Select Board defers Verizon small cell decision to Jan. 20
Select Board deferred Verizon's application to install fourteen small cell facilities on Martha's Vineyard roads after a fractured debate over whether to deny the proposal outright or pursue a macro-tower alternative.
Select Board · Meeting of January 6, 2026
CHILMARK — Select Board deferred Verizon's application to install fourteen small cell facilities on Martha's Vineyard roads after a fractured debate over whether to deny the proposal outright or pursue a macro-tower alternative. Chair Marie Larsen and Member Jeffrey Maida expressed opposition to granting Verizon a monopoly; Larsen said she wanted to work toward a macro-tower instead. Vice Chair Matthew Poole, though concerned about the strategic implications of denial, moved to continue the matter to January 20 to allow the board to better understand macro-tower feasibility and Chilmark's broader cell coverage plan.
Town Administrator Timothy R. Carroll noted the town's existing Distributed Antennae System is old technology and that Verizon's small cells would lose service during power outages. The board also approved a concept for a July 18, 2026 cancer-awareness fundraiser swim in Menemsha, contingent on a final written plan addressing trash removal and facility coordination.
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Source: the Select Board meeting of January 6, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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