Year: 2018

• Environmental Health Trust: Clear Evidence of Cancer from Cell Phone Radiation: U.S. National Toxicology Program Releases Final Report on Animal Study
• US Brain Tumor Association Press Release: $30 Million NIH Study Proves Wireless Technology Causes Cancer and DNA Damage
• National Toxicology Program Page on Cell Phone Radio Frequency Radiation Exposures
• NTP Press Release: Exposure to Radio Frequency Radiation Associated With Cancer in Rats
• NTP Links to Final Reports

What did $30 million NTP studies find?

NTP studies found that exposure to high levels of Radio-frequency Electromagnetic Microwave Radiation (RF-EMR), like that used in 2G and 3G service for calls and texts, was associated with:

• Clear evidence of tumors in the hearts of male rats. The tumors were malignant schwannomas.
• Some evidence of tumors in the brains of male rats. The tumors were malignant gliomas.
• Some evidence of tumors in the adrenal glands of male rats.

The tumors were pheochromocytomas. For female rats, and male and female mice, it was unclear, also known as equivocal, whether cancers observed in the studies were associated with exposure to RFR. The conclusions were based on the NTP four categories.

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Laboratory rats were exposed to 900 MHz, a frequency used by cellphones for cellular calls and texts

Nov. 1, 2018; Adapted from the Original New York Times article here.

For decades, health experts have struggled to determine whether or not cellphones cause cancer. On Thursday, the National Institute of Health and Envionmental Sciences (NIEHS) released the final results of what experts call the world’s largest and most costly experiment to look into the question. The study originated in 1999, cost $30 million and involved some 3,000 rodents. The experiment, by the NIEHS’ National Toxicology Program, found positive evidence that Radio-frequency Electromagnetic Microwave Radiation (RF-EMR) from cellphones is linked to heart cancer, brain cancer and DNA damage in male rats.

John Bucher, a senior scientist at the National Toxicology Program, said in a statement

“We believe that the link between radio-frequency radiation and tumors in male rats is real,”.

Continue reading “US Govt Study of Wireless Radiation Exposure Proves Clear Evidence of Link to Heart Cancer”

November 1, 2018; the original SF Gate article is here.

Marin County officials announced Wednesday they are joining other local governments in challenging a Federal Communications Commission order aimed at accelerating the antenna-densification of both fourth and fifth generation of wireless service, known as 4G and 5G.

Marin County Counsel Brian Washington said the Board of Supervisors reported that it reached the decision in a closed meeting on Tuesday to file a challenge in a federal appeals court. The county and other cities and counties claim a Sept. 26 FCC order on the deployment of the new technology illegally intrudes on their power to regulate the aesthetic and safety aspects of the placement of new antennas and structures for 4G and 5G services.

Washington said Marin County will join a coalition of public entities represented by a Washington, D.C., law firm, Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP, and that the petition will be filed soon.

Twenty-five other West Coast cities and counties, including a group led by the city of San Jose, previously filed similar challenges in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Oct. 24.

The upcoming 5G networks use a different technology, including higher frequencies, and are expected to provide faster service than the previous wireless generations.

5G uses smaller antenna devices, typically no larger than a small backpack, according to the FCC, but have shorter ranges and must be more closely spaced. The new antennas would be placed on existing publicly owned utility poles, new poles or other structures.

Continue reading “Marin County Joining Law Suit re: FCC 4G and 5G Expansion Scheme”

By Colin Lecher, Nov 1, 2018; Original Verge article here. Full bill text here.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) released an early draft of legislation today that would create substantially stiffer guidelines for the misuse of consumers’ data. Among other provisions, the bill suggests creating a penalty of 10 to 20 years imprisonment for senior executives who fail to follow new rules around data use.

Wyden said in a statement:

“It’s time for some sunshine on this shadowy network of information sharing. My bill creates radical transparency for consumers, gives them new tools to control their information and backs it up with tough rules with real teeth to punish companies that abuse Americans’ most private information.”

The tech industry has faced enormous scrutiny over the past two years, as companies like Facebook and Google have been roiled by scandals, including Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data. Lawmakers have suggested possible new standards around the use of data, but so far, no major federal legislation has been passed. Still, Wyden suggested in an interview with The Verge this year that a bill was forthcoming.

Continue reading “Senator Wyden Introduces the Consumer Data Protection Act”

November 1, 2018

Original Environmental Health Trust link here

Statement by Ronald Melnick, PhD on the National Toxicology Program Final Reports on Radio-frequency Electromagnetic Microwave Radiation (RF-EMR) Exposures

Ronald Melnick PhD, the National Institutes of Health Senior Scientist who led the design of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) studies on cell phone radiation released this statement after the NTP released their final reports on rats and mice exposed to long term Radio-frequency Electromagnetic Microwave Radiation (RF-EMR).

