Public debate continues over the development of cell phone infrastructure, such as this tower located off Hunt Road in the town of Busti. P-J photo by Jay Young

Local governments in Western New York and beyond are preparing to deal with the imminent arrival of next generation “5G” cell phone infrastructure.

The issue was discussed at a Lakewood Village Board meeting on Monday, in addition to the potential construction of a new large cell tower at the Lakewood Fireman’s Grounds.

Code enforcement officer Jeff Swanson raised the topic, explaining that the next generation 5G cells are smaller boxes that are often installed on utility poles, allowing telecommunications providers to expand their wireless coverage with faster data.

“Keep in mind, with the 5G, one has to be placed every 500 feet,” Swanson said. “The government has already made the ruling that municipalities, the only thing they may have a say in possibly, is their fee schedule and aesthetics.”

The federal government and the Federal Communications Commission are continuing their push to upgrade the country’s telecommunications infrastructure to 5G, as they have done with previous generations of cell phone technology.

The specifics of how this implementation will play out on a local level remain to be seen.

“They did a similar thing when the big tall cell towers were first coming out,” village attorney John LaMancuso said. “There was a federal policy that they wanted this build-out to happen and they didn’t want municipalities to stand in the way.”

Swanson did provide some information to the board on recommended fee structures, but expressed his desire for more preparation to deal with the issue in the future.

Telecommunications providers have already begun assessing areas of Lakewood as potential sites for 5G boxes.

“I don’t know if the board wants to select some people to start looking at possibly some of the aesthetics, and possibly start looking at the possible fee schedule for the 5G before it becomes a problem,” said Swanson. “Every night you see the commercials now starting to advertise for the 5G. It is only a matter of time, and I don’t want to see the village get caught without having something in place.”

Uncertainty about the implementation of 5G technology was also brought into the discussion of Lakewood’s extensive and ongoing legal fight over the addition of a large cell tower.

Swanson noted that even with the addition of new 5G boxes, there is still a need for common larger towers for the boxes to communicate with.

“It also begs the question, how does the 5G every 500 feet relate to a cell tower?” board member Doug Schutte asked. “It seems to me we should have our ducks in a row. Know what our needs are with 5G so close. Do we need a 180-foot tower? Maybe we only need a 90-foot tower. Maybe that is not the optimal place for it (on the Fireman’s Grounds). We don’t know any of those things because we don’t know how they would intend to install 5G in Lakewood.”

Questions were also raised about the potential health effects of 5G boxes, which transmit more data than their previous generation counterparts.

Board member Ted McCague expressed his concern for the health impacts of 5G transmissions, and asked LaMancuso if he was aware of any legal challenges to their installation on these grounds.

LaMancuso said he was not aware of any at this time, but that it is an avenue that can be looked into.