Wednesday, April 03, 2019

CTIA launches new phase in its campaign for more 5G spectrum

The CTIA just launched a new phase in its campaign to pressure the FCC to release more radio frequency (microwave and millimeter wave) spectrum for deployment of 5G. 

This telecom industry lobbyist group has cleverly framed the issue as a national competition between the U.S., China and South Korea. See the news stories below. 

The FCC began licensing blocks of spectrum for 5G to the telecom industry in mid-2016. SeeFCC Open Letter Calls for Moratorium on New Commercial Applications of Radiofrequency Radiation.

To date, the FCC has received several billion dollars in bids from telecom companies for these licenses. How does the FCC spend this money? Is there Congressional oversight? 

Will the FCC or Federal health agencies satisfy Congressional inquiries that the FCC's radio frequency exposure limits ensure that 5G and other wireless radiation is safe?  Why do 247 scientists who publish research on biologic or health effects of electromagnetic fields believe that national and international exposure guidelines are inadequate? What evidence does our government rely upon to justify the industry-developed guidelines it adopted in 1996?

Why 5G Makes Me Reconsider the Health Effects of Cellphones: Harvard Law Professor Susan Crawford, Wired, Apr 1, 2019
New 5G Network Spurs Health Concerns: Project Censored, Apr 2, 2019

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Trade Group Calls For Scheduling Spectrum Auctions

Kelcee Griffis, Law360, Apr 2, 2019

Law360 (April 2, 2019, 8:37 PM EDT) -- Mobile communications trade group CTIA unveiled its vision for the Trump administration's spectrum strategy on Tuesday, including calling for an established schedule that would complete planned auctions of spectrum by 2024.

While the government has already pinpointed key bands that must be freed up for expanded wireless use, it must follow through with a clear timeline so mobile carriers and technology developers know what to expect, according to a report from the group.

“It is now about executing on a clearly defined schedule over the next five years to provide the U.S. wireless industry with certainty that providers will have the spectrum they need to compete globally, as well as a timetable to allow effective network planning and design,” CTIA wrote. “The entire U.S. ecosystem needs to know when bands will be available so networks and devices are ready to support U.S. consumers.”

The report comes as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the government agency that advises the president on telecommunications policy, is collecting input on how the U.S. can use its airwaves most efficiently, and after stakeholders like Google, NCTA-The Internet & Television Association and free-market think tank Free State Foundation weighed in with their own recommendations.

According to CTIA, the government should complete several auctions of low- and mid-band spectrum and facilitate the clearing or sharing of other bands by 2024. By the end of this year alone, the Federal Communications Commission should have scheduled an auction in the 3.5-GHz band and completed auctions in the 37-, 39- and 42-GHz bands along with the 47- and 50-GHz bands, the report said.

“The administration should support the bands already set for auction, help drive action on additional bands identified for future mobile use, and advocate aggressively in support of mobile use of these bands globally,” CTIA wrote.

President Donald Trump's October memorandum on “Developing a Sustainable Spectrum Strategy for America's Future” called for developing a broad, long-term national use plan by July 22 of this year. To meet the president's timeline, the NTIA has asked agencies to submit their final reports on available spectrum resources by April 23.

In comments from the private sector, Google touted the economic value of applications and technologies relying on unlicensed spectrum, like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, citing research that showed technologies in that category contributed nearly $30 million to the nation’s gross domestic product in 2017. And that figure is expected to climb to upward of $42 billion by 2020, Google said. NCTA echoed those statements, telling the agency that the nation’s buyers and businesses rely on unlicensed capacity for Wi-Fi.

--Additional reporting by Christopher Cole and Anne Cullen. Editing by Jack Karp.

https://www.law360.com/articles/1145479/trade-group-calls-for-scheduling-spectrum-auctions  

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New Report Says China and the U.S. Are Now Tied in 5G Deployment Progress: The international arms race rages on

Patrick Kulp, AdWeek, Apr 2, 2019

https://www.adweek.com/digital/new-report-says-china-and-the-u-s-are-now-tied-in-5g-deployment-progress/

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CTIA: U.S. and China lead global 5G race, followed by South Korea

Jeremy Horwitz, VentureBeat, April 2, 2019 

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CTIA Releases National Spectrum Strategy Recommendations

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U.S. Tied with China in Global 5G Race, New Report Finds
Schedule of Spectrum Auctions Will Help Secure U.S. 5G Leadership, Add $391B to America’s Economy, and Create 1.8M Jobs
Press Release, CTIA, Apr 2, 2019


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From EMR Safety:


-- 
Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director
Center for Family and Community Health
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley

