Pretty Woman Actor Irritating His New York Neighbors

Richard Gere has really done it this time.

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The town of Bedford, New York may not have the best cell phone service and the Golden Globe award-winning actor is trying to solve this problem. As the co-owner of the Bedford Post Inn, he has offered land on the property to erect a cell tower. The 130-foot-tall structure would solve some problems for the area, but not without creating others.

Verizon sued the town after it turned down two proposals for sites for the tower which they have been forced to put up to close gaps for emergency services, putting them in compliance with the Federal Communications Act. Gere's proposal has seemingly hated the lawsuit, which is great for the community.

It is not so great for some of his wealthy neighbors it would seem. The sister of Comedian Jerry Seinfeld does not want the tower, per an email she sent to the board, as "The decision you make will affect the lives of our family if you put the cell tower practically in our backyard". Other neighbors with a lot of money are equally offended.

So, what is the right call here? Do we not want people to be able to reach emergency services? Is there a concern over the technology involved and how it affects people? Is it a purely aesthetic issue? If someone approached me to put a tower in my yard, I would be all for it. Increased network coverage and a practical assurance that I could reach emergency services are all it would take to convince me.

Then again, I don't have enough wealth, and an eyesore isn't the biggest problem facing my day. Someday though, someday.