Re: Wireless phone question

[Shawn Mamros <mamros@MIT.EDU>]

>I think the anti-tower sentiment is often localized to the area in the
>community where the tower is to be built.  Mobilizing people from other
>parts of town who want better cellular service could be effective.  Those
>people might not want a tower in their back yard, but would be happy to see
>it built across town.  Other controversial businesses, like Walmart, do a
>lot to mobilize their supporters and possible customers in a community.
>Organized, paid efforts to mobilize "grassroots" support is a big business.
>I remain surprised that the cellular phone industry has not been more active
>in using these tactics.

Big difference, though...  In the case of WalMart, there's a direct
connection between the number of stores and the amount of money coming
into WM's coffers.

For the cell phone industry, it's not so clear cut.  In fact, I'd be willing
to bet that most cell providers try to get away with as few towers as they
possibly can to provide service to a given areas.  More towers cost more
money, certainly in terms of initial erection and possibly also in terms
of maintenance, and there probably is little if any noticeable return per
tower in terms of either more customers or having existing customers use
their phones more often.  So it just wouldn't pay for the cell providers
to mobilize their customers to demand more towers.

-Shawn Mamros (who can occasionally think like a bottom-liner when the
 mood strikes me...)
E-mail to: mamros@mit.edu