Electromagnetic Radiation Safety
Website:          https://www.saferemr.com
Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/SaferEMR
Twitter:            @berkeleyprc
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Tuesday, April 02, 2019

School dumps iPads, returns to paper textbooks




As classrooms across the country embrace digital textbooks, one Sydney school has declared the e-book era over and returned to the old-fashioned hard copy version because it improves comprehension and reduces distraction.
For the past five years, Reddam House's primary and junior high school classes have used e-textbooks on iPads. But the consistent feedback from the students has been that they preferred pages to screens.
Teachers also found the iPads were distracting and did not contribute to students' technology skills, prompting the school to announce that students should no longer use digital textbooks, and must revert to hard-copy versions instead.
"We hadn't completely gone away from hard copy," said principal Dave Pitcairn. "We kept year 11 and 12 hard copy. When [students] got to year 11, and now had the comparison between digital and hard copy, they preferred the hard copy.
"The ease of navigation through the textbook was easier with the hard copy. I believe they learn better the more faculties they use, the more senses they use in research and reading and making notes."
Teachers at the eastern suburbs private school, which regularly appears on the HSC top-ten honours list, reported that iPads were hindering learning.
"[Students] could have messages popping up and all sorts of other alerts," said Mr Pitcairn. "Also, kids being kids, they could jump between screens quite easily, so would look awfully busy and not be busy at all."
The school will also phase out iPads and begin a bring-your-own device policy with a preference for laptops.
Dr Margaret Merga, a senior lecturer in education at Edith Cowan University, said an analysis of all the research into differences in book formats has found that understanding improves when information is read in a paper rather than a digital format.
Research into why young people prefer hard-copy textbooks "points to greater perceived comfort, comprehension, and also retention of what's been read," she said. "Some have found that there's less immersive involvement [in digital text]."A University of Maryland study in 2017 found there was little difference in the two formats when students were asked about the general themes of a text, but the printed version made them better able to answer specific questions.
The study's authors suggested print be preferred when an assignment demands more engagement or deeper comprehension, or if students - primary, secondary or tertiary - were required to read more than one page or 500 words.
As for the weight of the textbooks in backpacks, Mr Pitcairn said students could leave them in their lockers or use a digital version at home. "I've noticed that students prefer their textbook in both places," he said.
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How Robots, IoT And Artificial Intelligence Are Changing How Humans Have Sex


When you consider artificial intelligence playing a role in our most intimate moments, it can put your mind into a bit of a tailspin. From smart sex toys to bots that offer companionship and sex, artificial intelligence is changing the future of intimacy. This reality is boosting business for companies rushing to develop products. At the same time, the very idea makes some people excited about the possibilities and leaves others consumed with concern. 
Smart Sex Toys 
Sex toys connected to apps with Internet of Things (IoT) technology and sensors allow people to control them remotely and are now available for both men and women. There are products for couples, some that can be controlled by smartphones or are intended to be used with a tablet, and others meant just for individuals. There's even one that can be activated using Alexa no matter where you’re at in the world which could put an interesting twist to a long-distance relationship. 
Sex Bots 
While some might not protest smart sex toys and what adults choose to do behind closed doors, there's a bit more controversy and consideration when contemplating if humanoid anatomically correct sexbots are good or bad for society. That doesn't stop nearly half of Americans from believing that having sex with robots will be a common practice within 50 years. Bots such as Realbotix’s Harmony and Synthea Amatus’s Samantha are quite realistic and are adaptable because one robot can assume several different characters and personalities. They can talk, show expression and respond to touch and pleasure in a similar way humans do. Since they are learning machines, sexbots are also very attentive to their partner as they listen to learn and become better in conversation.  

