Northway Cell Phone Coverage Agreement Reached

ALBANY – Governor Eliot Spitzer announced that an agreement had been reached Verizon Wireless and the five major environmental groups dedicated to the protection of the Adirondack Park on a “Statement of Principles” to guide the future development of cellular phone service along the Northway (I-87) corridor.

The lack of cellular coverage on the nearly 47 miles of the Northway corridor has been a subject of great concern for public safety reasons. The wireless solution offered by Verizon Wireless is a private sector solution, privately financed and located primarily on private land. The company has committed to erect as few towers as possible to secure full Northway coverage and will build a system compliant with the laws, policies and regulations that govern towers in the Adirondacks. The company has indicated that it will not construct towers within the forest preserve. The agreement was reached with the work of Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks, The Adirondack Council, The Sierra Club, the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks.

The system must be designed to provide wireless communications services for motorists traveling the Adirondack Northway with public safety and emergency use as a primary goal. The system must not result in any construction of communications towers, maintenance roads or electrical power lines on the New York State Forest Preserve Land. For more information, visit www.ny.gov.