1) Telecoms themselves have admitted that 5G isn’t what they had hoped and promised. They also have acknowledged that fiber optic cable is “the future”, rather than wireless.
(click on photos to enlarge)
5G was an overhyped technology bust. Let’s learn our lesson.
“… What wasn’t okay was the corporate 5G hype that treated us like goobers who fall for any promise of new and awesome tech.
One lesson is that we can’t trust companies to be honest about how today’s buzzy technologies, including artificial intelligence, driverless cars and the metaverse, will or won’t change our lives.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/13/5g-didnt-matter/
2) A win of sorts, in that the Board of Health of Pittsfield, MA, which initially acknowledged that the cell tower was causing health problems and called for a cease and desist of the tower’s activation, is able to move forward with its concerns that the residents near the tower are being harmed. In “Letters” find more clarification about this history of the case and the court’s decision which was provided by one of the residents involved.
New ruling empowers Pittsfield Board of Health to take up cell tower issue
“I think what the issue has been is that we’ve been hearing because Verizon has a permit for the tower, there’s nothing we can do based on zoning laws,” Gilardi said. “The judge has ruled, and I think we can go forward with knowing that the board has the power at the state level to take this up in that health and safety is for every single person in the city of Pittsfield, it’s not just for some. We’re not collateral damage.””
3) This Declaration is intended to raise awareness about authorities and corporations who are endangering the health and well-being of children through the sale, promotion, and use of wireless devices. There is very important information in the footnotes and a request for signatures on the declaration. Please consider, and share this.
International Declaration on the Human Rights of Children Concerning Safe and Balanced Used of Wireless Technology – Commentary by Julian Gresser
“The intention of the International Declaration is to alert the world to the present, unfolding, predictable, and largely preventable catastrophe befalling children, resulting largely from hasty, ill-considered deployment and overreliance on wireless infrastructure, devices and products.
The compounding, largely disregarded risks to children from continuous and cumulative exposure to man-made non-ionizing radiation (NIR) emitted by wireless devices and their essential small and macro cell towers and other industrial infrastructure raises profound unaddressed ethical and legal issues. The unassessed risks to children in schools who are exposed to high levels of NIR from WiFi and macro cell towers are being trivialized and dismissed by many school administrators who are sacrificing the safety of children for money provided by governments and corporations that are greatly exaggerating the benefits of wireless infrastructure, and totally denying any risks of harm. All of this is happening around the world without the informed consent of parents or the children themselves.”
Letters:
PITTSFIELD — A judge has dismissed several aspects of a lawsuit challenging city officials’ handling of a Verizon cell tower, but he has agreed to review a decision by the Board of Health that plaintiffs say let the company off the hook.
The ruling gave both sides something to cheer about.
In a decision released Thursday, Judge Francis Flannery tossed out two counts against Mayor Linda Tyer and City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta that alleged that the city officials acted unethically in their handling and advising of the board, and one count against Verizon and the South Street property owner.
On those counts, he ruled there were other avenues for ethics complaints against the officials that had not been pursued. He also dismissed the counts against Verizon and the property owner, finding that the plaintiffs hadn’t stated any actionable claims against the parties.
But Flannery agreed to consider the neighbors’ request to review whether the Board of Health improperly rescinded its April 2022 show cause order that put the screws to Verizon.
That order, which required Verizon to show why the board shouldn’t shut off the cell tower, was issued after the board spent more than a year investigating reports of health problems from a group of residents living near the tower. The residents say that they’ve been experiencing health problems since the tower began operating in August 2020.
The board hoped the move would open discussions with Verizon about moving or shutting off the tower. But Verizon countered by filing a federal lawsuit against the city arguing that federal telecommunications laws preempted the board’s authority to issue the order.
Ultimately, the city rescinded the order.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs asked the court to overturn the board’s decision to abandon its show cause order and reinstate the cease-and-desist order targeting the wireless company’s operation of the tower.
They hope that the return of the order will kickstart talks between the board and Verizon over their health claims and moving the tower.
On this effort, the plaintiffs consider last week’s ruling a small victory.
“We absolutely feel vindicated,” said Courtney Gilardi, one of the plaintiffs. “We’re real people who have real injuries who have been displaced from our homes and for this to be able to move forward — it does bring us hope.”
The defendants in the lawsuit also view the ruling as a kind of win.
“We are thankful the Court issued its well-reasoned decision thoroughly addressing the points raised by each of the parties and that the Court dismissed the claims against the mayor and city solicitor,” attorney for the Pittsfield defendants Gregory P. Howard said in a statement.
Scott McCollough, an attorney for the neighbors, said that in the next month the residents plan to file a motion to “supplement the administrative record.”
McCollough said that he believes that attorneys for the Board of Health did not supply all the documents and materials that were used to make the decision to revoke the order against Verizon. The legal team representing the residents plans to ask for additional documents from the board before they ask the judge to issue a summary judgment on the case.
McCollough said it could be another four to six months before there’s a final ruling in the lawsuit.
In the meantime, the attorney said that he hopes the ruling could reignite conversations between the wireless company, city leaders and residents about moving the tower — conversations that have been stalled out since before the board’s order was issued.
“All I can suggest is that those who have been either convincing or allowed themselves to be convinced that what we were asking was impossible, should now rethink their premises,” McCollough said.
“What we are asking for, is not impossible,” he added. “Indeed, it is very, very possible and they should be mindful of that.”
Sharon Noble, Director, Citizens for Safer Tech
“Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.” John Wayne
Sent from my wired laptop with no wireless components. Practice Safe Tech.