An Electronic Silent Spring
June, 2016 Newsletter from Katie Singer
www.electronicsilentspring.com
26 days after the NIH’s National Toxicology Program reported that cell phone radiation definitively causes cancer, FCC Chair Tom Wheeler announced the Spectrum Frontiers Proceeding. On June 20, Wheeler said that 5G “is a national priority…. 5G buildout is going to be very infrastructure intensive, requiring a massive deployment of small cells…(that will) open up unprecedented opportunities for frequency reuse and denser, more localized networks.” Mr. Wheeler said that “we” will “stay out of the way of technological development…. Unlike some countries, we do not believe we should spend the next couple of years studying what 5G should be, how it should operate, and how to allocate spectrum… Turning innovators loose is far preferable to expecting committees and regulators to define the future.”
FCC Commissioners will vote on Mr. Wheeler’s proposal on July 14, 2016 without any public input or discussion.
* Meanwhile, in communities like Eugene, Oregon, people are voicing objection to new deployments to their local authorities.
* Canadians are also discovering that they have no say about the location of cell towers.
* Scientists continue to find reason for precautionary regulations. A recent study from the Mayo Clinic finds that text messaging appears to produce a unique brainwave form that can cause epileptic and nonepildptic seizures. This “texting rhythm” was also found in iPad users. Dr. William Tatum, the study’s lead author, noted, “There is now a biological reason why people shouldn’t text and drive–texting can change brain waves.”
* Lloyds’ of London’s “Exclusion 32” states that its insurance companies will not cover damages caused “directly or indirectly arising out of, resulting from or contributed to by electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetism, radio waves or noise–and yet:
* legislators push for the elimination of landlines–even while cell phones and VOIPs (voice over Internet protocols such as Magic Jack and Uverse) do not work during power outages. While Californians recently defeated a bill that would have allowed the elimination of landlines by January, 2020, thirteen states have passed such legislation. Yet more states have passed partial legislation to this effect. www.savelandlines.org
Because “smart” meters cause cybersecurity risks that could take down our country’s power grid, four senators (including NM’s Martin Heinrich) have proposed the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act (SEIA) of 2016, which will restore some analog metering.
*”smart” meters also cause fires.
If you live in New Mexico and have not yet seen “Take Back Your Power,” Josh del Sol’s documentary about “smart” meters, please check it out. The film is available on YouTube or Amazon Prime.
Please get informed. PNM has proposed installing “smart” meters in its service areas in New Mexico.
The FCC’s Technology Advisory Council has requested public comments about “smart” grid noise pollution (ET Docket No. 16-191); Comment Deadline August 11, 2016.
* Sandra Chianfoni has led reporting of “smart” meter noise. See her testimony in An Electronic Silent Spring and at www.sandaura.wordpress.com.
A few more worthwhile headlines
* Some camps leave children and parents “phone-sick.”
* Sharon Noble, from the Coalition to Stop Smart Meters, posts substantive news every day about all things EMR-related. Sign up at www.stopsmartmetersbc.com.
* Sugar Grove Station, a whole town in the National Radio Quiet Zone in West Virginia, is on sale for $1 million. Imagine the possibilities.
Essential Questions Before You Power Up
- How did the FCC determine that your device is safe?
- How much energy is needed to manufacture, ship, charge and operate your device (and its required infrastructure)?
- How are pregnant women, children, people with implants, non-users and wildlife affected by second-hand exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by electronics and their infrastructure?
- What limits would make your use of electronics healthier?
- How do you balance technology use with non-electronic time?
Want to read An Electronic Silent Spring? It presents earlier research and stories that confirm the new research from NIH’s National Toxicology Program. Despite amazon.com claims, the book is in print.
** If you’d like ten or more copies, I can pass on the discount that my publisher extends to me. This translates to a 30 – 35% discount from the cover price ($18), including shipping. To order, please contact me directly: katie @ katiesinger. com
Thanks to everyone who uses electronics as safely as possible, reduces their electronics usage and EMR-emmissions.
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To healthier ecosystems and communities,
Katie Singer
ww.electronicsilentspring.com