The Players Didn’t Want To Pay

The Paul couldn’t put the “fix” in or the players didn't want to pay. Either way, we’re going back to court, yet again. Although this time, while ABG believes we will win this case, we will still wind up paying the court costs, legal fees and ultimately a tax increase to cover The Paul induced never-ending court expenses. 

The telecommunications company Crown Castle (under the name NextG Networks) has decided to sue the Town of Greenburgh, accusing that town officials had created roadblocks during the application process, keeping the company from installing their antennas and providing its services. Just because a company has a product they want to sell, doesn’t mean we must purchase it. 

Their lawsuit accuses that the Town of Greenburgh’s actions caused unreasonable delays with the company’s application which they filed in November of 2009. With what we hear from residents looking to make even small changes to their home, they’re right on track. They also claim that the Town had unwarranted and endless demands for increased information and analyses throughout the application process. They are asking the Court  to require Greenburgh to allow them to build and operate an antenna network within the Town. ABG agrees that the Town operated properly in refusing to grant their application and should stick to their decision. 

Crown Castle had plans to place 20, 4-foot antennas with a mounting kit atop existing utility poles with corresponding equipment cabinets mounted about halfway up the poles. The Town subsequently hired Andrew Rau, an outside counsel with cell tower usage experience to help assist in the Town’s review and decision-making process. Rau, said Greenburgh issued a well-reasoned decision based on substantial evidence that supports the proper use of local power under federal law. The Town Board last month unanimously rejected a proposal from the company to install the 20 cellphone antennas on utility poles in residential areas. Although our previous insight with The Paul’s Stepford Board also suggests that a unanimous vote doesn’t carry much weight.

The Paul has said the equipment is purely speculative and does not meet the standard of minimal intrusiveness. We’re not sure what that is supposed to mean. After the decision, The Paul suggested Crown Castle submit a revised application that considers zoning requirements and explains why the antennas can’t be in nonresidential areas. This statement we understand.

NextG Networks, a subsidiary of Crown Castle, that submitted the initial application, has sued several municipalities in the past, including New York City, after being denied access to utility poles. What NextG doesn’t realize when dealing with The Paul and the Stepford Board, is that they spend their time and our money in court religiously and this is a minor chink in The Paul’s worn and beaten armor. Will Greenburgh win this case in court? We can only hope.