Letters to the editor for Sunday, March 26

FCC should revisit exposure limits for radio frequency radiation

To the Editor:

Are the safety guidelines for radio frequency radiation, set in 1996 by the FCC to facilitate the growth of the wireless industry, adequate for current exposures?

The experience of Pittsfield following the placement of a Verizon tower in a residential neighborhood was the topic of an investigative article by Propublica published in November, ”How the FCC Shields Cellphone Companies From Safety Concerns.”

The majority of the public is unaware that the FCC ignored comments and expert testimony that were submitted from 2013 to 2019 about the need to reassess its exposure limits.

In 2021, the Circuit Court ruled that the FCC’s decision not to revisit its exposure limits was “arbitrary, capricious, and not evidence based.”

The court looked at 11,000 pages of testimony and identified four concerns: impacts of long term wireless exposure, impacts to children, testimony of people injured, and impacts to wildlife and the environment.

If the public were aware of the relevance of the court decision, every honest parent, educator, medical professional, public servant and environmentalist would need to immediately move the side of questioning the safety.

The issue is pressing for Massachusetts because of the installation of 5G infrastructure, and the impending roll-out of wireless smart utility meters by investor-owned utilities. (The DPU has failed to address serious complaints about the NGrid smart meter pilot program, including the reliance on an industry safety spokesperson also employed by the tobacco industry.)

Voters will have a chance to support citizen petitions at their spring Town Meetings in a number of Massachusetts towns. Other communities are actively reviewing their zoning bylaws. A number of legislative bills are under consideration in Massachusetts.

CeCe Doucette, of MA4SafeTechnology, will speak about the issues at 4 p.m. Monday at the United Parish Church, 1 Church Street, Upton. All are welcome.

Patricia Burke

Millis

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: MetroWest/Milford Daily News letter to the editor for Sunday, March 26