The Rules Were Designed to Protect You.
They're Finding a Way Around Every Single One.
Here's how Phoenix Tower International is building a massive commercial cell tower in your neighborhood without telling a single resident.
The State Land Loophole
Under normal circumstances, any company wanting to build a 184-foot commercial structure in a residential area would need to go through local zoning approval, environmental impact reviews, and mandatory neighbor notification.
Phoenix Tower International is finding a way around all of it. They secured a lease on land owned by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA). Because the land is state-owned, it falls outside the jurisdiction of Onondaga County and the Town of Salina— completely bypassing local government authority.
No Local Zoning Review
State-owned land is exempt from local zoning ordinances. The Town of Salina had no authority to approve or deny the build.
No Neighbor Notification
There is no public hearing, no mailed notice, no opportunity for residents to weigh in. Residents are discovering a tower going up in their yards.
No Environmental Review
The standard environmental impact assessment that would evaluate effects on wildlife, water tables, and viewsheds was entirely skipped.
No Local Tax Revenue
Because the tower sits on state land, the local municipality sees zero tax revenue from this massive commercial operation in their community.
“They used a legal gap designed for highway infrastructure to erect a commercial cell tower in a residential neighborhood. This was by design, not by accident.”
3 Miles from an Active Runway. Unlit.
This isn't a technicality. People have died.
184 ft
Tower height
200 ft
FAA lighting threshold
NONE
Obstruction lighting
~3 mi
From SYR runway
0.3 mi
From flight path
~1,000 ft
Aircraft altitude on approach
The Math
Under 14 CFR Part 77.9, any structure within 20,000 feet of an airport runway that exceeds a 100:1 slope from the nearest runway requires FAA notification. At roughly 3 miles (~15,840 feet) from SYR, that threshold is approximately 158 feet AGL.
This tower is 184 feet — 26 feet above the FAA notification surface. Phoenix Tower was required by federal law to file FAA Form 7460-1. The FAA reviewed it and signed off with no lighting requirements. Read that again: the rules say a 184-foot structure 3 miles from a runway doesn't need a single light on it.
The Flight Path
This tower sits 0.3 miles directly south of the actual flight path where aircraft descend toward Syracuse Hancock at approximately 1,000 feet.
That's roughly 1,500 feet of lateral separation between live air traffic at low altitude and a 184-foot unlit obstruction. Pilots on visual approach in this corridor — especially at dusk, at night, or in marginal weather — have no way to see it. It is not lit. It is not charted as an obstruction. It is invisible.
View SYR on VFR Sectional Chart (SkyVector)People Have Died
The NTSB has investigated multiple fatal accidents involving aircraft striking unlit or poorly marked cell towers near airports:
Fullerton, CA (2004)
Cessna 182 struck an unlit tower on approach. Both occupants killed. AOPA fought to require lighting on the replacement.
West, TX (2016)
Agricultural pilot killed when his aircraft hit cell tower guy wires while returning to a base airport.
Price, TX (2017)
Pipeline patrol pilot killed when his Cessna clipped a cellphone tower guy wire near an airport.
The FAA itself warns: “Numerous antenna towers below 200 feet AGL may not be marked, lighted, or charted as obstructions” and calls them a significant risk to low-altitude flight. That's not our opinion. That's the FAA's.
5G Altimeter Interference
Separate from the physical collision risk, the FAA has raised alarm about 5G C-band signals interfering with aircraft radio altimeters — the instruments pilots rely on for landing in low visibility. The FAA issued temporary orders restricting operations near 5G towers at airports nationwide. A 5G tower 3 miles from Syracuse Hancock isn't just an eyesore — it's a potential threat to the instruments pilots depend on to land safely.
The Real Problem
The FAA likely reviewed this tower and approved it. That's not a defense — that's the indictment.
When the system works exactly as designed and the result is a 184-foot unlit industrial structure going up 3 miles from an active runway, in a residential neighborhood, with zero community input — the system isn't protecting you. The system is protecting them. The rules aren't broken. The rules were written this way on purpose.
Look Around the Tower
Here's what sits within a 1-mile radius of a 184-foot unlit industrial monopole emitting RF radiation 24/7.
🏫
Elementary Schools
- • Long Branch Elementary (0.8 mi)
- • Elmcrest Elementary
- • Donlin Drive Elementary
- • Chestnut Hill Elementary
🏨
Hotels
- • Staybridge Suites (Exit 37)
- • Best Western Plus (Exit 37)
- • Days Inn by Wyndham
- • Comfort Inn & Suites
🏘️
Residential
- • Rivers Pointe Apartments
- • Georgian Court Apartments
- • Plymouth Meeting Apartments
- • Single-family neighborhoods
🚒
Fire Stations
- • Liverpool FD — Main Station
- • Station 2 — 7th North St
- • Station 3 — Long Branch Rd
🍽️
Restaurants
- • Smokey Bones Bar & Grill
- • il Limone (Italian)
- • Santangelo's
- • Multiple chain restaurants
🏥
Care & Community
- • Assisted living facilities
- • Medical offices
- • Churches & community centers
- • Parks & playgrounds
These aren't hypothetical neighbors. These are children, families, first responders, and elderly residents living and working within direct exposure range of this tower — and not a single one of them was asked.
Rules for Them. Not for You.
The regulatory framework isn't just broken. It's designed to silence you.
