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Volume 22 • Issue 8
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April 17, 2026
Can You Hear Me Now? Town Council to Look at Cell Phone Coverage on Seabrook Island BY THERESA STRATFORD | For The Island Connection
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t’s no secret that cell phone coverage on Seabrook Island is sometimes an annoying issue, but could it be something more serious? When cell phone calls lag or won’t connect, that’s actually a public safety issue. Seabrook Island Town Council Member Darryl May announced at the March 24 Town Council meeting that he is determined to get to the bottom of it.
With a population of over 2,000 people, and with that number growing during tourism season, there really is no reason why Seabrook Island should have to deal with insufficient cell service. As chairman of the Public Safety Committee, May said he wants his committee to address the problem and research solutions. “Hopefully, at the next public safety committee meeting, we can have someone bring the technical data to show what the weaknesses are on the island and where they are problematic,” he said. May would like to schedule a public meeting where anyone can discuss the problems they have been experiencing with cell phone service on Seabrook Island. “We’re trying to get a record established that may lead to further effort in that regard,” he added. In July of 2025, the planning commission for Kiawah Island approved recommendations to
change an ordinance that would set a maximum height of 150 feet for cell phone towers, with clarifications and submittal requirements. Public notice requirements were also a large part of the ordinance. In August of 2025, it was reported that there were seven towers on Kiawah Island. Six of the seven cell towers are stealth, which means they blend in better with the environment. Only one is a monopole, which means it is the typical vertical pole made of steel. The stealth poles range from 65 feet to 105 feet. The monopole is 173 feet at Kestrel Court. Five of the towers operate on 4G, only two support 5G, as reported last August. The stealth tower at the Ocean Course is 70 feet. That was where they were proposing a monopole to replace it. The ordinance to improve cell coverage passed at first reading on Kiawah Island last year. The changes referred to the zoning code recommended by the Planning Commission about cell towers. The changes included raising height restrictions on cell towers to enable better cell coverage. In April of 2024, Tidelines posted a blog by the Seabrook Island Utility Commission reporting that all three major cell phone carriers use the top of the Seabrook Island Water Tower, which is adjacent to the fire station on Captain Sam’s Road, to locate their cell signal transmitters/receivers. For the use of the water tower, they pay an annual fee, which reduces Seabrook’s rates.
Gentlemen Songsters Hold Second Performance BY NAT MALCOLM | For The Island Connection
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hat do you have when you put together a doctor, two lawyers, an industry chief, plus a naval officer, a financier and a hotelier? Of course, you get an a cappella men’s singing group, what else? These are the Gentlemen Songsters, comprised of erstwhile singers from Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns Island. In the photo, they are preparing for their second public concert on April 24, at Church of Our Saviour on Betsy Kerrison Parkway on Johns Island. The performance will begin at 5 p.m. Their first concert, last May, was a “standing room only” success. The concert is free and will feature familiar tunes
from classic barbershop, love songs from artists like John Denver, spirited spirituals, Beatles tunes and even some classical, yet light, literature. Everyone is guaranteed to go away humming a song they know, and maybe even having a favorite memory jogged. Nat Malcolm, the group’s organizer and musical guide, said, “We have a wonderful time just singing for ourselves, and we love to share the pure joy we have for music. I hope our friends and neighbors will turn out for the Second Annual Spring Sing. We’re sure they will enjoy it as much as we do. Hopefully, this will be a new spring tradition.”