City council vote this month could lead Verizon to build a new cell tower on this island
Verizon is getting its cell tower built in the city of Ocean City, New Jersey after all. The nation's largest wireless carrier had sued Ocean City in 2023 after it was denied an application that the company needed to install equipment on the roof of a privately owned building. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court, was settled by both parties and last Thursday a resolution was passed approving the terms of the settlement by the Ocean City City Council. Verizon's lawsuit alleged that the city violated federal telecommunication laws.
At the same time, the City Council introduced an ordinance allowing Verizon to build its cell tower on city-owned land on Bay Avenue. On April 10th, the public will get to comment on the ordinance and the City Council will vote on adopting it. If approved, the carrier will get to build a 120-foot cell tower on the southern end of the island. In the lawsuit, Verizon says that the equipment is needed to fill what it calls a "significant gap" in wireless coverage in Ocean City.
Originally, Verizon applied in September 2020 to have equipment added to the aforementioned rooftop that was part of a privately owned building on Haven Avenue. The wireless provider revised its plan deciding instead to add small antennas that would pass the city's height restrictions. Instead, with the settlement, a new cell tower will be built in Ocean City which should improve connectivity for Verizon customers in the market.
In Ocean City, Verizon offers both mobile and business internet, phone, and TV services. The carrier does offer fiber-optic service in the market including high-speed internet for businesses. Nearly 69% of the island is covered by Verizon's 5G Home Internet service which faces competition from T-Mobile's 5G Home Internet service. If you're a curious sort, you might be interested in knowing that areas around Ocean City, NJ were first covered by Verizon's 5G UltraWideband signals just before the Memorial Day holiday in May 2021.
While the planned cell tower is important for Verizon subscribers on the island, the ordinance allowing the tower to be built awaits the City Council vote on April 10th. The ordinance is needed because the city passed a resolution in 2023 that limits the building of future cell towers on the island.
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