5G Towers: Eyesores or Public Assets?

Good morning. Good morning. Raul the Peacock will be tracked as he returns to his home in the Bronx Zoo after a night out.

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Five months after we last looked at the 5G Towers that are being built around the city, there is a new regulatory storm brewing.

One hundred towers were erected as part of the technological upgrade to provide high-speed WiFI and 5G cell phone service in underserved regions.

The Federal Communications Commission announced last week that CityBridge, a consortium behind the project, had not completed its environmental and historical preservation reviews before the work began. CityBridge is expected to conduct a post-construction inspection to ensure that these towers are in compliance.

CityBridge stated that the towers have already been reviewed to obtain city permits, and the company didn't anticipate the reviews prescribed by agency would cause delays in the project. Jack Sterne, a spokesman from CityBridge said that the company is 'working with F.C.C. ' To ensure that the company was adhering to federal, state and municipal regulations.

Kayla Mamelak is a spokeswoman of Mayor Eric Adams. She said that City Hall 'is committed to enforcing the provisions in our telecommunications franchising agreements' so that municipal franchisees such as CityBridge adhere strictly to all relevant regulations.

Peg Breen is the president of New York Landmarks Conservancy. She joined seven other officials to write a letter in January, stating that the towers are 'poorly planned, massive, and will cluster city streetscapes. In an interview with this week, she said that it was "obvious" that the review had to be done.

The F.C.C. The Daily News reported that the letter came one week after Jerrold Ndler, a Representative, urged the F.C.C. to review the towers in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which established the National Register of Historic Places. He expressed his 'concern' about the fact that certain tower locations are located within historic districts on the National Register.

The towers are a problem in some areas because they are too high and not in character, especially in districts with historic buildings that have low-rises and narrow streets.

The towers are 32 feet high. The opponents' concerns go beyond the landscape, citing the 'piecemeal' and 'confusing' review process of the initial installation 'and the lack of clarity about the full effects of the 5G towers throughout the city'. When Bill de Blasio served as mayor, the city's Public Design Commission gave its approval.

Mark Levine said that the CityBridge franchise agreement should be renegotiated in order to force the company to provide more information. This includes how the company makes its siting decisions.

Levine stated that in a few cases, the people only learned about the work when it began. It's a sure way to lose the trust of the local community.

Kathryn Wylde is the president of Partnership for New York City. She is an influential business group.

She stated that she considered her letter as a response to constituents complaining because they had called to complain and I too, have heard them.

Wylde added that the towers would blend in with the cityscape. She said that after these kiosks have been in place for two years, everyone will think they were always there.

CityBridge and the city have agreed to install 2,000 5G antennas over several years. Ninety-percent of them will be installed in areas that are underserved by the city, including the Bronx and Brooklyn. CityBridge cited City Council statistics that showed that about one quarter of homes in the city do not have broadband at home.

Vanessa Gibson, borough president for the Bronx said that she was happy to support the efforts to increase broadband in her borough where 38 percent of its residents do not have it. The city also pointed out that new Gigabit Centers have opened in Brooklyn Queens Staten Island over the past six months, providing free Wi-Fi and device access, as well as digital skills training to underserved areas.

Weather

Showers are possible with temperatures around 60. Showers will continue into the evening with temperatures dropping to high 40s.

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After a night out, you're back at home

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Everyone is entitled to a night out. What's wrong with spending it in a branch?

Raul, the peacock, might say that if only he was able to talk. And if forced to explain what made him famous over a period of more than 15 mins.

It was unclear whether he flew or walked from the Bronx Zoo where he lived. The exact date of his departure was also not known.

Residents saw him around 7:45 pm on Wednesday at East 180th Street, East Tremont Avenue and a few blocks away from the zoo. This was according to an alert sent by the Citizen application, which provides location-based notifications. Citizen reported a 911 call of a 'peacock that escaped its designated area,' which is the 265 acres at the zoo where peafowl are allowed to roam.

Raul was soon reported to have bitten Mike. Citizen's timeline stated that a 911 caller reported having been bitten in the thigh. The Fire Department has not confirmed this, but it did state that emergency workers treated someone at East 180th Street & Vyse Avenue for minor injuries.

Livestreams were broadcast from the cellphones of those in attendance. Raul crashed into a cottonwood at some point. Around 4:30 am, he was there when the television crews arrived and began broadcasting high-quality live footage. The police soon blocked off the area between East 179th Street and 180th Avenue along Vyse Ave.

Raul flapped his wings and glided to another tree in a nearby cemetery. As he took flight, the crowd gasped loudly. Raul flew up to the roof on East 181st Street, hopped on the roof next door, and then onto the next building. It seemed to know exactly where it was heading: back to zoo.

In a press release, the company said that they had "fully expected" him to return as he did.