In the early 1900s, Teddy Roosevelt, while living in the White House, noticed smokestacks across the Potomac constantly spewing forth soot, smoke and pollution. They were ugly. They obstructed views. They marred the environment. And he hated them. TR, being TR, complained. A lot.
Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt and other forward thinking environmentalists, air pollution standards in the United States are better now than they were during TR’s time. But a new smokestack is on the horizon: the cell tower. They are ugly. They obstruct views. They mar the environment. And I hate them.
Once idyllic and pristine, the North Georgia mountains are quickly becoming the latest frontier of corporate exploitation, corporate irresponsibility, and personal sell out . . . or should I say “cell out?” Vistas that at one time offered a warm respite from the murk and mire of the urban crucible are now filled with views of cold, glistening and blinking towers that serve as reminders that we are all connected. Obsessive, addictive connectedness.
What would make the owner of a beautiful mountaintop allow a corporate giant to plant a cell tower . . . or two . . . or thee . . . or four . . . amidst the tall pines and knotty oaks of North Georgia? Is it unchecked greed on the part of AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint? Is it financial desperation on the part of the land owner? Is it greed on the part of both? At every step of a sales cycle there is a human being, so the consequences of high-tech cell out is not detached from high-touch decision criteria. Does no one care about the disappearing beauty of North Georgia? Does no one care about the land, the sky, and the air? Does no one care enough to say “NO” to corporate monsters waving money? I do. Let me rephrase that: I do, dammit!!
Municipalities, counties, and states need to step in and protect against unchecked growth, and that includes saying no to developers, companies, and individuals who have no motivation other than profit. The Georgia General Assembly needs to be a steward of the people, not a servant of profit and the companies that seek it. Companies like AT&T, Verizon and all the cell blockheads should be contained, not encouraged, in their unchecked growth.
And people who use cell phones, which is almost everyone, should put phone companies on notice that their poor behavior and questionable corporate citizenship will not be tolerated. We need to be heard. We must complain. A lot.
We must tell lawmakers and telecommunication companies that connectivity is vital, but not at the expense of the environment and not at the cost of the landscape.
To the telecoms who clearly do not care: Can you hear me now?
