The Macon County Planning Board is considering a request from two area wireless internet providers to build towers to expand broadband coverage in rural areas of the county.
The two providers – SkyFi out of Swain County and Sylva-based Skyway – are proposing to build a series of “small towers” that stand 125 feet tall. The proposed towers would provide wireless internet access to residents within 10 miles of them.
“The towers will get to your house through radio frequencies,” said James Sutton with Skyway. “Usually our towers are 125 feet, but they’re only 16 inches (in diameter).”
Not all of the towers would be 125 feet.
“We try to place towers in places where they do the most good, with the least amount of towers possible,” Sutton said. “We’ll do 10-foot towers wherever we can.”
There has been no formal action taken on the request. The planning board will take up the matter again at its next scheduled meeting on Aug. 13.
“Right now we’re looking at just key talking points,” said Justin Setser, chairman of the county planning board.
Sutton cited the success of a similar program in Swain County.
“Two years ago, Swain had 1,600 houses that were considered underserved. Once this next cycle gets funded they will have hit two-thirds of those households with up to 1,000 houses that now have service that didn’t used to have service.”
Tommy Jenkins, director of the Macon County Economic Development Commission, said he supported providing a fast track for the project.
“When I look at a 125-foot tower I might see from my house, I don’t think of that as an eyesore,” Jenkins said. “I look at that as an opportunity for a child to be educated, for your neighbor to get health care through tele-health and enabling your neighbor to work on line. I hope you’ll consider these changes.”
Expediting the approval process could mean that no official public hearing will be held.
The county’s Wireless Telecommunication Facilities Ordinance now requires “a quasi-judicial public hearing to be held before the Macon County Board of Commissioners before any decision is made to approve or deny an application.”
During the public comment period, speakers rose in support and in opposition to the plan.
Bill Van Horn with the Nantahala Hiking Club, voiced concern about towers going up within sight of the Appalachian Trail and hoped the club and the Appalachian Trail Commission will have an opportunity to provide input.
“The hiking club and the Appalachian Trail Commission do have concerns about the elimination of the public comment period,” he said.
Diane Dodge voiced her opposition to the towers.
“Right now I have a cell tower in front of my house, and I’m not quite as generous as Tommy was about liking it,” she said. “I don’t like it at all. Are we going to have a tower for every 100 people? Are towers the only way we can get broadband? They’re ugly and they will scar our mountains forever.”
Joan Mackey with the Holly Springs Community Club said her community and others desperately need broadband coverage, citing the need for distance learning and health concerns for seniors.
“Senior citizens require tele-health, and tele-health is basically not available in Macon County unless you’re on broadband,” she said. “We have people in this county who have actually died because they could not access tele-health. ... We need you to do something.”
Residents of Nantahala who spoke said their plight is even worse than other areas in the county because of sparse coverage of both broadband and cellular service.
Sutton said Skyway and SkyFi could begin to address the lack of coverage.
“We already have two towers that look into Macon County, and we’re asked all the time to come into Macon County,” he said. “There’s a grant out there that’s available to Macon County in the coming year that we’d like to apply for, but we’d like to know what we’re getting in to before we do it.”