On April 15, Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman, wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Pai and acting FDA Commissioner Sharpless inquiring about the status of the government’s research into the potential health effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation and its relation to the FCC’s guidelines for safe human RF exposure levels, in light of the Commission push to rollout 5G technology and over 800,000 new antenna installations in the United States.
Rep. DeFazio pointed out that although the Commission sought comment on whether its RF safety guidelines should be reassessed in 2013, no further action has been taken and the guidelines have not been updated since their implementation in 1996.
The letter asks for details on the health-related studies conducted and what efforts have been taken by the agencies to educate and inform the public about its RF/5G technology research.
–From the National Law Review, April 30, 2019
Previously, in 2018, US Senator Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Anna G. Eshoo sent a letter to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr seeking answers regarding potential health risks posed by new 5G wireless technology. A few months later, at a Senate hearing, Blumenthal criticized Carr for failing to provide answers, and instead sending a statement that just echoes, “the general statements of the FDA, which shares regulatory responsibility for cell phones with the FCC.” In the February 2019 hearing, Blumenthal decried the FDA’s statements as “pretty unsatisfactory.”
“I believe the American people deserve to know what the health effects are…We are flying blind here on health and safety”.
Rep. Peter A. DeFazio’s letter indicates a growing awareness among policymakers of the health impact of 5G. Coast to coast communities are calling for a halt or to slow down the deployment of 5G and so called “small” cells near homes. Read a list of Cities more protective ordinances here.
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