhere. In fact, we wrote about a recent FCC report that actually shows the parts of the U.S. that still need 3G services, and DeKalb County is not on that list.
And, adding to the taxpayer expense as well as the hassle of our emergency personnel, it was recently reported that nearly 40% of all calls to 911 are accidental. A large portion of these calls are from "pocket dialing" or "butt dialing." Here's more about butt dialing.
Another problem caused by cell towers is that 911 calls are often mis-directed to the wrong dipatch center. We encountered that problem not too long ago in Atlanta.
Unlike land-line calls, which are sent to the 911 center
for their jurisdiction, wireless calls can hit the wrong tower, further slowing
the response. Misrouting also happens in metropolitan areas where
multiple jurisdictions are bunched together.
And here is an article about how cell phones can disrupt some police and fire radio signals.
Here's the 411: Here's an article we wrote that shows how cell towers can actually disrupt some police and fire communications.
First responders have their own cell phones with a dedicated frequency so that they can talk without interference from commercial traffic.
And, remember - EVERY cell tower IS a 911 cell tower. There isn't anything that makes one more special than another. So if you already have plenty of cell towers around you, then you likely do not need to add one to your local public school in order to help anything related to 911.
Now, a response to the poster's comment #2
2A.) Cell towers are an EXPENSE to cell companies like T-Mobile, not sources of revenue. FALSE
This comment is so ridiculous it is almost not worth responding to. It's like saying that a grocery store should claim its actual building as a liability and a burden that's necessary for them to sell groceries. We all know that you wouldn't build a building and you wouldn't build a tower if there wasn't going to be profit waiting for you on the other side. Investment in your own infrastructure, even if it includes leasing space, is just that - an investment with a reasonable amount of risk associated with it, but with the sole intention that over time it will turn a profit for the business.
2B.) Are you that ignorant of basic business knowledge and facts? FALSE
Guess who appears to be ignorant of the "facts" now? Nice try, now go butt dial your boss at ATT and tell him DeKalb County is way ahead of your antics, yet again.
Your response unfortunately involved "twisting" one issue and for the other issue, you had to dig up a lot of useless research to craft a "BS" response.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your nonsense:
1) Do you REALLY think T-Mobile would spend millions of dollars to build NEW cell towers if those cell towers were not needed? Of course they are needed, or they would not build them. How simple is this to understand? T-Mobile is not "making up" an excuse just to build new cell towers. Do you really think otherwise? Are you that irrational? Cell reception is horrible in these areas - I know personally. And that's why MOST neighbors around these schools support the cell towers.
2) The 911 system. You really twisted this one. Of course it is better to call 911 from a landline; it's almost always better to use a landline to make any phone call. But, here is what your arrogant self did not consider: landlines are now a luxury for many people, especially for low and middle income people. Five years ago, it was the other way around: a cell phone was a luxury. But today, many people cannot afford a landline since a simple cell phone plan is cheaper, which is why (as of March 2012) over millions of households in the U.S. no longer have a landline and instead use only a cell phone. Should people who live near these schools in Dekalb County have to pay for a landline just to have a reliable way to call 911, even if they cannot afford a landline? Are you that arrogant? And what about people driving, walking or biking through these neighborhoods who have access to only a cell phone? How are they suppose to count on a reliable connection? Cell reception in these area is very poor, and often does not work indoors (I know this personally, so don't even begin to tell me that there are an adequate number of existing cell towers now).
And finally, one last comment/question for you: do you have a cell phone? If so, why don't you get rid of it so you can, as you believe, stop endangering the health of other people? Have you noticed that cell towers are placed where people are located (live, work, etc.)? So assuming you are using a cell phone where you are receiving a cell signal, do you understand that your cell phone is picking up a signal from a cell tower that is near people (the so called 2-mile "fallout zone" as you hypocrits like to call it)? Why don't you start a campaign to ban all cell phones for the health of everyone instead of just fighting a cell tower near where you happen to live? Unless you "swear off" cell phones, you are just a hypocrit who wants cell towers near "other people."
Maybe you can explain why we can call someone across the globe without a dropped call, but 100+ towers in a four mile radius of a school isn't enough to get decent reception in the county that ATT Mobility claims as its global headquarters.
ReplyDeleteIf they can't get it right here, maybe they should slow down and learn a little more about how the technology works before they start trying to make people believe that land lines will be discontinued and "everyone" supports bringing an industrial hazard onto the grounds of an elementary school just so the neigbhors can post their updates to Facebook faster.
No one supports cell towers in these areas except those who might be gettting paid via salary or paid under the table. Not one person showed up for the state legislative hearings that was pro-tower. But, a packed house of citizens from every corner of DeKalb stood together and told their very sincere and well-educated reasons for wanting to keep these towers where they belong - away from homes and schools.
1) Do you think T-Mobile wants to spend money to build cell towers that are not needed? You never answered that question, because you know you would look foolish no matter how you answer it. So you avoid it. And show no credibility.
