Earth Matters: The other story on 5G

The Island Now

By Patti Wood

Just as telecoms are fast-tracking their deployment of the next generation of wireless technology called 5G, scientists and public health experts are learning more about how long-term exposure to the radiation from wireless devices and antennas affects human health and the environment. To complicate matters, on Aug. 13 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the Federal Communications Commission must re-examine its health and safety guidelines for 5G and other wireless-based technologies.

This leaves local municipalities in a quandary. On the one hand, every elected official recognizes their primary obligation to protect the health and safety of their constituents. On the other hand, they recognize that many of their constituents, perhaps unaware of the science linking exposure to wireless radiation to serious health problems, are anxious to have the very latest in wireless technology. Making matters more problematic, a 1996 federal law prohibits any local government from even considering possible health risks when making decisions about the construction of wireless antennas.

5G “small cells” are not being installed in remote locations; the use of much higher frequencies used for this generation of wireless transmission makes it necessary to install antennas within feet of our homes and our children’s bedrooms. This changes everything.

A number of communities have recently faced this issue with varying results. The Town of North Hempstead was found in technical violation of the law when it delayed approval of 16 new small cell antennas, all of them in residential areas and all of them in close proximity to homes. The antenna company, ExteNet, working on behalf of Verizon, sued the town and won. They are now installing the new antennas against the wishes of a growing number of citizens who either live in close proximity to the antennas or who own property on which the antennas are being constructed.

It’s important to keep in mind that these are privately owned antennas, not part of any public communications network. They are not required for first responders, telehealth, driverless cars or national security. The telecoms are largely unregulated by any state public utility commission; they can charge whatever they want, or decide it is not profitable to bring their service to minority communities. (This is the taproot of the “digital divide.”) And their antennas will be emitting radiofrequency radiation (RFR) 24/7, whether the nearby residents use the service or not.

The primary purpose of these new “small cell” antennas is to allow telecoms to compete with cable companies to stream movies into your bedroom and collect your private information to sell to marketers. The proliferation of small cell antennas also enables superior tracking technology, including facial recognition. There’s lots of money to be made in this business, and Verizon is counting on its share.

How can local communities push back?. Plandome, Plandome Manor, Lake Success and Flower Hill have all rebuffed applications for small cell antenna installations and all four were sued, as are towns, cities and villages across the country, as local officials try to protect the citizens in their communities from harm.

Telecoms are understandably upset about this growing resistance to 5G, so they have recently convinced the FCC to implement draconian new rules to force communities to speed their approval of 5G. In some states, legislation taking away almost all local authority over the placement of antennas has been passed. But some communities are using smart planning tools to push back.

The installation of an antenna in most communities is subject to the local zoning code. The municipality has the full legal right and authority to specify, in its code, what is required of companies constructing wireless antennas, so long as it doesn’t violate the FCC’s rules. Some of the most effective things a community can have in its code to prevent its citizens from waking up to find a small cell tower on their front lawn can be found in the “tool kit” on the website www.AmericansForResponsibleTech.org.

Telecoms are countering opposition to 5G with massive amounts of advertising, exaggerated claims about the benefits of 5G (despite the TV ads, it won’t improve your phone service; you’ll need an expensive new phone to take advantage of any 5G services, which at the moment, are not clear.) They’ve hired a top tier public relations firm (the same one used by the tobacco industry) to help them downplay the developing science around health.

For instance, a study released in 2018 by the National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health found “clear evidence” that exposure to RF radiation from cell phones, at levels within FCC guidelines, caused cancer. Another important study of the health impacts from distant cell towers found similar results. Other recent studies have shown a broad range of biological impacts, ranging from abnormal brain development to damage to sperm to interference with the ability of honeybees to pollinate and the capacity of plants to grow.

Commerce moves quickly. Science moves slowly. And now we are witnessing the confluence of the two, with no clear indication of how this will be resolved. Will the demand for profits prevail over the efforts to protect public health? Will local communities be deemed subservient to the wishes of big technology? And what is the fate of those who choose to follow their own lead on personal health and safety?

These are questions every one of us should be considering.

TAGGED: 5G, patti wood
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