Proponents of the sexbots believe they are a solution to help ease loneliness and give companionship to individuals who may not have strong connections to other people as well as the elderly or bereaved. Also, sexbots can fulfill sexual desires for individuals and couples in a safe way without the risk of sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies. 
On the other hand, there is concern that sexbots could be damaging to society. Sexual relations with robots are actually expected to increase social isolation in humans. There’s concern from marriage psychologists that sexbots that are designed to emulate humans and are entirely customizable could significantly change marriage and become "objects of obsession" since bots don't bring the usual challenges humans bring to a relationship. In Japan, where the country’s birth rate is declining, there are concerns that sex robots will exacerbate the problem. There’s a Campaign Against Sex Robots that's concerned about the capitalism of sexbots and human sexual exploitation.  
It is expected that by 2025, pornography will be the third-largest virtual reality sector behind video games and the NFL, according to Piper Jaffray. Since the viewer gets a 180- or 240-degree view it feels like they are immersed in the porn scene or an actual participant in the room. Many entrepreneurs and companies such as Oculus that has VR porn in its latest version are developing other uses of AI for intimacy. Sex sells, and these businesses want to capitalize on the opportunity; some estimates have the sex tech industry worth $30 billion and growing. 
Legal and Policy Questions 
While progress is swift in using artificial intelligence in the sex industry to create new products, governments aren’t prepared to regulate it yet. There are many questions to answer from how to deal with privacy considerations to how do we ensure sexbots are safely made. The United States House passed the Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots Act (CREEPER) in 2018 to preemptively ban childlike sex robots. Regulating artificial intelligence in the sex industry is a new frontier. There are already challenges in regulating the porn industry, and there are additional considerations when dealing in virtual reality. Some of the existing laws governing sex are antiquated, but the future is here, and lawmakers are going to have to deal with the legal and policy questions created by artificial intelligence.   

As the wave of artificial intelligence sweeps over another area of our lives, it leaves disruption in its wake. This time it is changing the way we intimately interact with technology and our fellow humans. As the momentum continues, it's clear the technology and even artistry that makes sex bots possible is impressive, but it remains to be seen if this addition to our intimate relations will be good or bad for society.
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CDC, state officials investigating multiple cases of rare cancer in southwestern Pa.

Ewing sarcoma is a type of bone cancer.  No mention in the following article of the fact that bones absorb radiation heat.  

 Residents of the area are asking if radiation may be the cause of all the childhood cancers in the area.

 A quick google search of cell towers near Canonsburg, PA  brings up the following image...


Cell tower density for Greensburg, PA (also mentioned in the article) is even worse.


PA is also forcing smart meters onto people's homes.


