Posted Thursday, May 2, 2019 8:21 pm
Editor of the Reformer,
Vermont H.513 – an act relating to broadband deployment throughout Vermont – may be voted into law very soon. H.513 as currently written is a Trojan Horse concealing 5th Generation (5G) wireless technologies inside the definition of broadband. Effectively it is a red-carpet roll-out for 5G without mentioning it by name. Most legislators do not understand this. I worry that H.513 is the next Act 46 for which our legislators now regret their vote and claim they didn’t fully understand the ramifications.
Currently 5G operates at the 3GHz spectrum but can go up much higher. At 29GHz it hits the same frequency as TSA scanners. Imagine standing in a TSA scanner 24/7. With this in mind, the fast growing list of cities, states and countries from all around the world who have halted the deployment of 5G is no surprise.
In 2013, the FCC said in a report that it is time to reevaluate their standards. They did no such thing. To date they have not spent a single penny on safety studies. Instead, they are forging ahead with callous disregard while enjoying complete liability protection for any damage to human health and the environment.
5G piggybacks on earlier wireless technologies for which the biological harm has been clearly established by over 2,000 evidence-based, peer reviewed studies. (Learn more at bioinitiative.org.) The FCC guideline for exposure to radio frequency radiation is based on data and technology from the late 80s/early 90s, and they only looked at thermal effects (not biological effects). Learn more at ehtrust.org/policy/fcc-safety-standards.
H.513 has the potential to be of great service to Vermonters with modifications, namely: 1) Place a stay on the attachment of 5G antennas to poles and towers until proven safe and reliable, including 4G antennas that can be upgraded to 5G via software; 2) Remove Sections 19a (1) and (2) because they allow 5G to be implemented under the cover of broadband expansion.
If you care about your health, plants, pollinators and all living things that we share the planet with, please reach out to your Senators to express your concerns. Tell them we want to stick with fiber as it is reliable, sustainable, energy efficient, faster and safer. Tell them that Vermont needs to follow New Hampshire’s lead (HB522) and study the environmental and health effects of evolving 5G technology BEFORE deploying it.
Beverly Stone
Brattleboro, May 1
