Cell phone towers not a danger to children

The British Medical Journal published a study in June, which concluded that children whose mothers lived near cell phone towers while pregnant do not have an increased risk of developing Cancer. To read more about the study and it findings from PBS click HERE.

Cellular network collapse

The Washington Post wrote about the possible "cellular network collapse" in this week's Science section.

Read the entire article HERE

Rachel Carson Middle School Receives $25K from Milestone Communications

Carson Middle to receive funds for having wireless communications tower placed on the property.

Click here for the full story.

Treepole tower approved by Fairfax Planning Commission

On Wednesday October 20th, the Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously approved Milestone’s application to construct at 115-foot “treepole” at Thoreau Middle School in Vienna.

The tower will be the first telecommunications facility disguised as a tree at a Fairfax County middle school.

Four major wireless carriers were co-applicants, including, AT&T, T-mobile and Verizon.

Supporters of the proposal testified at the public hearing and expressed frustration with the lack of wireless coverage in the region. Vienna Resident, Kathy Wood told the planning commission that she was unable to telecommute because her cell phone did receive adequate service inside her home.

In addition to the enhanced coverage, the tower will bring in re-occurring revenue to Thoreau Middle School and Fairfax County Public Schools from carrier leases.

Click here to watch local news coverage.

Watch this news report about stealth wireless infrastructure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRQYan_-CTQ&feature=related

Wireless technology and emergency communications

Twitter is being credited with rapidly spreading the news about the gunman who took hostages in Silver Spring, MD yesterday. Wireless technology and social media are increasingly playing a key role in emergency communications. People are using their smart phones to spread information in emergency situations.

The FCC estimates that one-third of all emergency calls are made from cell phones. Research also shows that 74% of Americans have used mobile devices in emergency situations and have gained valuable help. According to the FCC, 20% of the population has stopped using landlines and uses wireless devices in homes.

Text messaging and various forms of social media are also beginning to play a role in emergency communications. According to an American Red Cross survey 20% of adults would try to contact emergency responders via e-mail, text message, web sites, and social media outlets; most believe help will come after they tweet of post asking for help.

Dispatchers across the country are looking to update emergency networks to be more compatible with the increasing use of wireless technology to contact emergency services. This month a 911 call center in Iowa became the first one in the country with the ability to receive text messages. Durham County in North Carolina is working on receiving emergency calls via text message and streaming video.

Frederick Schools Profit From Towers

There is a great article in the Washington Examiner showing how Frederick schools are benefiting from wireless infrastructure built by Milestone Communications. A new tree monopole was just installed and both the school and surrounding community are receiving better service, plus income provided by the wireless carriers. Read all about it at:

washingtonexaminer.com/nation/schools-profit-from-new-cell-towers-in-frederick-95695724.html.

McLean Citizens Association Meeting

Milestone presented to the McLean Citizens Association on May 25th for the new tree pole tower at Longfellow Middle School

SmartGrid

I just read an interesting article about smart meters and how they are going to change our energy consumption. Gas and electric companies are planning to deploy these smart meters starting this year. It won't be long before they are part of everyone's life. In order to meet the needs of the utility companies, we need to build more wireless infrastructure. That's what Milestone does best! You can read a copy of this article on our website at: http://milestonecommunications.com/downloads/smart_grid_article.pdf

PCIA Names Len Forkas to Tower Advisory Committee

Marc Ganzi, Chairman of the PCIA Wireless, a national organization representing the wireless telecommunication infrastructure industry recently formed an advisor committee to provide feedback on current trends and best practices in the development of wireless towers. The committee consists of private owners and tower developers representing different regions in the US. Len Forkas, CEO of Milestone Communications, will chair a team that will develop programs to share information among between members, identify important regulatory issues in the industry and generate membership value for entreprenuers in the infrastructure industry.