Phone or Toothbrush: Pick One

A new study commissioned by Bank of America found that 47% of Americans admitted they wouldn’t last a day without their smartphones. They key word here is “admitted.” Why is this important to tower industry professionals? These statistics are great to have in your back pocket, especially when you attend a zoning meeting with residents opposing your tower. Could they live without their phone? If not, then they probably should reconsider their resistance to the structure. Recently, an industry professional explained to me about how during a town meeting, a man was vehemently fighting this tower explaining that the town doesn’t need it and he doesn’t use his cell phone. Then his phone went off. I’m sure there are a couple dozen more stories just like this. CNBC reported, “A total of 91 percent of the 1,000 respondents called their phones “very important” — the same percentage who said their car and deodorant are very important too. And of those ages 18 to 24, 88 percent said they view their mobile phones as more important than the Internet, deodorant, and their toothbrush.