They Can
Telecom companies can build a 184-foot tower in a residential neighborhood with zero local approval.
You Can't
You need a permit to build a fence over 6 feet tall on your own property.
They Can
The 1996 Telecom Act prohibits local governments from rejecting towers based on health concerns.
You Can't
Your concerns about RF exposure to your children are legally irrelevant to the approval process.
They Can
Phoenix Tower International sat on federal approval for a year, then started building without notifying a single resident.
You Can't
If you start a construction project without a permit, you get fined, stopped, and potentially sued.
They Can
The FAA says a 184-foot structure 3 miles from an active runway doesn't need a single light on it.
You Can't
Your drone gets grounded if you fly 400 feet near an airport without FAA clearance.
They Can
The FCC hasn't updated its RF exposure limits since 1996. A federal court ruled them inadequate in 2021.
You Can't
You're told the radiation is "within guidelines" — guidelines from before the first iPhone existed.
The Federal Trap
The Telecommunications Act of 1996
Here's the part most people don't know: Federal law explicitly prohibits local governments from denying a cell tower based on “environmental effects of radio frequency emissions”—as long as the tower meets FCC guidelines.
That means even if you wanted to sue over health and radiation concerns, federal law is stacked against you. The telecom industry spent decades lobbying for this protection, and it's baked into the law. In 1996, Congress even defunded the EPA from researching RF radiation health effects—eliminating the one federal agency that could have set science-based safety standards.
But the tide is turning. In 2021, the Environmental Health Trust won a landmark federal court case against the FCC. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the FCC's decision not to update its 1996 radiation exposure limits was “arbitrary and capricious” and ordered the Commission to explain why it ignored evidence of non-cancer harms, impacts to children, and environmental damage.
The fight isn't just about radiation—it's about transparency, due process, and the right of a community to be heard before a massive commercial structure is dropped in their neighborhood.
How We Fight Back
- 1Challenge the process: Was proper federal and state review actually completed?
- 2Demand transparency: Force disclosure of lease terms, radiation studies, and structural assessments.
- 3Push for legislation: New York State can close the NYSTA land loophole for future builds.
- 4Build political pressure: Elected officials respond to organized, vocal communities.
- 5Document everything: Every public meeting, every promise, every missed notification becomes evidence.
Why Silence Is Not an Option
If this tower goes unchallenged, it sets a precedent. It tells every telecom company that they can use state-owned land as a backdoor into any neighborhood in New York. Your community is next if Liverpool doesn't fight.
What the Research Says
The wireless industry says cell towers are safe. The independent science says otherwise. Here are the studies they don't want you to read.
NTP Study — "Clear Evidence" of Cancer
The U.S. National Toxicology Program's $30 million study found "clear evidence" of carcinogenic activity from RF radiation, including malignant schwannomas of the heart and tumors in the brain.
View the ResearchRamazzini Institute Confirmation
Italy's Ramazzini Institute independently replicated the NTP findings, discovering increased tumor rates at RF exposure levels equivalent to those from cell towers — not just phones.
View the ResearchEHT v. FCC — Court Orders Review
In 2021, a federal court ruled that the FCC's decision to maintain 1996-era radiation limits was "arbitrary and capricious," ordering the agency to address evidence of harm to children and the environment.
Read the RulingTelecom Companies Warn Their Own Investors
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile disclose in SEC 10-K filings that they face potential litigation risk from the health effects of wireless radiation. They warn investors — but not residents.
See the FilingsChromosomal Damage Near Towers
A 2024 peer-reviewed study found significantly higher chromosomal aberrations in the blood of people living near base station antennas, indicating potential DNA damage from chronic exposure.
View the StudyWildlife & Environmental Impact
Research shows RF radiation disrupts honeybee navigation, harms insect populations, and affects bird nesting patterns. No safety standards currently exist to protect any non-human species.
See Wildlife ResearchNIH: "The Assumption of Safety" Is the Justification
A 2023 peer-reviewed study published in Frontiers in Public Health and indexed on NIH/PubMed found that over 90% of existing studies show biological effects from RF — yet "no evidence of harm has been misconstrued as evidence of no harm" to justify the 5G rollout.
Read on NIHAll research cited above is compiled by the Environmental Health Trust, a nonprofit scientific research organization founded by Dr. Devra Davis, former senior advisor to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Browse All Research on EHTrust.orgThe Language Tells You Everything
When you search the effects of 5G and RF radiation, pay attention to how they phrase things. The language itself is the tell.
What Industry & Regulators Say
"Considered" safe
"No conclusive evidence" of harm
Effects "may" exist
"Not proven" to cause cancer
"Within acceptable" limits
"Further research is needed"
Hedging. Deflecting. Leaving the door open. This is the language of liability protection, not science.
What the Research Actually Says
"Clear evidence" of cancer — NTP Study
RF radiation DOES cause tumor growth — Ramazzini Institute
The FCC's limits ARE arbitrary — Federal Court
Telecom companies ARE warning investors of risk
DNA damage IS occurring near cell towers — 2024 Study
Wildlife IS being harmed — Peer-reviewed research
Declarative. Measurable. Verifiable. This is what happens when you stop “considering” and start testing.
While they “consider”, the people on the ground fighting for your rights are declaring IS and ARE. It's that obvious.
Now You Know. Now Do Something.
Sign the petition, call your representatives, and show up to the next Town Board meeting. They ignored us once—make sure they can't do it again.
Take Action Now