NewPath Answers Lingering Questions on Cell Nodes

As a proposal for cell nodes in the Vale area moves forward, representatives for NewPath Networks hosted Tuesday to hear feedback and answer questions about the plan.

With four residents in attendance, NewPath received little resistance to their plan to place 10 cell nodes as part of a distributed antennae system (DAS), or a network of nodes that work together to give coverage to an area. The nodes provide broadband antennas that can accommodate any wireless carrier, allowing for greater wireless coverage and capacity. The nodes will be built where existing utility or light poles stand, representatives said.

Two residents in attendance acknowledged severe reception problems in their homes, but all asked questions concerning the nodes' safety.

"The [Federal Communications Commission] when they sold these licenses established a [mobile phone] radiation threshold that is well below any harmful effects and said you cannot be anywhere near this threshold," said Gregory Tully, managing director of infrastructure development for Network Building & Consulting. "The levels for these nodes are well below even where the threshold has been set by the federal government."

AT&T has hired NewPath, a subsidiary of Crown Castle, for the Oakton project. 

In February,  in the Miller Heights and History Drive area of Oakton about a proposal for four cell nodes. Through a separate application within the Providence District, the cell nodes were planned as a part of the project being proposed in the Vale area of the Sully District. The Providence District application has since been withdrawn, while the Sully proposal moves forward.

The preliminary plans place cell nodes at the following approximate addresses:

• 2903 Fox Mill Road
• 3003 Fox Mill Road
• Fox Mill Road and Helmont Drive
• 11528 Vale Road
• 3153 Cobb Hill Lane
• 12006 Vale Road
• 3601 Vale Road
• 3265 Fox Mill Road
• 3281 Fox Mill Road
• 3229 Fox Mill Road

The Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal (2232-Y11-9) for 8:15 p.m. July 19 at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax.