Verizon to add 10 cell towers in the northern region

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

June 1, 2009

By KIM SMITH DEDAM The Press Republican Mon Jun 01, 2009, 02:03 PM EDT

LAKE PLACID — Verizon Wireless plans to install 10 new cell-phone towers in the North Country this summer.

“They will go up throughout the region; we’ll have them turned on by the end of the year,” Verizon spokesman John O’Malley said today.

Not all the towers are inside the Adirondack Park. And O’Malley would not release exact locations, citing proprietary reasons.

But all of the planned towers are new construction, he said, expanding the company’s northern cellular telephone network to 90 towers, 26 of which are in the Adirondack Park.

Three new Verizon towers are undergoing Adirondack Park Agency staff review: one in Westport and two in the Town of Wells, according to spokesman Keith McKeever.

A Verizon tower designed to resemble a pine tree was recently approved by the APA for construction on land owned by Paul Smith’s College.

And the Duane Fire Department Inc. has negotiated a lease agreement for a tower at their fire hall in the Town of Duane.

At an average cost of $550,000 each, the new expansion effort reflects an investment of more than $5 million, O’Malley said today.

“It’s a pretty big investment for us this year and part of our continuing effort to make sure people who live, work and vacation in the area have reliable access to their wireless network.”

Marquett Smith, president of Verizon Wireless’s Upstate New York Region, issued a statement today saying the expansion reflects a commitment to the local economy.

“We’ve taken the lead on expanding wireless service throughout the Adirondacks Region — both inside the Adirondack Park and outside.

“We believe wireless service is essential to the people who live in the region, the first-responders who protect them and the businesses that drive that region’s economy.”

Verizon’s cell network also delivers access to the company’s Mobile Broadband, a high-speed wireless Internet service.

The company has fared well even through the difficult economy.

“We continue to bring on new customers,” O’Malley said. “That’s why we’re able to continue to fund expansion projects like this.”

Four towers of a 13-tower Verizon network planned along the Adirondack Northway, are already operational, with a site approved by the APA for Poke-O-Moonshine in Chesterfield slated for construction this summer.

E-mail Kim Smith Dedam at:

kdedam@pressrepublican.com