Melnick recently published an article in the Journal Environmental Research debunking widely circulated criticisms of the NTP study and also released a scientific criticism of the way the NTP study was treated by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

Ronald L Melnick, PhD presenting at the National Institutes of Health National Toxicology Program Cell Phone Radiation Study Peer Review

Continue reading “Retired NIEHS Senior Scientist Statement on NTP Final Report”

Bay City News Service Nov 1, 2018 | Original Marin SF Chronicle article here.

Tim Lay, an attorney in the Spiegel & McDiarmid law firm, said he expects that the challenges filed in different circuit courts in the nation will be sent to a single circuit court, which will set a schedule for filings of briefs and a hearing. In one of Oct. 24 petitions in the 9th Circuit, San Jose led a coalition of 19 other West Coast cities and counties, including the town of Fairfax and the cities of Piedmont, Burlingame, Monterey and Los Angeles. Another petition was filed by Seattle, Tacoma and Kings County of Washington state and the third was filed by Huntington Beach.

The FCC said its Sept. 26 orde, scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 14, is the next step in the FCC's ongoing efforts to remove regulatory barriers that would inhibit the deployment of infrastructure necessary to support these new services.

Continue reading “Marin County Joining Law Suit Against FCC Rules for Densified 4G and 5G Infrastructure”

by Karl Bode Oct 29, 2018; Original Motherboard article here.

In reality, the real threat posed by community broadband is to big telecom’s monopoly revenues.

The Trump FCC has declared towns and cities that vote to build their own broadband networks an “ominous threat to the First Amendment.” The claims were made last week during a speech given at the telecom-funded Media Institute by FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. In his speech, O’Rielly insinuated, without evidence, that community owned and operated broadband networks would naturally result in local governments aggressively limiting American free speech rights.

O’Rielly claimed:

“I would be remiss if my address omitted a discussion of a lesser-known, but particularly ominous, threat to the First Amendment in the age of the Internet: state-owned and operated broadband networks.”

More than 750 such networks have been built in the United States in direct response to a lack of meaningful broadband competition and availability plaguing America. Studies have routinely shown that these networks provide cheaper and better broadband service, in large part because these ISPs have a vested interest in the communities they serve.

In his speech, O’Rielly highlighted efforts by the last FCC, led by former boss Tom Wheeler, to encourage such community-run broadband networks as a creative solution to private sector failure. O’Rielly subsequently tried to claim — without evidence — that encouraging such networks would somehow result in government attempts to censor public opinion.

Continue reading “FCC Falsely Claims Community Broadband is Ominous Threat to The First Amendment”

President Trump wants the US to be a leader in 5G.

by Mallory Locklear Oct 25, 2018; Original Engadget article here.

Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum today that described his administration's push for a national spectrum strategy, one that it says should help promote spectrum access and efficiency. In his memo, the president noted the ever-growing importance of adequate wireless communication technology as well as his desire for the US to be a leader in 5G deployment. The memo said:

It is imperative that America be first in fifth-generation (5G) wireless technologies — wireless technologies capable of meeting the high-capacity, low-latency and high-speed requirements that can unleash innovation broadly across diverse sectors of the economy and the public sector.

The president called for government agencies to notify the Secretary of Commerce about their future spectrum requirements and directed the Office of Science and Technology Policy to submit a report on emerging technologies and how they might impact spectrum demand. The OSTP will also issue a set of recommendations for research and development priorities focused on spectrum access and efficiency.

Continue reading “Trump Lays Out National 5G Strategy”

Rich Hosford, Oct 23, 2018 | Original article here.

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• View Oct 22, 2018 Burlington, MA Close Proximity Microwave Radiation Antenna (CPMRA) Ordinance here.
• View withdrawn Verizon CPMRA submissions here

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A proposed [CPMRA] project that had drawn some tough questions was pulled last night.

Verizon Wireless representative Attorney Daniel Klasnick said his client would rather pull the applications for seven so-called small cells planned for telephone poles around town than face a fee that was a condition being discussed by members of the Board of Selectmen.

As reported on BNEWS, the proposal from Verizon was brought up in a public hearing back in August. Klasnick of Duval, Klasnick & Thompson LLC, said the small cells are necessary to cover gaps in wireless coverage that develop as more people and businesses use the system. The devices are placed on telephone poles, street lamps and similar structures.

