The Town Board of Grand Island, located in New York, will soon vote on whether or not to accept Verizon’s proposal to construct its third cell tower on the island. It is looking at site options in the northern part of the island, which currently has very unreliable coverage. However, many island residents are non-supportive of the plan, even though the lack of coverage is not only a convenience concern, but a safety concern as well. According to The Buffalo News, “Wireless access is deemed an essential service by the federal government, so municipalities are forced to accommodate cell towers. And as consumers use smartphones to surf the Web and stream movies, data consumption and cellular demand have increased exponentially.”
If the proposal is accepted, the chosen site’s landowner must seek counsel prior to signing an agreement with Verizon. What is the true value to the telecom giant for the use of island property? Vertical Consultants has worked with all types of property owners who are being paid below-market value for the use of their property. The primary reason for this is the lack of information and representation provided for these entities. Vertical Consultants has made it its mission to provide our clients the data they need. While telecom companies have professionals on their side who know the true value of every tower site they control, property owners should have advocates working for them determining options to optimize their telecom assets.
(http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/grand-island/grand-island-residents-upset-over-proposed-cell-tower-sites-20140201)
