MILTON, DE -- Representatives from Verizon told WBOC the new cellphone tower along Front Street is now operational. The tower was built to combat a long-standing dead zone in the area.
"Verizon is excited to announce our new tower is now operational. This new site improves the coverage and capacity needed for large residential neighborhoods around Milton, reducing customer complaints and ensuring a seamless and enjoyable experience for all of our Verizon customers," a representative from the company said.
Officials with Verizon said the 140-foot tower will improve service for roughly three square miles in the area, including a section of Milton Ellendale Highway, Union Street, Federal Street, Front Street, Collins Street, and the community of Milton municipal buildings.
Justin Paul has lived in a home next to the new tower for four years. As a Verizon customer, Paul said this is the first time he has ever had full cellphone service.
"It was terrible. You couldn't get any service," Paul said. "Now I have full bars and 5G. I used to not be able to get that. It was always LTE at one or two bars, if that."
Paul said he is not concerned with the tower's proximity to his home.
"I don't have any problem. If it's right by my house, I bet I'll get all of the good service," Paul said.
However, other neighbors told WBOC they are concerned about how close the cellphone tower sits to their homes. The tower's construction comes after previous concerns from nearby homeowners, including a now dismissed legal challenge against it's construction. Some neighbors today expressed safety concerns, as well as concerns with how close the tower sits to Milton's historic district.
Beth Andrews said she just moved to the town's historic district. She was previously a Verizon user, but switched due to the historic lack of coverage in the area.
"We knew that, moving to this area, cell service would be an issue with Verizon," Andrews said. "We chose to switch to another carrier before moving here; that's how bad it was."
Andrews said she cannot personally see the tower from her house. However, she said many of her neighbors have expressed frustration over its location.
"I've heard a lot of complaints about where the tower is located," Andrews said. "There's a consensus that other locations in town, maybe in conjunction with the water tower, would have had less of an impact on this part of town."