At the time members raised a number of concerns about the project.

• They asked if the small cells were really necessary, since Verizon’s coverage map did not show any gaps of coverage.
• They also asked about the chance that in the future Verizon would seek to put more small cells up in town or that other companies would seek to put others up.

The number of unanswered questions prompted a special meeting in September to discuss the issue in further detail. During that meeting it was decided there were enough unanswered questions to require the committee. The committee was formed and tasked with examining the need for small cells, coming up with a policy for new applicants and studying possible aesthetic and health effects of the technology.

This week Selectman Jim Tigges, the board’s representative on the Small Cells Committee, said the group had come up with a new policy for small cell applications. The policy contains a number of provisions while filing an application, including setting installation fees, listing the town department that must receive a copy for review and setting up the timeline for approval.

The Verizon application, however, would not be subject to the policy because it was submitted before its adoption. However, Tigges and the committee did have a number of conditions for the project it recommended to the board. They included:

• An agreement to annual recertification

• Poles must meet ADA standards.

• Equipment shall be located on top of the poles, colored similarly to the poles so as to blend in.

• Equipment shall not interfere with other equipment on the pole, nor obstruct or interfere with access to or operation of street lights or traffic controls devices on the pole.

Klasnick said some of those conditions could be met, at least in part. His biggest concern was the annual recertification which came with a fee, or what he called a “tax.” He said that was not acceptable to Verizon Wireless as it could set up a precedent for other communities and he questioned its legality under federal law.

“I’m not authorized by my client to move forward if that is part of this board’s approval. We don’t feel it is consistent with state law as this is authorized by federal law.”

Klasnick also questioned the need for recertification.

“I don’t understand what needs to be recertified, we are going to install the antennae and they will work for their lifetime,” he said. “We can agree to remove them after. They are no different than a transformer or a cable box. It seems to us that wireless service is being treated differently than other services.”

Still, members of the board said they were leaning towards requiring the recertification and associated fee as a condition of approval. Before they could take that vote Klasnick intervened.

“My client respectfully requests to withdraw the petition rather than have a fee.”

Board members agreed to the withdrawal and the matter was closed for the time being.

By Jim Fryer, Oct 22, 2018 | Original Inside Towers here

The Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act (House Bill 2564), which was proposed to help with 5G infrastructure, ran out of time and no companion bill was introduced to the Pennsylvania Senate, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer. The sponsor of the bill, State Rep. Frank Farry, told Inside Towers in an interview, he put the blame on a crusading lawyer bent on derailing the legislation as the reason for its demise. The proposed legislation would have made it easier to put thousands of small cell antennas on utility poles, buildings, traffic lights, or other public property for 5G services.

While 20 state legislatures have passed a similar bill, Pennsylvania has met a roadblock, just like in California, Washington and New York. Farry says that roadblock in Pennsylvania was Dan Cohen, an independent attorney from Pittsburgh who has acted on behalf of 150 municipalities to thwart the legislation.

Continue reading “Pennsylvania Small Cell Deployment Act Dies On the Vine”

. . . but is the American Public Fully Informed?

By Devra Lee Davis, PhD, MPH, October 19, 2018 | Original article here.

Dr. Devra Davis is the Founder & President of Environmental Health Trust & Visiting Professor of Medicine The Hebrew University

For both reporters and scientists, frank and candid discussions of telecommunications science has become a third rail — touch it and you perish. Last month J.C. Dvorak highlighted important gaps in understanding of new technology, in an opinion piece, “The Problem with 5G.” 5G is the highly touted system that will connect the internet of things allowing your coffee pot, refrigerator, and garage door to talk to your cell phone.

Dvorak revealed that 5G is still on the drawing boards but will employ both the current wireless frequencies of 3G and 4G and add in higher millimeter wave frequencies which can uniquely penetrate the eyes and skin. Moreover, these millimeter wave frequencies have the distinction of having been field tested as a military weapon for crowd control — the active denial system. Soon after his report appeared both Dvorak and his article were summarily removed and replaced with “What is 5G“ — an article boasting of growing markets for 2019 — and Dvorak was fired.

Stunned by his experience, Dvorak warned readers “to be a little more than cautious when believing anything." As his suppressed article had also indicated, “many systems calling themselves 5G are currently 4G using 5G as a marketing tool” whereas “true 5G . . . needs all these mini-towers all over the place” which “leaves plenty more time for the public to get a clue and be freaked out.”

Continue reading “Washington DC is Ground Zero for the Race to Extremely Dense 4G and 5G Infrastructure”