I have written a number of Letters to the Editor and Op-Eds over the past several years to provide information to the public regarding the harms to human health and the environment from the proliferation of wireless infrastructure in Rhode Island. Time is passing quickly, and the proliferation is increasing. Evidence has been accumulating in the peer-reviewed literature that this infrastructure is not safe for humans, flora, or fauna. It is not secure from hacking and surveillance, is not reliable, is not green or energy efficient, and is not future-proof. Yet, Rhode Islanders have been subjected to the proliferation of radiation-emitting small cells on utility/light poles in residential neighborhoods since the passage in 2017 of the Small Cell Siting Act. Large cell towers/antennas have also been placed near homes and schools, and on top of hospitals and senior living complexes.

On November 1, 2020 our neighboring state of New Hampshire, after having consulted with bona fide experts and having held numerous meetings over many months, published the “Final Report on Commission to Study the Environmental and Health Effects of Evolving 5G Technology.” This report revealed that rather than protecting humans and the environment from the toxic effects of non-ionizing radiofrequency/electromagnetic radiation, which is a pollutant, the FCC promoted this wireless infrastructure, thus enriching the telecom companies at the expense of human health and the environment.

The questions the Commission was tasked to answer are very instructive. (pages 4-5 of the report) The majority of the Commission voted to approve 15 Recommendations, based on their careful assessment of the expert testimony that had been provided to them. These 15 recommendations should be read and seriously considered by all public officials. They can be found on pages 9 to 17 of the Report.

https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/statstudcomm/committees/1474/reports/5G%20final%20report.pdf

The following year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled against the Federal Communications Commission when it mandated that the FCC must respond thoroughly to the 11,000 pages of court-accepted scientific evidence of biological harm to humans and the environment that had been collected between 2013 and 2019, and reconsider their “arbitrary and capricious” decision to maintain their 1996 ElectroMagnetic Radio Frequency exposure guidelines. https://ehtrust.org/in-historic-decision-federal-court-finds-fcc-failed-to-explain-why-it-ignored-scientific-evidence-showing-harm-from-wireless-radiation/  The FCC has still not responded to the court’s mandate.

I will be writing members of the RI General Assembly to urge the creation of a Study Commission, made up of non-industry-affiliated experts in engineering, medicine, and public health, to advise on repealing the ill-conceived and misguided 2017 Small Cell Siting Act. This is an Act similar to bills passed in two dozen other states, pushed by ALEC and the telecom industry, with the purpose of stripping authority and responsibility for safety from municipalities. It enables the telecom industry to site radiation-emitting antennas in front of homes and schools. The legislators were not given the whole story at the time of passage. They need to have the facts now, and act to protect all Rhode Islanders and our environment from further proliferation of polluting wireless radiation. Please inform yourselves and inform your legislators.

Sheila Resseger, M.A. is a Co-Founder, 5G Free RI and Board Member, Toxics Information Project. She is a Cranston resident.