A mere two days separated these two critically important events the week of October 16, 2017 . . . there is a huge disconnect here, folks.
1. TRUTH — October 17, 2017: Supreme Court Rally: The Public Has a Right To Know About the Health Hazards of 4G/5G Wireless and the Internet of Things (IoT)
On October 17, 2017, the National Coalition for Responsible Technology gathered in front of the US Supreme Court for a rally. As part of the EPA’s Children’s Health Month, the rally drew attention to the growing use of wireless devices by children and the disastrous proliferation of small cell 4G/5G wireless antennas in residential zones across the United States.
The Coalition called on the federal government to take action to safeguard the public with effective and protective electromagnetic and microwave exposure policies based on the substantial scientific evidence of harm from exposures to pulsed, data-modulated microwave radiation at output power that is millions of times lower than the current federal electromagnetic and microwave exposure guidelines:
- Halt 5G deployment until long term safety is assured
- Place a moratorium on cell towers and cell antennas near homes, hospitals, schools, and children’s recreation areas
- Replace the nonsensical and scientifically disproven Federal Communications Commission Radiofrequency Microwave Radiation human exposure guidelines with effective health and safety standards
- Use the existing safe radiation-free technology in schools and public institutions (fiber optic and Ethernet cables)
Paul Heroux, PhD, Occupational Health Program Director, McGill University, at the US Supreme Court
13 Year-old Girl’s Speech on Cell Phone Radiation at the US Supreme Court
Paul Heroux, PhD Interviewed by Press Before US Supreme Court Event
2. DENIAL OF TRUTH: — October 19, 2017: Senators Roger Wicker and Catherine Cortez Masto Introduced “S.1988, The Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act of 2017″
Find a S.1988 Bill Analysis here
A. Wicker, Cortez Masto Introduce ‘SPEED Act’
[S.1988] would expedite the review process for telecommunications infrastructure and accelerate the delivery of essential broadband services by:
- Exempting telecommunications infrastructure from environmental and historic reviews by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other federal agencies in a public ROW if previously installed telecommunications infrastructure has already undergone environmental and historic reviews for the same public ROW. Any provider exempted from these reviews must still comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act;
- Exempting the deployment of small cells from environmental and historical reviews only if
- they are being deployed in a public ROW and are not higher than an existing structure in the public ROW; and
- they are serving as a replacement for an existing small cell and they are the same or substantially similar to the small cell that is being replaced;
- Exempting the deployment of wireless services (e.g. voice, video, or data) from environmental and historical reviews if
- they are located in an existing public ROW and
- adhere to tower height and guy wire requirements;
- Directing the Government Accountability Office to develop a report analyzing how to increase the efficiency of deploying broadband infrastructure to federal lands; and
- Directing the FCC’s Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group to submit a report to Congress on its preliminary findings and recommendations for accelerating the deployment of high-speed Internet access to federal lands across the United States.
B. Wicker introduces bipartisan bill to speed up deployment of broadband infrastructure
The Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act of 2017 (SPEED Act), S.1988, would address duplicative federal approvals for broadband infrastructure, including environmental and historical reviews in areas that had already been subject to reviews in the past. Those duplicative approvals also impact areas that have been established as a public right-of-way (ROW), and where telecommunications infrastructure already exists.
“This sensible legislation would help fast-track the deployment of next-generation broadband technologies by utilizing existing public right of ways and exempting communications providers from duplicative reviews,” Wicker said. “New advances in telehealth, online education, precision agriculture and other internet applications demand faster, better broadband connections.”
C. FCC’s O’Rielly Praises SPEED Act
Michael O’Rielly
“I applaud Senators Wicker and Cortez Masto for introducing the SPEED Act,” said O’Rielly. “This bipartisan effort to ease and accelerate the deployment of broadband technology would put an end to some of the excessive delays industry experiences when siting facilities.” But he added: “While this is a helpful first step, it reaffirms my belief that preemption is necessary to prevent unnecessary and costly barriers to small cell deployment.”
- It is proposing to deem an approval granted if a locality fails to act by a deadline, rather than having to resort to legal remedies to force a decision.
- It also wants input on the length of a shot clock on deciding a cell site application by localities.
- The FCC also proposes banning state or local moratoria.