Many in the Canon-McMillan School District first learned about Ewing sarcoma, a rare childhood bone cancer, when Luke Blanock of the village of Cecil was diagnosed on Dec. 5, 2014. 
The media did stories about the community rallying around the smart, handsome teenager and his family, then returned on Feb. 19, 2016, to cover Mr. Blanock — pale, thin and having just been told he had only two weeks to live — when he married his high school girlfriend, Natalie Britvich.
He rebounded a bit and even played a round of golf before succumbing nearly six months later on Aug. 7, from multiple tumors of the brain, spine, skull, jaw and pelvis. He was only 19.
But, as it turns out, the Ewing sarcoma scare within Canon-McMillan’s boundaries in eastern Washington County neither began nor ended with Luke Blanock.
In fact, six cases of Ewing sarcoma have been diagnosed within the school district since 2008, including two cases in the past nine months. 
And only now is it being disclosed that twice that number of Ewing cases have occurred in southeastern Westmoreland County since 2011.
Only 200 to 250 cases of Ewing sarcoma — a rare cancer of the bone or nearby soft tissue — occur each year in the United States. The National Cancer Institute said the incidence for all ages is one case per million but up to 10 cases per million among those in the 10-to-19 age group.
Based on a report by a concerned resident and St. Vincent College researchers about the Ewing cases in Westmoreland County, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a study to determine whether these cases constitute a cluster. The state now has expanded the investigation to include the Canon-McMillan School District and Washington County.
Nate Wardle, health department spokesman, said it received more than a dozen phone calls within the last month from residents of Washington and Westmoreland counties about the Ewing sarcoma cases, and several more called this week.
Cases mount up
The string of Ewing cases in Canon-McMillan began with the mid-2008 diagnosis of Curtis Valent, a Cecil Township resident who graduated from Bishop Canevin High School. He died on Jan. 2, 2011, at age 23, according to his obituary. His parents could not be reached for comment.
Late in 2008, Alyssa Chambers, then an 18-year-old Canon-McMillan senior living in northern Cecil Township, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma and survived. She later became an oncology nurse at UPMC Shadyside. 
Kyle Deliere, who lived about a mile from Mr. Blanock in the village of Cecil, was diagnosed with Ewing next, on Oct. 30, 2011. He lost weight, had night sweats and fevers, and developed large tumors on his hip, femur and lungs. The 11-letter high school athlete who wrestled for the University of Pittsburgh died on Nov. 15, 2013, at age 27. 
Then in June 2018, David Cobb, 37 at the time, and also living in Cecil Township, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma and now is undergoing rounds of chemotherapy.
Compounding this cancer conundrum and fueling concern, Mitchell Barton, a 21-year-old Canon-McMillan graduate now working as a technician in a local box factory, posted news on Facebook of his Dec. 27, 2018, Ewing diagnosis.  
He and Mr. Blanock played baseball together in high school. Mr. Barton, now undergoing chemotherapy, still lives at home in North Strabane, where fracked natural gas wells surround him. For that reason, environmental issues crossed his mind from the moment of diagnosis. 
“I worked at a golf course for four years and was exposed to a lot of chemicals, weed killers and things like that,” he said. “Our house also is in a valley surrounded by four gas wells. I heard about natural gas and my mom is concerned about methane [natural gas].”
In addition to the Ewing cases, a 14-year-old girl from Cecil Township died of astrocytoma, a brain and spinal cord cancer, in February, and as many as seven current students and two preschoolers in the Canon-McMillan School District have other types of cancer. 
Those nine consist of two cases of osteosarcoma (bone); one liposarcoma (joint); one rhabdomyosarcoma (also joint); a Wilms (kidney) tumor in a child whose family has moved from the district; one liver cancer; two cases of leukemia (blood); and a 2-year-old with cancer that the parent declined to identify.
In another case, a 21-year-old Canon-McMillan graduate of North Strabane was diagnosed in early January with leukemia.
Another concentration of cases
The worries about Ewing and other forms of childhood cancer go well beyond the Canon-McMillan School District. 
In Westmoreland County, 12 cases of Ewing sarcoma were found to be diagnosed from 2011 through early 2018. 
Maureen Grace, a Westmoreland County lawyer and teacher, began compiling a list upon hearing of one case after another in areas southeast of Greensburg. 
“All that I can say is that I saw beautiful children and families suffering. I asked myself, ‘What if this happened to a child in my family?’ Every child, every parent and anyone who cares about children has the right to clean, healthy, safe air, water and surroundings for their babies, little ones and teenagers to grow and become adults. I don't know if we have this environment right now,” Ms. Grace said.
“Our children are our most precious resource. If we don’t investigate this to the very best of our abilities, who are we as a culture or community?” she added. “We need to do better for our little ones who look to us for the answers. We need to protect them above all else.”
So determined, she sought help from two St. Vincent College researchers — Elaine Bennett, professor of anthropology and public health, and Cynthia Walter, a now-retired professor of ecology and toxicology — who recruited students to help verify cases, analyze results and write a report. Ms. Grace also received help through the Healthy Child/Healthy World Organization.
The research team, known as the Westmoreland County Pa. Ewing Sarcoma Project, submitted its report to the state health department and CDC in December 2017.
Working quietly, Ms. Grace finally responded to longstanding inquiries from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and stepped forward with Ms. Walter, who holds a doctorate in biology, to publicize their results.
Ms. Grace said she initially documented eight pediatric Ewing cases and the health department now has expanded that total to 12, when cases involving young adults were included. 
Confirming a cluster requires meeting a high statistical and analytical bar, including identifying a pollution or chemical exposure linked to that cancer, according to a Pitt biostatistician. 
That presents a problem because Ewing sarcoma has no known cause.
What could be the cause?
The Westmoreland project presented the state with a long list of possible pollution sources, including countywide shale gas drilling and fracking operations and a Penn Township landfill that has accepted thousands of tons of radioactive drill cuttings from gas well sites. The project’s report also makes a case for how pollution exposure could lead to Ewing.
But Ms. Grace said she and the team don’t yet know if fracking, water or air pollution, or pollution from old industry, among other sources of pollution and contamination, are responsible. “We don’t want our aim to stray from seeking a scientific cause and solution,” she said.
The health department said it is reviewing cancer statistics for Washington County and for the Canon-McMillan School District, where it is only aware of four cases but has yet to incorporate 2018 cancer data into its review. In the past decade, two additional Ewing sarcoma cases have occurred in Washington County — one in Charleroi and another in or near Bentleyville — with at least two cases each in Greene and Fayette counties.
The health department also said it has been working with researchers to separately evaluate and monitor Westmoreland County statistics. 
Even with 12 Ewing cases, the department does not see a statistically significant excessive number in Westmoreland County, Mr. Wardle said, adding that that finding has been shared with concerned residents of the county. “But we will continue to monitor the number of cases in the area.”
He said the department is doing the statistical evaluation of the Ewing cases in Washington County and now has included all childhood cancers in the study, including those identified by the Post-Gazette. 
The Ewing family of sarcoma is not one of the common cancers the department reports on annually, he said. Most cases occur in teens when they experience growth spurts, and science is limited as to what causes it.
The concerned citizens who recently called the health department wanted to know if the cancer cases are related to environmental factors, including radiation, Mr. Wardle said. Washington County has historic radiation issues related to a uranium mill tailings disposal site in North Strabane, near Canonsburg, where the U.S. Department of Energy continues to report background or below background levels of radiation. 
Another concern is the widespread drilling and fracking of more than 1,000 shale gas wells, which produce waste water with radioactive components, among other pollutants. The first experimental well in southwestern Pennsylvania was fracked in 2005 in Cecil Township. The township now sits downwind from a phalanx of compressor stations and a hilltop cryogenics plant, a major source of pollution.
Academic studies done in Pennsylvania and Colorado have found higher rates of childhood cancers in areas where fracking is occurring but with no links to Ewing sarcoma.  
The Marcellus Shale Coalition, the trade organization representing the shale gas industry in Pennsylvania, issued a statement citing a review of medical data by the American Cancer Society that found “no known lifestyle-related or environmental causes of Ewing tumors ....”
In a statement, David Spigelmyer, coalition president, said attempts to link the incidence of Ewing sarcoma and other childhood cancers to the shale gas drilling industry were without scientific or medical support.
Source
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Brussels Belgium And Rome Municipality Oppose Wireless 5G Antennas

