On
May 29, the Louisiana House unanimously voted to have the Louisiana Department
of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health study the effects of 5G
technology on the environment and public health. The Louisiana legislature
passed House
Resolution 145 with a vote of 103
in favor and zero representatives voting against the
measure. The bill calls for the results of the study to be submitted to the
Louisiana House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment as well as the
House Committee on Health and Welfare no later than sixty days prior to the
start of the 2020 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.
5G—or
5th generation cellular technology—is the name for the latest telecom
technology upgrade. The new technology is expected to herald the
beginning of Smart Cities, where driverless cars, pollution sensors, cell
phones, traffic lights, and thousands of other devices interact in what is
known as “The Internet of Things.”
However, there have been a number of health and privacy concerns raised by
opponents of the rapidly advancing 5G expansion. Louisiana is the first
state to call for their own independent study of the technology.
The
language of HR 145 outlines the reasons that Louisiana state representatives
felt the need to pass such a resolution. For example, the bill states that
5G “may
pose risks to the environment due to increased radio-frequency radiation
exposure,” and “peer-reviewed studies on this
topic show the potential for wide-range effects,” therefore “a study is necessary to examine the advantages and risks
associated with 5G technology.” The
resolution also notes that “the insurance industry may have placed exclusions in policies to
exempt damage caused by this technology,” a reference to reports that various
insurance companies have excluded coverage related to damages acquired via
electromagnetic frequency radiation.
The
resolution also acknowledges that 5G technology requires small cellular
towers—or small cells—to be placed every 200 to 500 feet—closer than existing
towers—for the network to operate correctly. Not only is the installation of
small cell sites taking place across the nation as the U.S. government and
telecommunications companies roll out 5G cellular technology, this new
infrastructure is being built on top of already existing 3G and 4G technology
infrastructure.
Despite
the growing concern from state representatives, scientists, health
professionals and journalists, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has
wholeheartedly endorsed the rollout of 5G, claiming that there are no public
health concerns. In fact, Louisiana’s HR 145 may end up being challenged in
court due to current FCC regulations.
As
the Mind
Unleashed has previously reported,
cities and localities are raising alarm bells due to the federal government and
their partners in Big Wireless usurping local control of 5G expansion. The
Mayor of Danville, California went so far as to admit that the city council had “lost control” of the 5G rollout to the federal government and Big
Wireless.
According to the FCC’s regulations,
local governing bodies are not allowed to consider health risks when making
their decisions. This is because the federal law known as the Wireless
Communications Act of 1996 prohibits local jurisdictions from considering
perceived health effects when taking an action on a proposed facility. Instead,
cities and towns can only regulate cell sites based on the aesthetics and
placement of the devices. This problem was only made worse in September 2018,
when the FCC
passed a new rule putting the federal government in
complete control of the 5G rollout. In April, President Trump issued an executive
order stating that local and state bodies must now approve
new 5G infrastructure within 90 days. The Trump administration also initiated a
cap on the fees local governments can charge telecom companies wanting to
install 5G technology.
Even with the Trump administration’s
endorsement of 5G, the concerns of the Louisiana House have been echoed by
other state representatives and senators. On January 24, Frank Pallone,
Chairman of the U.S. House Commerce Committee, accused the FCC of colluding
with Big Wireless on the massive 5G rollout. Pallone sent a
letter to the FCC asking for copies of communications
between the FCC and the corporations involved in the current roll out of 5th
generation cellular technology.
Additionally, in early February, the
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on the
future of 5G wireless technology and its impact on the American people and
economy. At the hearing, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) raised
concerns about the lack of scientific research and data on
the technology’s potential health risks. In
early December 2018, Senator Blumenthal and California Representative Anna
Eshoo held a press conference asking
the FCC to provide evidence that 5G
technology is safe. “To ensure we communicate
accurate information to our constituents we respectfully request you provide to
our offices the 5G safety determination from FCC and relevant health agencies
that you referred to during the field hearing,” Blumenthal wrote.
More
recently, New York Congressman Thomas Suozzi sent a letter to the FCC seeking
answers about the technology. “Small cell towers are being installed in residential
neighborhoods in close proximity to houses throughout my district,” said Rep. Suozzi in
his letter. “I have heard instances of these antennae being installed on light
poles directly outside the window of a young child’s bedroom. Rightly so, my
constituents are worried that should this technology be proven hazardous in the
future, the health of their families and value of their properties would be at
serious risk.”
New
Jersey Congressman Andy Kim also sent
a letter, noting that, “Current regulations governing radiofrequency (RF) safety were put
in place in 1996 and have not yet been reassessed for newer generation
technologies. Despite the close proximity to sensitive areas where these
high-band cells will be installed, little research has been conducted to
examine 5G safety.” Oregon
Representative Peter A. DeFazio, House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee Chairman, wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and acting
FDA Commissioner Sharpless regarding the status of the government’s research
into the potential health effects of RF radiation and its relation to the FCC’s
guidelines for safe human RF exposure levels.
