Companies expanding NNY wireless capabilities

OGDENSBURG — Wireless service is expanding in the north country.

Two Verizon Wireless cell towers recently went online in Lisbon and Stockholm, and AT&T has upgraded 11 sites in St. Lawrence County and two in Jefferson County to expand coverage and capacity for cell phone and laptop users.

"It was an effort of ours to finish the (third-generation) network from Watertown all the way north into St. Lawrence County into Massena," said Robert P. Holliday, AT&T vice president of consumer markets for upstate New York.

The upgrades should allow download speeds of up to about 3.6 megabits per second, he said.

The two new Verizon towers provide download speeds between 600 kilobits per second and 1.4 megabits per second for users in Flackville, Southville, Stockholm and parts of Route 68 between Ogdensburg and Canton, and Route 11B between Potsdam and Hopkinton.

The towers stand about 200 feet tall. One is at Kelly Road and Route 68 in the town of Lisbon, and the other is off West Stockholm Road in the town of Stockholm. Both were constructed during the summer and final inspections of the towers were done at the end of October.

Verizon spokesman John F. O'Malley said the sites are part of the company's $100-million-per-year push to expand coverage in upstate New York. He said the company will continue to look for additional sites for towers, but he did not say where the company plans to put one next.

While the placement of the tower in Stockholm caused one family to put its properties up for sale, the tower in Lisbon was approved by the town Planning Board in March without any objections, Lisbon Town Code Enforcement Officer Raymond J. LaRock said.

"I believe only three people came to that" public hearing, he said. "Their biggest concern was how they could get one on their property."

Luray Z. Martin, who is a member of the family trying to sell properties in Stockholm, said he is concerned about the health effects from radio waves.

"It's not like we're wanting to get out of here right quick," he said. "But we still want to move because we don't want to be here a long period of time."