Public loves wireless technology, hates its antennas.(Brief Article)

Despite their growing appetite for wireless gadgets, consumers are becoming ever less tolerant of the bulky antennas and transmission towers that power their new toys.

That irony is not lost on Eric Angstadt, Bay Area zoning manager for wireless carrier Nextel.

The Bay Area, with its booming economy and clogged freeways, is one of the nation's strongest markets for wireless services. But carriers like Nextel face increasing resistance from local governments that consider the steel towers a blight on the landscape.

San Francisco and San Jose, as well as East Bay communities like Berkeley, Concord and Livermore, are just a few of the local entities that are making it tougher for wireless companies to erect cell sites. …