At a glance, today’s UPDATE will look longer than usual—this is only because there is no online link for two of the items.
1) Residential internet. Providers Rogers and Shaw have merged. And of course there’s Telus. Sharon Noble gives us an up-to-date firsthand report on the current equipment offered.
(click on photos to enlarge)
As a long-time Shaw customer for cable and internet, I was surprised when I received a letter telling me I must convert to the new “Ignite” technology by the end of July or else Shaw would cut my service. I live in BC so I expect others here will be or have been in the same situation. I don’t know if this action is pervasive in Canada or not, but Shaw’s rep told me that they are “retiring” their older products. It sounds as if it’s just a matter of time…. Here is what I’ve learned and would like to share:
1. Shaw’s Ignite modem is wireless only and cannot be wired. The modem has 3 transmitters: 2.5 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz. My Safe & Sound Pro RF meter measured the RF levels at approximately one foot distance from the modem: 2,500,000 uW/m2 or 250 uW/cm2. (Safety Code 6 limits allow 4 times that level for these frequencies.) Shaw’s Head Office technicians told me that they had disabled the transmitters but the RF level remained the same. Without having an RF meter I would have thought the modem and the associated equipment safe.
Any attempt to shield the modem is dangerous. The modem runs hot and any covering, according to the installer even Swiss Shield, might result in a fire.
2. The only alternative in BC is Telus which uses fiber optic cable for its Optic TV service. The fiber to the home is “pure”, with no metal backbone. Telus is encouraging wired service and all of the equipment that was installed is wired. The RF level did not increase from the modem or the ONT (the Optical Network Terminal is a separate box that converts the optical signals to electrical signals). The level of dirty electricity as measured by my Stetzer meter increased slightly but was reduced by adding a couple of filters.
There are other considerations:
– A good one is that Shaw customers can keep their email accounts and associated history (if they are webmail users) by transferring ownership of the accounts to another Shaw customer. This must be done prior to cancelling Shaw service. There is no cost involved to either user or account owner. The move was seamless.
– Despite my asking many experts, I do not know what frequencies the ONT might put on the home wiring. Perhaps there are some that the Stetzer meter could not detect.
– Telus would not install Optic without eliminating our copper-based phone; this elimination is a major initiative across North America. This means everything is dependent on electricity and the internet. Should/when either of these go down, there is no “landline” phone service, even for 911. Telus is depending upon people having a cellphone as backup.
– If the modem is turned off, for example at night to reduce RF in the bedroom or adjacent rooms, the phone, home security systems that communicate via the phone, and anything else that is internet-dependent will not work.
– Telus is no longer providing a battery for short-term backup power should the electricity go down. Neither are they advising customers that they will be without phone service if either internet or phone service is lost. I was told that there are some ONTs that come with a battery and I was given one because I asked for one.
Good luck,
Sharon Noble
2) Residential gas smeters. More from our intrepid investigator Sharon Noble.
On August 7th, 2024 a letter was sent from FortisBC to BCUC (British Columbia Utilities Commission). Here are excerpts, and below them is the official link to the entire letter (a 29-page document):
FORTISBC ENERGY INC.
APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE RADIO-OFF AMI METER OPTION
PAGE 4
taken for estimating meter installation costs as detailed in Section 6.2.1.1 of the AMI CPCN Application.
The fees for providing the Radio-off Option are based on reasonable assumptions regarding the incremental costs to provide a Radio-off Option, including assumptions derived from FBC’s experience with administering a Radio-off Option as part of its electric AMI deployment.
FEI’s proposed Radio-off Option standard charges are comparable to those of FBC and BC Hydro, which further substantiates the reasonableness of the assumptions FEI has used for its own fees.
The assumed 0.9 percent of eligible customers choosing the FEI Radio-off Option is based on the current percentage of FBC electric customers who are radio-off customers in the Shared Service Territory (SST).
The proposed incremental costs charged to Radio-off Customers will be comprised of the following:
• A per-premises setup fee of $61 to recover additional administrative and labour costs associated with the installation of a radio-off AMI meter in circumstances where customers indicate their choice of the Radio-off Option prior to the installation of an AMI meter during deployment (pre-commencement).
• A per-premises setup fee of $105 to recover additional administrative and labour costs associated with configuring the AMI meter to radio-off in circumstances where customers indicate their choice of the Radio-off Option subsequent to the installation of an AMI meter (post-commencement).
• A per-read fee of $21 that recovers the cost of travelling to a radio-off premises and manually reading the radio-off AMI meter
3) VISTA detailed aspects of a current situation regarding a tower site. And an UPDATE member kindly provided links where you can read previous posts that give the “History of Ellenor Road Cell Tower, Comox, B.C.”
NOTE: To interact with people regarding this item, please contact VISTA (you see its email address on the next line (in the “From”).
