The company behind a contentious plan to erect radio transmission towers in Point Roberts has managed to meet an important deadline set by Whatcom County.
BBC Broadcasting Inc. wants to construct five 45-metre (150-foot) steel towers at an undeveloped lot on McKenzie Way, about 330 metres from the border.
The towers would transmit South Asian radio station KRPI, AM 1550, which broadcasts from studios in Richmond to a Lower Mainland audience. Also known as Sher-EPunjab AM 1550, the company currently uses antenna located in Ferndale, Wash., but wants to move them closer and have a stronger 50,000 watt all-day signal.
The Federal Communications Commission in the U.S. granted a construction permit but a conditional use permit is still required from Whatcom County, which asked the applicant for addition information, including questions put forward by a county biologist. The county requested that information last fall, setting a July 10 deadline.
Whatcom County project planner Suzanne Bosman told the Optimist several thick binders with detailed studies were submitted, information that will be posted on the county website next week.
The county hearing examiner will hold a public hearing on the project prior to a decision on the conditional use permit. Bosman said a date for the hearing hasn't been confirmed, but a request has been made to set aside Sept. 24 to 26.
Normally, a hearing takes one day, but several days are needed due to the public interest, Bosman said, adding at least one day will be required to hear from the public and another to hear from experts.
In a recent presentation to Delta council, Delta-Richmond East MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay said residents opposed to the application should focus their attention on the upcoming hearing. She noted she had been told by Industry Canada that the FCC was aware of Tsawwassen and took the community into consideration when reviewing the application. That's been a source of great contention among many local residents was fraudulent because Tsawwassen was left completely out of the company's submitted map.
Concerned about the economic, environmental and social impacts, complaints about the process, as well as blanketing interference of radio waves, the Cross Border Coalition to Stop the Radio Towers warns that blanket interference can affect many electronic devices, causing "ghosting" of KRPI signals.
"There is strong likelihood of blanket interference with many electronic devices, and reception of other radio stations," the group states. "Blanket Interference affects home and car radios, computers, home phones, TVs, walki-talkies and other devices not intended for radio communications. This was well documented by the residents of Ferndale who suffered for many years with this problem. Reading their complaints is horrifying."
The Cross Border Coalition to Stop the Radio Towers is urging residents to register with Whatcom County and speak at the hearing or send a letter of protest.
For its part, the broadcaster maintains it will do all it can to address any issues.
"Although KRPI is not legally required to address complaints beyond a period of one year from commencement of station operations, nor to work across the Canadian border on the issue, KRPI nevertheless is committed to going beyond minimum legal requirements and maintain its interference complaint resolution service for the life of the transmitter, and to provide the service to anyone affected regardless of whether they are in Point Roberts or Tsawwassen," the station stated.
