Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

NYC residents complain about ‘ugly’ LinkNYC 5G poles, providing free WiFi to the people and deeper surveillance to the government

NYC residents complain about ‘ugly’ LinkNYC 5G poles, providing free WiFi to the people and deeper surveillance to the government

What Are Those Mysterious New Towers Looming Over New York’s Sidewalks?
As the city upgrades to 5G wireless, the streetscape is changing. Not everyone is impressed.
The idea is to provide free and equitable telecom and connectivity services to the people and deeper surveillance to the government.

But LinkNYC is getting dinged for aesthetics and the placement of 32-foot structures around the streets of New York City.

Some residents are calling them eyesores. Others are worried about safety due to their placement. “No one asked us about the design or where they should go. We have notes,” said a Brooklyn neighborhood group on Facebook.

As The New York Times wrote last weekend, the “towers” are part of LinkNYC efforts to install about 2,000 Link5G poles over the next several years in an effort to help eliminate the city’s “internet deserts.” A prior attempt to cover the city with Wi-Fi connectivity didn’t come to pass and led to an overwhelming number located in Manhattan, Brownstoner reported.

In July, Colorado-based Comptek Technologies took credit for its role in this latest 5G deployment, announcing it served as the designer and manufacturer of the Link5G poles. It did so in collaboration with ZenFi Networks, the CityBridge Consortium and Antenna Design.

At the time, ZenFi Networks co-founder and CEO Ray LaChance said they were "thrilled" with the result and excited to showcase Link5G across New York and across the country.

As of now, most of Link5Gs have not yet been activated and are in various stages of activation, optimization and testing processes, according to the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI). The OTI says 90% will be deployed in underserved areas – neighborhoods in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and above 96th Street in Manhattan.

“LinkNYC was designed to address New York’s pervasive digital divide, and our kiosks have already played a pivotal role in getting New Yorkers online,” a LinkNYC spokesperson told Fierce.


Related

To date, its program has provided free high-speed Wi-Fi to over 12 million users. “Our next-generation Link5G kiosks will double down on that work, bringing free Wi-Fi for those who need it, better cellular service for everyone, and investment in broadband infrastructure to communities across the five boroughs, with equity at the core of our rollout,” the spokesperson added.

It’s certainly not the first time residents of a U.S. city fought the installation of 30-foot poles.

But some New York City residents are complaining they weren’t consulted about the placement of the Link5G poles and are asking they be moved. Both the OTI and LinkNYC said they sought and continue to seek “extensive” community review.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×