Keeping Connection Quaint: Bringing cell towers to Vt. towns

STOWE, Vt. (WCAX) – As cell service continues to lack in Vermont, one town works with a provider to maintain the charm of the town while improving service.

AT&T worked with the town of Stowe to come up with a compromise after some pushback. a cell tower in the historic district that matches the light posts and blends in

In a rural state like Vermont preserving the natural beauty can be at odds with moving forward with technology.

“We want to maintain the best of Vermont and in general and Stowe in particular, as we move forward into the 21st century,” said Charles Safford with the town of Stowe.

A town like Stowe might not be the first place when you think of poor cell service but the demand swells multiple times of year thanks to more tourists.

“It wouldn’t surprise me at a given time if we have more than 10,000 visitors in Stowe between second homes and folks just come in for a day trip,” said Safford.

Town manager Charles Safford said it’s common for people’s phones to show bars of service but not work during peak tourist times of the year, creating a demand for increased connectivity.

AT&T proposed a smaller range cell tower to increase connectivity in Stowe’s historic district. After back and forth with the historic preservation committee and the town, the groups agreed on a tower that matches the lamposts with concealed antennas as opposed to adding height on top.

“It does take a lot of work to think it through thoughtfully so you know, in a lot of times those telecommunication carriers are approaching us about how best to do that. And so we definitely welcome that conversation,” said Safford.

Statewide, Department of Public Service director Jim Porter said the majority of cell tower petitions do come through uncontested. They get around 20 a month ranging in coverage size to adding antennas on existing structures, slightly larger towers, to the standard large coverage cell tower. It’s the larger cell towers that tend to receive the objections.

“It’s very important that their town plans are written in such a way to kind of very clearly convey what plan they have for their areas and what areas are more sensitive,” said Porter.

But compromising on the location and the aesthetics can help move projects forward, like in Stowe. Porter said in Granville, for example, a large-size tower is proposed but the location has been altered to make residents happy.

“It’s only visible from one residence. And so from an aesthetic perspective, it’s almost perfect. Right now what’s going on is an analysis of wildlife habitat to see if it will have any effect on that where it’s currently proposed,” said Porter.

And we’ve told you about the cell service drive tests where VTrans drivers scoured the state keeping track of where there is and is not adequate cell service. But, a plan proposed by the governor to use the data to inform adding more cell towers to the state has not been funded by the legislature for two sessions in a row.

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