MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) — The battle over whether to allow 5G cell towers continues in Montgomery County. Days before the county council is set to vote on the issues, both those in favor of and opposed to the towers are speaking out.
Since the county has announced its desire to take a vote, it has received over 1,400 letters from residents in opposition. Council President Tom Hucker says the council is in a sticky position, but it will go forward with the vote.
“The council has spent an enormous amount of time on it and if the federal rules change we may take it up again in the future and make tweaks once we see how this is implemented,” said Tucker.
While many believe these cell towers will bridge the digital divide, not everyone is convinced.
“There’s a huge problem here with economic disparities because those people who are supposedly going to be bridging the digital divide,” said epidemiologist Devra Davis. “In order to bridge it, you’ll need new devices and you’ll need to spend the money on them and invest in them, and that is hardly going to bridge the huge gap that we now have.”
Beyond what it can do to ensure to help bring communities up to speed, many opponents of the towers feel there are still many issues to be addressed, including many safety, and environmental factors.