ReplyDelete2) Your comment "No one supports cell towers in these areas except those who might be gettting paid via salary or paid under the table" shows how stupid and uninformed you are. You have no basis to make such a comment. Have you polled everyone who lives in the neighborhoods around these nine schools? What is the basis and proof for your claim? You are also dishonest.
3) Do you use a cell phone? If so, are you a hypocrit? You never answered that question either. You want cell towers near "other people," but not near you. Right? Are you willing to start a crusade against all cell towers? Are you willing to cease using cell phones? Are you willing to provide your name and current cell phone number so that all the cellular companies can see to it that you never again operate a cell phone on their networks?
4) More ignorance on your part..........AT&T is not a "global company." They only offer cell service within the United States. Their headquarters are actually in Fulton County. You really do twist facts, don't you? Is it because you are stupid or dishonest? Which one?
5) Your comment "learn a little more about how the technology works" sounds so stupid coming from an idiot like you. Just what do you suggest they "learn?" Do you think that AT&T and T-Mobile know less about cellular technolgy than you know? Are you that stupid or arrogant? Which one?
1.) There is a difference between a "need" in terms of cell coverage for basic service as defined by the FCC and a business need by a private company such as T-mobile. We are certain ATT needs T-mobile's towers to remain competitive and solve their dropped call problems. But, in terms of what the general public needs, these towers do not meet that definition. And 4G is not a public need - it is a push by the wireless industry to get consumers to hand over more cash for bells and whistles that actually bog down the voice delivery capabilities. We don't need cellular to compete with broadband. We need to upgrade to fiber optics like most other countries who wish to avoid RF radiation hazards and have reliable, faster service for data without the issues of compromising personal data.
ReplyDelete2.) The basis of this comment is the door to door efforts we have made in which we have found absolutely no one in favor of cell towers. It is also based on the fact that we have gathered signatures in every single neighborhood affected by these towers and from every school community affected. It is also based on the three days of hearings that were held at the Georgia State Captial in support for the bill to ban cell towers from school grounds statewide and specifically in Dekalb County. During that time, three continuous hours of testimony was heard and both sides of the issue were invited to attend. Absolutely no one showed up who was in favor of the towers and the opponents filled the entire block of time each day. They spanned every economic class, demographic category and physical location within the county of DeKalb. It is an issue that has brought us together, not torn us apart as T-mobile and others might have hoped. Our county is united against cell towers on school grounds.
"Basic service?" 4G devices are being demanded by consumers. Have you ever heard of Apple? Android? Do you want to keep the United States on the same slow-poke cell phone network as third world countries?
DeleteAnd, you never answered my question about you own willingness to give up your cell phone. You want cell towers near other people, but not near you. You are a hypocrit, and you never disputed this fact. Do you have a cell phone? Cell phones are near people, and thus the cell towers are also. Do you enjoy a signal on your own cell phone? Do you use it at your home? If so, do you not realize that this signal is coming from a cell phone tower that is located near people (other people, who you don't care about)?
3.) Your question is not directed at one person in particular and GTCO-ATL is made up of nearly 1,500 people. You will have to be more direct in your line of antagonistic questionning if you want to know the phone habits of someone specifically. But, whether or not someone uses a phone, similar to their choice to smoke a cigerette, is not relevent to the issue of cell towers on school grounds. A tower does not target its radiation toward the people who elect to be exposed to it voluntarily. And, it largely affects children who do not have phones, nor the ability to speak up for their own rights. We are doing that for them.
ReplyDelete4.) AT&T Mobility has its global headquarters in DeKalb County, GA. Look it up. Your name calling and bully behavior will not be tolerated any further on this blog. It has been left here to show others at the type of tactics the telecomms will resort to in order to try to intimidate groups like ours into silence. However, if further comments are made in a similar manner, this is advance notice that they will be deleted. Mature, responsible debate is encouraged. If you have any relevent facts that would show that the cell towers will not bring harm to our neighborhoods and are safe to place so close to children, you are encouraged to submit it. We would like nothing better than to be wrong, but there is too much credible information available for us to ignore the potential harm that could come to our friends and neighbors as well as their children. Our motivations are clear. What are your's?
5.) Obviously ATT and T-Mobile know how the technology works and they also know the dangers and health hazards that their towers will bring to our children, but profit at all costs is their single driving motivator. If people like yourself, and our board member Paul Womack, really expect us to believe that the cellular industry cannot figure out how to connect a 911 call from a metro area such as Atlanta or they cannot fix an issue with dropped calls despite more than 140 cell towers in a four mile radius, then you are the ones telling us that the leaders of the industry are idiots. Let's see, on the day of the school board vote, ironically, there were calls being "accidentally" re-routed to the 911 in Savannah. On the day we met with the state legislature, there were calls "accidentally" being dropped so many times that the TV news picked up the story and ATT had to admit that it was having problems due to a system upgrade. Funny how the problems always seem to come at a time when they need the public to believe that more cell towers will solve the problem. The only problem, in reality, is that no one is banging down the doors to buy 4G, so they need to create a new crop of customers by forcing the technology on our children. Sounds more and more like the cigerette companies every day, doesn't it?