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T-Mobile opponents in Northeast and Southeast Portland lead change in how cell companies interact with neighbors before installing towers [The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.](Oregonian (Portland, OR) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 24--The Portland Office of Community Technology is hosting two public meetings, starting tonight, to gather feedback from residents and industry reps regarding a proposed change in the way cell phone companies interact with neighbors before installing a tower or other device. The meetings follow a heated meeting in November when Northeast Portland residents opposed to a new cell phone construction at N.E. 31st Avenue and Prescott Street wrangled with T-Mobile over the format. Concordia and Alameda neighborhood associations joined forces with Southeast Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood association, which is opposed to a T-Mobile installation there, and met with City Commissioner Dan Saltzman Saltzman told the group the city will look again at the rules regarding the public input part of the process. He said the regulations will clarify that the meetings must follow open meeting standards. Companies currently are required to hold public meetings but the shape of those meetings has been vague. The Northeast meeting dissolved into pointing fingers, heated exchanges, and a TV news crew being forbidden from attending. The proposed amendment aims to define how future meetings between cell phone companies and neighbors will go. The meeting for the public is from 6 to 8 tonight at the Portland Building, Auditorium, 2nd floor, 1120 S.W. Fifth Ave. Industry reps can attend a meeting Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Portland Building, 2nd floor, Room C. Comments will be accepted online, as well, until May 11. The city hopes to have the proposed rules finalized by July 1. For more info or to submit comments, contact Melvin Riddick at [email protected] or 503-823-0066. Want more NE news and events? Check Oregonlive.com/ne-portland for new posts daily. And follow me on Facebook and Twitter. -- Larry Bingham ___ (c)2012 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |