Verizon Small Cell Nodes

The Town met with Verizon to discuss its concerns and opposition to the project. 

Verizon has indicated that it will not consider abandoning the project, despite the Town’s opposition and public feedback. However, the company has expressed a willingness to consider relocating the poles and modifying their appearance from brown to a gray finish similar to the existing light poles along Caswell Beach Road. 

During the meeting, Verizon explained that the purpose of the nodes is to reduce the load on three larger antennas currently serving the area. These antennas are located on the Oak Island Water Tower, in the Southport Marina, and on Bald Head Island. According to Verizon, during peak tourist season the demand on these towers becomes significant, which can lead to network congestion and degraded cellular service due to increasing data usage. The degradation during the peak tourist season can reach greater than 85% and the benefit of relieving the congestion is not just for Caswell Beach but to make all the towers work more effectively.

The Town submitted a request to Verizon identifying the four existing pole locations, along with four proposed alternate locations for consideration. Given the limited placement options along Caswell Beach Road, the recommended locations were selected as the least visually intrusive and minimally obstructive. Please see the Supporting Documents below to review the proposed nodes relocations. 

The Board of Commissioners approved a budget amendment allocating $30,000 from the fund balance to the general fund to retain legal counsel for matters related to the Verizon towers. 

The Town has retained a consultant who previously spent 30 years working as an attorney for Verizon and is highly familiar with the company’s analysis and site selection process. 

Drawings of the four proposed locations were obtained. Please see the Supporting Documents below to review the drawings.

The Town’s consultant submitted a formal letter to NCDOT requesting withdrawal of the existing encroachment agreements with Verizon (see correspondence below in the Supporting Documents section). The consultant also advised that the State Encroachment Engineer with NCDOT’s Encroachments Engineering Section, based in the Raleigh Encroachment Office, has accessed the project files. This is viewed as a positive development, as it suggests the request has been elevated to the appropriate level within NCDOT for review. Please see the Supporting Documents below to review the letter. 

The Planning Board met on April 22, 2026 to discuss a proposed draft Small Cell Wireless Facilities Ordinance. Recommended edits were added and the ordinance will be presented to the Board of Commissioners to call for a public hearing and potential adoption on June 11, 2026.

Immediately following the meeting, town officials and Verizon representatives visited each of the four pole sites to discuss alternatives. Verizon seemed very willing to adjust the locations accordingly and potentially employ luminaire small cell poles in two of the four locations. 

Any new agreements will replace the current ones. NCDOT will not pause the existing agreements unless Verizon requests it. NCDOT will also coordinate with Verizon to ensure they understand the updated requirements and will encourage early coordination with the Town.

The recommended draft Small Cell Wireless Facilities Ordinance has been presented to the Board of Commissioners at a special meeting on April 30, 2026 at 9:00am. The Board of Commissioners called for a public hearing to be held on June 11, 2026, at 5:00pm.

A question was raised regarding the potential placement of a small cell pole on Fort Caswell property. On April 24, Commissioner Dollinger contacted Verizon to share that Fort Caswell is open to discussing possible placement options on their property. On April 27, the Town Manager spoke with a nearby resident who had also discussed this possibility with Fort Caswell leadership, who expressed a willingness to engage in conversations with Verizon.

The Fort Caswell Executive Director confirmed that he spoke with Verizon on April 30. At this time, there is no final decision. He indicated that he provided Verizon with three locations on Baptist Assembly property that they would consider. Verizon is currently evaluating whether any of these alternatives meet their technical requirements, including proximity to adjacent infrastructure. The Fort Caswell Executive Director also noted that Verizon continues to explore other options, including the potential use of the existing siren pole. He agreed to include the Town in future discussions and to keep us informed of any developments.

On May 13, 2026, Verizon Wireless representatives notified the town that the siren pole located just outside of Fort Caswell is owned by Brunswick Nuclear Power/Duke - Energy. They advised that the Nuclear Plant DOES NOT ALLOW COLLOCATION on the Siren Poles.

Verizon is now reviewing and assessing an alternate location provided by Fort Caswell leadership. Verizon has not completely ruled out the location at the 100 block of Caswell Beach Road. The recommended location within Fort Caswell's grounds is adjacent to the pool located within the camp grounds. On June 4, 2026 Verizon updated Town of Caswell Beach saying that "At this stage both locations remain active candidates under consideration for location of Node 4. Verizon will evaluate and rank a primary candidate based on overall colocation feasibility as well as the fiber infrastructure requirements. The Baptist Assembly location is a strong option, but we cannot rule out or abandon the ROW placement until final engineering designs and commercial agreements are fully executed". 

In an update provided to the town on 6/12/2026, Verizon stated that the relocation of the pole located at the 100 block of Caswell Beach Road (Node 4) will be relocated to inside of the Baptist Assembly as the priority location. The update also includes news that Verizon is working with Brunswick Electric to place a luminaire (a pole with the node at the top and a street light arm) in the 500 block of Caswell Beach Road. This is great news!

• Node 4 - East end of Caswell Beach Road

   

  • Option 1  (Baptist Assembly) - We have identified a suitable solution for the node.  Baptist Assembly has tentatively approved the terms.  Verizon is working on providing Baptist Assembly with an agreement to review and redline. The goal is to have an agreement in their hands for review by next week barring any delays from our leasing and legal team.;
  • Option 2  (Brunswick Electric Light Pole) - We now have confirmation from Brunswick Electric that they will allow us to replace existing light pole.  They will own and maintain the light arm.  This candidate will be considered secondary option and will be pursued should overall colocation feasibility as well as the fiber infrastructure requirements not be feasible on Fort Caswell grounds.
• Node 5 - Lighthouse Parking area - Standard metal pole only - No issues.
• Node 6 - 500 Block of Caswell Beach Road -  Brunswick electric has agreed to own and maintain the light arm on the Verizon owned pole.
• Node 7 - Public Parking Area - Standard metal pole only. No issues.