On Aug. 18 the FUHSD trustee board held a meeting to discuss the lease renewal of the AT&T cell towers in Lynbrook. Members of the community as well as AT&T representatives and various consultants were invited to present their arguments for this issue.
Radiation
Clad in neon green shirts that read “No Cell Towers in Schools”, over thirty Lynbrook parents attended the meeting to voice their opposition. They are mainly concerned about the risk posed by radiation from the cell tower.
The frequency and power density from the cell towers at Lynbrook are 900 MHz and 0.0037 mW/cm2. This is 0.77 percent of the FCC’s limit of 100 mW/cm2, while 400 mW/cm2 is known to harm humans.
While the statistic proves that the level of radiation isn’t enough to cause damage instantly, parents are worried about the effects of long term exposure.
“Everyone says it’s safe, but I’m a parent, and you cannot convince me that it’s 100 percent safe. To me, it’s not necessary to send my kids to a school with higher levels of radiation,” one parent said.
Housing
As cell towers are generally unattractive and a hazard, their presence can devalue the houses in Cupertino.
“In February when it was disclosed that we had cell towers, property values slowed a little bit — not much — but they have slowed,” Harry Tibbelts, a resident of Cupertino, said.
If housing prices fall, the school will receive less money from property taxes, and will therefore have less money to spend on education.
Yet according to zillow.com, housing prices in Cupertino climbed at a rate of twenty to thirty thousand dollars per month near the end of 2014. Even after the cell towers became public knowledge in February 2015, the rate has stayed the same.
Cell Coverage
If the cell towers are removed, Cupertino will experience a loss in coverage. This map shows which areas will be affected and to what extent.
Ultimately, the board decided that the unlikely risk of radiation from the cell towers could not compete with the guaranteed impact that the removal would have. However, taking the parents’ concerns into account, they agreed to renew the lease if AT&T amends the contract to include yearly measurements to ensure that the cell tower emissions meet FCC regulations.
