My office has received numerous inquiries regarding the potential placement of cell phone towers in Mineola. As a lifelong resident of Mineola, I assure you that I share your desire to protect the quality of life we enjoy.

In the year before I came to Congress, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which governs federal, state and local government oversight of cellphone towers, became law. While it preserves local zoning authority, it also clarifies when the exercise of local zoning authority may be pre-empted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The strict interpretation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act by the FCC continues to pre-empt state and local government authority in deciding where telecommunications towers should be built.

For example, the appearance of these towers or health concerns cannot be used as a reason to deny the construction of a cellphone tower. Numerous studies of exposure levels due to radio frequency (RF) emissions from towers have been found to be significantly below the levels considered safe by expert entities such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), and the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP).

Although these towers are essential to increased wireless services, local government and citizens clearly have a legitimate interest in the location of these towers. In instances where the wireless industry and local governments are unable to resolve their differences, the FCC has established guidelines for the placement of new towers. It is my hope that through informal dispute resolution processes used by the wireless industry and local governments, the interests of Mineola residents will be protected. To that end, I have contacted each of the cell phone companies involved, encouraging them to meet as soon as possible with a representative group of concerned citizens in an effort to resolve their tower location concerns. Rest assured my office will continue to reiterate these interests and concerns directly to the FCC, as well.

I hope you find the above information useful. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Carolyn McCarthy

Member of Congress