Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) 5G Safety Statement, December 3, 2018
For Immediate Release
December 3, 2018
BLUMENTHAL, ESHOO RAISE SAFETY CONCERNS TO FCC COMMISSIONER REGARDING 5G TECHNOLOGIES
[WASHINGTON, DC]—Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr seeking answers regarding potential health risks posed by new 5G wireless technology.
On November 1, 2018, the National Toxicology Program released the final results of the longest and most expensive study to date on cellphones and cancer. Those studies found “some evidence” of a link to cancer, at least in male rats. However, the study only focused on the risks associated with 2G and 3G cell phones. There has been even more limited research with respect to the health ramifications of 5G technology.
Since 5G uses higher frequency waves that don’t travel as far, this new wireless technology will rely on the deployment of thousands of “small cell” antennas closer to the ground and near homes and school. At a recent hearing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Commissioner Carr dismissed Mayor Paul TenHaken’s awareness about the health ramifications of these cell towers.
Blumenthal and Eshoo write in the letter to Commissioner Carr.
“To ensure we communicate accurate information to our constituents—many of whom have concerns similar to Mayor TenHaken’s—we respectfully request you provide to our offices the 5G safety determination from FCC and relevant health agencies that you referred to during the field hearing. Please also include current citations for the studies informing that safety determination. Like Mayor TenHaken, we recognize that the literature on 5G technology may be limited ‘because it’s so new,’ and are interested in acquainting ourselves with the latest studies evaluating the health effects of high-band frequencies and modulations that would be used in 5G networks,”
In the letter, the lawmakers urge the FCC to act on its March 27, 2013 Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Inquiry on radiofrequency exposure policies, to ensure that
“all individuals, and especially those working in close proximity to the hundreds of thousands of small cell facilities to be deployed, are protected from any kind of excess radiofrequency radiation.”
Blumenthal and Eshoo request a response by December 17, 2018. Read the full letter here.