By Jim Murdoch, News 12 New Jersey.

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As Verizon makes 5G upgrades along the Jersey Shore, the message is clear in Spring Lake - stay off Ocean Avenue.

“Verizon is a big company. They have a lot of money, a lot of power. I feel like they are bullying their way into our town,” says Laura Demeo, a longtime resident of Spring Lake.

Demeo is one of more than 150 residents who are fighting Verizon’s plans for a half-dozen 5G poles next to the 2-mile boardwalk after the company submitted an application back in January.

Republican Rep. Chris Smith introduced legislation in April to give more power to people like Demeo and towns like Spring Lake to fight big communication companies and come up with alternatives and compromises.

“They need to say, ‘Hey, we serve you. You don’t serve us.’ And again, government has to be the same way. They are just rolling over the local population, and that’s a bad neighbor policy,” says Smith.

In Spring Lake, there’s already a local ordinance banning such towers along the immediate beachfront. An antenna in Sea Girt already utilizes an existing telephone pole.

Spring Lake Borough Manager Bryan Dempsey says Verizon can add its 5G equipment to poles inland.

“We made the ordinance that way because of how pristine the beachfront is, knowing there are other areas in town that have telephone poles they could utilize,” says Dempsey. Spring Lake’s mayor and council must now answer Verizon’s application within the next two weeks.

In a statement to News 12, a Verizon spokesperson says, “Verizon's network improvements provide crucial connectivity for customers and emergency service providers in the community. With consumers and businesses using increasing amounts of data each year, we continually enhance our network to meet the needs of homeowners, first responders and as vacationers in beach communities. Verizon has installed and now operates similar cell sites in adjacent communities with no negative impact on residents or wildlife. Our Company continually works to ensure we maintain compliance with all relevant and applicable Federal, State and local laws and procedures. That's been the case from the beginning and that process continues today.”

This article, which was published online on October 2, 2024, can be found here.