From: VISTA – Vancouver Island Safe Tech Alliance <VISafeTechAlliance@proton.me>
Subject: Ellenor Road tower Update
Date: August 10, 2024 at 12:05:28 AM EDT
Hi everyone,
As you have probably heard, the Ellenor Rd tower (Comox Valley Regional District) was granted a letter of concurrence on June 17 without us knowing it would be on the agenda. This was a big blow to everyone who had worked so hard to defeat this tower. I am very sorry that I did not catch that agenda item.
It is now more important than ever to start documenting Radiofrequency readings on properties close to the now approved Ellenor Rd tower (see attached map). I have a Safe and Sound Pro II Broadband RF meter that I have been using to document readings at 3 locations in the Little River area (complete with video evidence of the readings). This will allow us to establish a baseline reading that we can use to compare to RF levels once the tower is operational. These readings could be useful evidence should anyone need to take legal action to seek compensation for damages. For farms in the surrounding area, if you don’t already, it is a good time to start documenting the health and productivity of your animals and crops to have a baseline for comparison.
If you are in the area around the tower and would like to start documenting RF readings on your property, I would be happy to show you how to take readings and lend you my meter for a few weeks. If interested, please respond to this email with your contact information and the subject line: RF Readings
Also, fyi, here is the email I have sent to Area Directors Arbour and Grieve, who voted in favour of the letter of concurrence. Area Director Hardy voted NAY to the letter of concurrence.
———— letter begins:
Area Directors Arbour & Grieve,
I am very disappointed to learn that you voted at the June 17, 2024 EASC meeting to grant a letter of concurrence to be submitted to ISED Canada for the 1388 Ellenor Road tower.
[name] and I did not have foreknowledge of this meeting. Some of our members were out of town and unfortunately, we did not see the agenda in time. We had repeatedly asked CVRD Planner Dylan Thiessen to keep us informed of any new developments with this tower, but this did not happen regarding this June 17 meeting. So the reason the public did not show up to this meeting was because we (VISTA – Vancouver Island Safe Tech Alliance) were unaware of this meeting and hence, did not get the message out to our members —NOT because people have lost interest in this issue.
Do you not remember our presentations at the March 6, 2023 EASC meeting and all the letters that were sent previously? Are your memories really that short? It appears that you ignored our presentations, report, and community letters and survey because they related to the old location, not the new location of the tower—even though our key concerns remain, despite the minor change in location on the property.
You had the power to grant a letter of non-concurrence. That is a fact. But you chose to not exercise the limited power that you do possess and you voted to let this cell tower proceed, despite the fact that
• No one has produced evidence of liability insurance should agricultural operations be negatively impacted after the tower becomes operational.
• There is no proof that wireless radiation is safe for wildlife and livestock, trees and plants.
• There is mounting evidence of harm to pollinators and other non-human life from wireless radiation at levels well below Health Canada’s Safety Code 6.
• Canada has no established safety standards for non-human exposure to wireless radiation. Safety Code 6 only applies to human exposure.
• There are alternatives to cell towers, like Starlink (as acknowledged at the June 17 EASC meeting), which is available to everyone who needs internet connectivity outside their homes. The Ellenor property owner and the people who complain of poor connectivity in the area have that option, too.
By granting concurrence to the 1388 Ellenor Road tower, you have opened the way for more cell tower installations in the ALR, potentially compromising farming operations and I believe you have failed in your duty to protect the ALR for agriculture.
——— end of letter
History of Ellenor Road Cell Tower, Comox, BC – Comox Valley Regional District:
(photo link) https://citizensforsafertech.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/New-Location-of-Cell-Tower-1388-Ellenor-Road-Comox-BC.png
Letters – https://citizensforsafertech.ca/2023-12-05-effects-of-screen-time-on-young-children/
Letters – https://citizensforsafertech.ca/2023-10-25-faults-found-in-5g-infrastructure/
Letters – https://citizensforsafertech.ca/2023-09-29-another-cell-tower-battle-comox-valley-bc/
Letters – https://citizensforsafertech.ca/2023-06-09-could-emf-be-killing-racehorses/
Letters – https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/2023-02-23-bent-science-toxic-chemicals-smeters/
2) & Letters – https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/2023-02-08-new-group-active-on-vancouver-island/
1) – https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/2022-11-18-fighting-teluss-cell-towers-in-comox-valley/
2) – https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/2022-10-27-telus-2-new-towers-planned-comox-courtenay/
Warmly,
Barbara Payne, President
Electromagnetic Pollution Illnesses Canada Foundation (E.P.I.C.)
Sent from my corded device with wireless always OFF for cleaner air everywhere.
A conscious choice. Because we ♥️ people & planet.
#tell2ppl2tell2ppl
