Blog

A Deep Dive into the Swedish Cancer Registry

Adapted from an article by Louis Slesin, Feb 21, 2019 | Original Microwave News article here.

---

It has been nearly eight years since an expert panel of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified Radio-frequency Electromagnetic Microwave Radiation (RF-EMR) exposures as a possible human carcinogen (a Group 2B). Since then, neither the World Health Organization (WHO) nor the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has recommended policies to limit health hazards from RF-EMR exposures.

In addition, no U.S. health agency has yet advised the Wireless industry or the public to reduce RF-EMR exposures. Even after two large animal studies —by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) and Italy’s Ramazzini Institute— presented clear evidence of a cancer link last year, the WHO has remained silent; ICNIRP responded by calling both animal studies unconvincing.

Continue reading “The Precarious Case Against Reducing RF-EMR Exposures”

By Karl Bode, Feb 21 2019 | Original Motherboar article here.

Ajit Pai's FCC insists that ignoring consumers and gutting oversight of major ISPs dramatically boosted network investment. Reality suggests something else, entirely.

Chairman @ajitpaifcc on Feb 19.

This report shows that our approach is working. But we won’t rest until all Americans can have access to broadband and the 21st century opportunities it provides to communities everywhere."

The FCC this week proclaimed that broadband connectivity saw unprecedented growth last year thanks to agency policies like killing net neutrality. The problem with this is that it doesn’t appear to be true. Consumer groups like Fight For the Future were unsurprisingly unimpressed by the FCC’s victory lap.

Fight For the Future

“From what we can see, this report looks like it was written by a telecom lobbyist and bears no resemblance to what Internet users are experiencing in their everyday lives,” said the group in a statement. “U.S. residents are already paying more money for less Internet than nearly anywhere in the world, so it’s awfully strange that the FCC’s media sheet said nothing about price and competition.”

Continue reading “FCC Says Gutting ISP Oversight Was Great For Broadband”

Strong Requests That The Review Paper Be Withdrawn Due to Wireless Industry Bias Have Been Ignored By the Annual Review of Public Health

​Adapted from an article by Louis Slesin, Feb 20, 2019 | Original Microwave News article here.

---

A major review of cell phone cancer risks is at the center of an ongoing controversy over whether the paper, scheduled for publication is fatally biased and should be withdrawn.

The new paper, by some who purport to be members of a community aware of RF-EMR exposure hazards from 4G and 5G cell phones and infrastructure antennas, contends that epidemiological studies do not show an increased risk of brain tumors or acoustic neuroma associated with the use of mobile phones.

Dr. Joel Moskowitz:
“The paper is the most biased review of this topic that I have [ever] read.”

Titled “Brain and Salivary Gland Tumors and Mobile Phone Use: Evaluating the Evidence from Various Epidemiological Study Designs,” the new paper is a detailed look at the literature and includes a meta-analysis of many of the studies that have been completed over the years. The lead author is Martin Röösli of the University of Basel in Switzerland.

The paper is slated to appear in the 2019 edition of the Annual Review of Public Health, which is scheduled to be published in the spring. The paper was posted online on January 11, 2019.

Continue reading “Controversy Over Cell Phone Infrastructure and Cancer Connection Review Paper”

By Karl Bode, Feb 20, 2019 | Original Techdirt article here.

Both Sprint and T-Mobile have been pushing a large number of bogus claims justifying their competition and job-eroding megamerger.

1. That the deal will create jobs (false).

2. That the deal is necessary to deploy fifth-gen (5G) wireless (false).

3. That reducing the number of major wireless competitors from four to three will somehow create more competition (false, just ask Canadians or the Irish how that works out in practice).

On that last front, the two companies have been trying to claim that because cable industry giants Comcast and Charter (Spectrum) have been flirting with wireless connectivity, that this constitutes enough additional competition to keep the sector healthy in the wake of such massive consolidation. In one T-Mobile deal-related announcement, company CEO John Legere was exceptionally creative in an effort to hallucinate up some additional competition:

This isn’t a case of going from 4 to 3 wireless companies – there are now at least 7 or 8 big competitors in this converging market. And in 5G, we’ll go from 0 to 1. Only the New T-Mobile will have the capacity to deliver real, nationwide 5G. We’re confident that, once regulators see the compelling benefits, they’ll agree this is the right move at the right time for consumers and the country.

Here's the thing. If you spend a few minutes looking at the factual reality under the hood, you'll find that's not actually true.

Continue reading “T-Mobile and Sprint Hallucinate Competitors in a Post-Merger Dreamscape”

. . . since broadband progress was similar in Obama era — so, this just more false bravado from Pai.

Adapted from an article by Jon Brodkin, Feb 20, 2019 | Original ARS article here.

---

Ajit Pai says the Federal Communications Commission's annual broadband assessment will show that his deregulatory policies have substantially improved access in the United States. The annual report will also conclude that broadband is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely basis. Can you see Pai's nose growing?

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai listens during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018.

Continue reading “Ajit Pai Falsely Takes Credit for Broadband Progress”

By Philip Rucker and Matt Zapotosky, Feb 19, 2019 | Original Washington Post article here.

Enjoy your life: Trump puts new attorney general in an awkward position from the start.

---

On William P. Barr’s first full day as attorney general, President Trump singled him out during remarks in the Rose Garden after signing a national emergency declaration aimed at building his long-promised border wall.

Trump told Bar at Friday’s ceremony:

“I want to wish our attorney general great luck and speed, and enjoy your life. Bill, good luck,”

. . . drawing light laughter from others in attendance, who surely remembered the many ways the president tormented Barr’s predecessor, Jeff Sessions.