Brussels, Belgium and Rome Municipality XII are the latest European municipalities to oppose wireless 5G. The government of Brussels, Belgium blocked raising wireless radiation limits effectively halting the 5G pilot program.  The XII Municipality of Rome also called for Italy to refuse to increase allowable radiation levels and for the creation of zones without 5G radiation.
“I cannot welcome such technology if the radiation standards, which must protect the citizen, are not respected, 5G or not. The people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit. We cannot leave anything to doubt,” declared Brussels Environment Minister Céline Fremault .
Across Europe and Asia, wireless companies have been heavily investing in public relations campaigns to increase wireless radiation limits in order to roll out 5G.  Telecom companies statethe only way to fully deploy 4/5G technology is for these countries to change their regulatory limits and allow more intense radiation exposures.  Industry research repeatedly documents that full deployment of wireless 4G and 5G  networks will significantly increase radiation levels near the antennas. Italy and Brussels Belgium, the de facto Capitol of Europe, are two of many governments, including India and China, that have lower wireless radiation limits than the USA.
As part of 5G roll out, industry is proposing that thousands of new wireless 4G antennas first be built close to residential areas as the building block for future deployment.  Brussels has now refused to change public exposure limits for microwave wireless radiation and the Rome Municipality resolution specifically asks the Mayor not to support any reductions in allowed radiation limits.  
The nation of Belgium also previously banned the sale of phones for young children and recommends general reductions in wireless radiation exposures.
Resolution Opposing 5G by the XII Municipality of Rome
The Rome resolution asks “the mayor to stop the 5G trial and not to raise the limit values ​​in the threshold of electromagnetic radiation avoiding the positioning of groups of mini-millimeter microwave antennas on homes, schools, day centers, recreation centers, street lamps and more.”
The regions action is in direct opposition to the Rome Mayor’s support of 5G trials and the industry push to loosen Italy’s wireless radiation public exposure limits.   Rome Councilor Massimiliano Quaresima stated, “The fight against electromagnetic pollution is our strong point. I am in favor of technological progress but not on the experimentation of 5G technology in the absence of certain scientific data on the repercussions for health. Apply the precautionary principle sanctioned by the European Union.”  
The action passed with 11 votes in favor and 3 abstentions. The issue is at the forefront of municipalities across Italy and worldwide.
Soon after the Rome XII Municipality vote, experts presented at the National Stop 5G Conference in Milan, supported by the Italian Electrosensitive Association.  Speakers at the conference including Dr. Fiorella Belpoggi of the Ramazzini Institute and Dr. Olle Johansson, neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute  in Stockholm and Stefano Bertone, one of the lawyers who represented the plaintiff involved in the landmark cell phone case that recognized a causal role between cell phone use and tumor development.
Over 229 scientists from all over the world have signed onto the 5G Appeal calling for a moratorium on 5G concluding that, “RF-EMF has been proven to be harmful for humans and the environment.”
News articles:  
On December 2018, the European  Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks  (SCHEER ) ranked the impact to wildlife from 5G as “high” in their report ”Potential effects on wildlife of increases in electromagnetic radiation” which investigated 5G as well as E-cigarettes and chemicals in plastics. The SCHEER document specifically references research on 5G (Russell 2018, Aerts 2018, Di Ciaula 2018) and Wi-Fi (Pall 2018) and concludes that the full impacts to humans and wildlife from 5G technology (a new modulation) have not been adequately researched opening up “the possibility of unintended biological consequences.”  
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