Why Worry About Wireless?

There's a lot of talk about when it comes to 5G. What exactly is it? Is it harmful? Why all the confusion?

BACKGROUND

Currently there are over 154,000 - 395,000 cell towers, depending on your source, in the United States, with the industry stating  that they require over 800,000 more Wireless Telecommunications Facilities (WTF’s) to support a grid system that will allow faster streaming, information transmission and  the Internet of Things (IoT). These WTF’s, to include 5G, will be used with the current 3G-4G infrastructure, but unlike cell towers, these newer facilities will be placed in very close proximity to homes and schools. As well, 5G uses a different radio wave, using higher frequencies and higher energy, that include microwave as well as millimeter waves. 

Additionally,  5G capable Satellites have already been launched in low orbit with 100,000 already approved in the United States and thousands more to be launched worldwide. In order to support these satellites,  millions of radiation emitting Earth Base Stations are also being deployed. Electro-smog and 5G are now words in our vocabulary and the electro-smog radiation on this planet is now a quintillion times more than just 20 years ago, as determined by Olle Johansson, retired professor from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

INDUSTRY SCIENCE v. INDEPENDENT SCIENCE

What exactly is the confusion based on? Let me explain. In high-school physics we are taught that ionizing radiation has enough energy to free electrons from the atoms or molecules they are attached to, therefore ionizing them, and being able to cause more damage, like DNA changes. We are also taught that non-ionizing radiation does not dislodge electrons and therefore has been believed to be safe as long as power levels  are not high enough to heat tissue. This was the prevailing scientific opinion in 1996 when the federal standard for a safe level of exposure to radio waves was set by the FCC. In the 2 decades since then, many scientific studies have shown non-thermal, biologic effects from non-ionizing radiation, specifically from radio waves, the form of non-ionizing radiation used in wireless technology, even at power levels where it does not heat tissue. These biological effects include oxidation, which is known to produce free radicals in the body which can cause cellular damage and DNA damage, having widespread effects detrimental to human health.”

TELECOM INDUSTRY HAS EVERY ADVANTAGE

The issues are not just about health. Research shows that wireless technology impacts privacy, national security as well as health and the environment as outlined in this GAO Report (Government Accountability Office) from November, 2020.  Research also shows that the telecommunications industry manipulates science and information causing doubt and controversy leaving municipalities unsure about the facts. Using manufactured doubt, astroturfing , congressional lobbyists and collaborating with mainstream media  as well as using their captured agency the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), they are able to shut down any opposition.  

LOCAL GOVERNMENT’S REGULATORY CONTROL LIMITED

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major revision of the Communications Act of 1934. The The  FCC’s stated goal of this restructuring was to reduce the Monopoly AT&T had on the long distance market. The passage of the Telecom Act has led to such significant deregulation that there is much more consolidation of radio and phone service with only a few carriers who essentially monopolize and control the industry with the help of a powerful industry association, the CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association). The effort has incorporated protections for telecom, but not for public or environmental health (nor for privacy or security). 

Included in this telecommunications update was a section that added language prohibiting local governments from regulating the placement of this infrastructure based on “environmental” factors,  later argued to include “health.”  As you can see, many cities feel their hands are tied and there is little chance to unravel this complex issue during a local government meeting. 

The Telecommunications corporations have also placed industry insiders in the FCC, creating a captured agency; thereby being controlled by the industry it is supposed to regulate.  In 2018, the FCC, headed by Ajit Pai, who is a former Verizon Attorney, used its power to create rules that streamline and fast-track infrastructure deployment. These rules have taken away much of the local government’s ability to regulate this infrastructure. With much local control removed, cities feel their hands are tied. 

Some communities have managed to regulate this infrastructure based on aesthetics, gaps in coverage and radio frequency radiation (RFR) emission levels, as well as other comprehensive allowable regulations.   But ultimately, telecommunication installations are an uninsurable risk, as determined by Lloyds of London, Suisse Re and other insurance corporations. Therefore, the eventual impacts of these technologies can leave communities with little or no protections or industry accountability.   

NO TIME TO WASTE

As more adults and children discover the impacts from EMR-emitting devices (Electromagnetic Radiation), we need to act now for safer technology.  Without protections, we will all be at risk of  disabling symptoms, to include Electromagnetic Sensitivity, as well as the many other health risks associated with EMR.  But it also impacts the environment, they are a risk to privacy and security, they have been shown to lower property values, they are a known fire risk (especially in California) and they are an aesthetic quagmire for communities. 

Californians for Safe Technology attempts to consider all of the issues that we face when we go before our community leaders in hopes that they will do what it takes to create protective ordinance’s. Our future depends on swift involvement and action by all Californians.   We invite you to learn more through our website and we hope that you can help support this mission in whatever way you can.

Californians for Safe Technology Team