In the days that followed, Trump sent more than a dozen messages to his 58 million Twitter followers reviving his critiques of the Justice Department, which Barr now helms, or the officials who came before him.

• The president called the Russia investigation a “witch hunt” that is “totally conflicted, illegal and rigged!”

• Trump assailed former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe as “disgraced.”

• He said McCabe’s claim that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein broached the idea of using the 25th Amendment to oust Trump amounted to treason — while quoting a Fox News Channel pundit, describing it as a “coup” attempt.

Trump tweeted Monday

"McCabe and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught . . . This was the illegal and treasonous ‘insurance policy’ in full action!”

Although Trump’s animosity was not aimed at Barr — in fact, he has praised him — it nonetheless puts the attorney general in a particularly awkward position as he begins his job.

Barr, people who know him say, is laboring to maintain his reputation as a relatively independent and principled leader while simultaneously reacting to pressure from his boss, who demands loyalty from his appointees and nominees and frequently disparages the Justice Department as it investigates his campaign and conduct.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said:

“William Barr has been attorney general before, but no attorney general in our history — literally — has been under a president who has such contempt for the rule of law, the judicial process and law enforcement generally. It’s: ‘Buckle in, because it’s going to be a wild ride, Mr. Barr. You ain’t seen nothing yet.’ ”

Continue reading “William Barr’s First Full Day as Attorney General”

Cable giants routinely advertise one rate then charge you another thanks to hidden fees that a thoroughly-lobbied government refuses to do anything about.

by Karl Bode, Feb 19 2019 Original MotherBoard article here.

---

Like the airline and hotel industries, the cable TV and broadband sector has a masterful knack for obnoxious, hidden fees. From fees for simply trying to pay your bill to broadband surcharges based entirely on fluff and nonsense, the industry has spent years advertising one rate, only to hit you with a significantly higher price once your bill actually comes due. A new bill being proposed by Senator Ed Markey and Representative Anna Eshoo is attempting to put an end to the practice.

The TRUE Fees Act requires phone, cable, and internet providers to:

• include fees, charges, and surcharges in the prices they advertise for service;
• allows customers to end their contract without early termination fees if their provider increases prices;
• prevents hikes on equipment fees unless providers improve equipment; and
• prohibits forced arbitration clauses for wrongful billing errors.

The House Legislation is co-sponsored Reps. Mark Takano (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), and Mike Thompson (D-CA).

The Senate legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Tina Smith (D-MN).

The TRUE Fees Act has been endorsed by the National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of its low-income clients; Consumer Reports; Consumer Federation of America; and Public Knowledge.

Continue reading “New Bill Would Stop ISPs From Screwing Customers With Hidden Fees”

Once hailed as unhackable, blockchains show more and more security holes in cryptocurrency and smart contract platforms, and some holes are fundamental to the way blockchains were built.

By Mike Orcutt, Feb 19, 2019 | Original article here.

---

Early last month, the security team at Coinbase noticed something strange going on in Ethereum Classic, one of the cryptocurrencies people can buy and sell using Coinbase’s popular exchange platform. Its blockchain, the history of all its transactions, was under attack.

An attacker had somehow gained control of more than half of the network’s computing power and was using it to rewrite the transaction history. That made it possible to spend the same cryptocurrency more than once—known as “double spends.” The attacker was spotted pulling this off to the tune of $1.1 million. Coinbase claims that no currency was actually stolen from any of its accounts. But a second popular exchange, Gate.io, has admitted it wasn’t so lucky, losing around $200,000 to the attacker (who, strangely, returned half of it days later).

Continue reading “Blockchains Are Now Getting Hacked”

By Elizabeth Goitein Feb 2019 | Original The Atlantic article here.

Trump’s Emergency Powers Are Ripe for Abuse

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: How to Be a Bad Guy

Trump Facing Both Sides Over Emergency Declaration

From seizing control of the internet to declaring martial law, President Trump may legally do all kinds of extraordinary things.

In the weeks leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, President Donald Trump reached deep into his arsenal to try to deliver votes to Republicans. Most of his weapons were rhetorical, featuring a mix of lies and false inducements—claims that

• Every congressional Democrat had signed on to an “open borders” bill (none had),
• Liberals were fomenting violent “mobs” (they weren’t),
• A 10 percent tax cut for the middle class would somehow pass while Congress was out of session (it didn’t).

Continue reading “The Alarming Scope of Presidential Emergency Powers”

By Camilla Rees, Feb 17, 2019 | Original letter here.

---

To: Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

From: Camilla Rees, Senior Policy Advisor, National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy ('NISLAPP')

Date: February 17, 2019

Re: Report on The Grave Mistake of Antenna Densification in the US – “Re-Inventing Wires: The Future of Landlines and Networks”

Dear Senators,

Enclosed please find a link to a paper published by the National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy (NISLAPP) in 2018, “Re-Inventing Wires: The Future of Landlines and Networks”, which is directly relevant to your Committee hearing “Winning the Race to 5G and the Next Era of Technology Innovation in the United States.”

We strongly recommend all Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation read this report, and accompanying Press Release materials.

• Feb 17, 2019 Press Release

• Feb 17, 2019 Media Advisory

• Feb 5, 2018 audio recording from the Commmonwealth Club, including the paper’s author, Dr. Timothy Schoechle

Continue reading “NISLAPP Report on The Grave Mistake of Antenna Densification in the US”