Well, it’s not really a hybrid monster lamppost but rather one of 22 wireless cell antennas placed upon Roosevelt Island lampposts to provide increased Roosevelt Island Wi-fi connectivity by Crown Castle International. As reported last October 30:

… WIRELESS SMALL CELL ANTENNAS

Wireless device connectivity on Roosevelt Island is about to be vastly improved, and less congested, during the next few weeks.

Crown Castle International Corp., the nations largest provider of shared communications infrastructure, will be installing 22 unique small cell locations on the Island covering from north to south. The antennas and fiber-optic cable-based networking will provide coverage and capacity for up to four data/phone service carriers including Verizon

Small cells are important wireless infrastructure that increase capacity and connectivity for mobile devices. They are small, low-powered antennas that can be installed on light and utility poles, street signs, and even on rooftops. Crown Castle, under a 10-year licensing agreement, will be building and maintaining this fiber ring around Roosevelt Island to supply various locations with better connectivity.

As the Roosevelt Island community continues to grow, more residents, businesses, students and visitors are relying on wireless devices to connect to the Internet and communicate (more than 50 percent of all U.S. households rely only on wireless phones; and some 80 percent of all 911 calls are made from wireless devices). When too many people try to use their mobile devices, the network can become overloaded: calls drop or dont connect.

Small cells, like the ones being installed around the Island, can and will relieve this wireless congestion….

Roosevelt Island Historical Society ( RIHS ) President Judy Berdy spotted this “hybrid monster lamppost” yesterday at Good Shepherd Plaza and does not like it.

The abomination on Main Street.

Today, this object appeared at the Chapel Plaza.


This is another example of RIOC’s disregard for the cityscape, appearance, and necessity of an obtrusive object. Along with the “RI” letters at the Tram Plaza we now have the WI-FI tower smack dab in front of the Chapel Plaza. The Chapel is a landmark structure, but unfortunately the Plaza is not, which means inappropriate objects can be placed there.

I attended RIOC meetings where the installation was discussed and never saw a rendering by Crown Castle the contractor that was anywhere as obtrusive as this wifi tower

The RIOC staff hides the truth from the community and insults our cityscape with obtrusive installations.

The RIOC Grinch has stolen our Chapel Plaza from us, again.

According to this excerpt from Castle Crown’s November 2017 presentation to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp ( RIOC ) Board of Directors:

Pole attachments in the public right of way proposed in 23 unique locations (some of the pole attachments will be colocations):
22 for T-Mobile
21 for Verizon
20 attachments are colocations with both Verizon and T-Mobile

All locations will feed back to a Hub location via fiber optic cable which will be located off of the Island for both Verizon and T-Mobile

1. License will enable Crown Castle to access the public right of way poles on Roosevelt Island
2. License is for a 10-year term with 3 successive terms of 5-years.
3. Compensation for use of the poles to RIOC from Crown is $3,390.48 per location with an annual CPI adjustment.
4. Crown Castle is responsible for its own electrical utility charges.
5. Crown Castle will be building and maintaining a fiber ring around Roosevelt Island to supply the locations with connectivity.

Crown Castle will provide RIOC 4 strands of Dark Fiber along planned deployment route….

I asked RIOC today:

Are the new lampposts with WiFi connections the same design as renderings approved by RIOC?…

RIOC Public Information Officer Alonza Robertson replied:

Crown had worked with the Real Estate Committee prior to bringing the presentation to the full board at the December 2017 meeting.

The actual lampposts height and light fixtures height were adjusted at the behest of members of the committee; from 25 feet to 22 feet; and from 20 feet to 14.

The small boxes attached to the light poles, and the cell tower that encompass the light fixtures are the same.

The equipment attached to the wood telephone poles is larger than the renderings that were presented in November.

We have scheduled a meeting tomorrow with the company to discuss that.

Below is the presentation made by Crown Castle to the RIOC Board.

Roosevelt Islander