50 Bills to Fast-Track Wireless Deployment

Congress is currently considering 50 bills in both chambers that, collectively, would promote significant proliferation of wireless antennas and infrastructure across the country and in space, leading to higher levels of wireless radiation in the environment. These bills would:

Preempt local zoning authority on the placement of antennas
Exempt most wireless deployments from certain environmental and historic preservation laws
Encourage deployment on federal land, including National Forests and National Parks
Increase availability of spectrum for commercial use by reallocating from federal users
Make federal broadband funds available for wireless deployment
Fast-track approvals for satellite networks
Encourage wireless radiation in agriculture, which depends on pollinators.

For more information and to keep up to date on pending bills, see ehtrust.org/congress.

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Halt Proposed Laws That Would Proliferate Wireless

Dear [elected official],

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Congress is currently considering over 50 bills in both chambers that, collectively, would promote significant proliferation of wireless antennas and infrastructure across the country and in space, leading to higher levels of wireless radiation in the environment.

At the same time, the FCC has ignored its responsibilities for at least ten years, including a court order from the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit (2021) and the recommendations of a GAO report (2012).

I urge you and Congress to halt this proliferation until the federal government has determined safe levels of radiofrequency radiation emissions from wireless technology, especially cell towers and transmission infrastructure, for humans, wildlife, and the environment.

No federal agency has evaluated the scientific research on the health and environmental impacts of wireless radiation. The EPA was defunded from this work in 1996. Current FCC limits were developed by industry groups, largely based on studies (IEEE 1991 standard) that based exposure limits on effects found after exposing just 11 monkeys and 12 rats to radiation for less than one hour, more than 40 years ago. As the US Court of Appeals recognized, these antiquated studies are a far cry from properly assessing the health and environmental impacts of modern technology and ubiquitous wireless devices.

I urge you to: 
a) oppose the more than 2 dozen  bills that would increase antenna proliferation and/or radiofrequency radiation;

b) support only with amendments 2 dozen other bills, only if they are amended to remove provisions that would increase wireless proliferation;

c) support 1 bill as currently drafted; and

d) ensure that all federal broadband funding and grants are used to bridge the digital divide with wired broadband, which is faster, cheaper, safer, more secure, and futureproof.

Full details of all pending bills are available at 
https://ehtrust.org/congress/

Below are selected bills, which would have a significant impact on wireless proliferation:

HR 3557: Virtually eliminates states’ rights and local authority over communications facilities and exempts most wireless deployments from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

HR 4141: Exempts most wireless deployments from NEPA and NHPA.

HR 1338: Fast-tracks approvals for unlimited satellite deployments.

HR 3565: Renews FCC authority to make additional frequencies available for commercial use

HR 4510, HR 1123: Excludes 5G from a study of mobile network security; allows FCC to ignore certain input from other government agencies, allows industry payments to government regulators.

S.1648: Facilitates the launch of tens of thousands of satellites without environmental review

S.2018 Plans wireless deployments in National Parks.

S. 2855 Promotes deployment of wireless facilities on federal lands representing 30% of all US land area

Instead of fast-tracking wireless networks, Congress should take the following actions to protect the public and the environment:

- Require qualified, independent federal agencies to assess the evidence on wireless impacts and develop science-based exposure limits for humans, wildlife, and the natural environment.

- Fund the EPA to establish a federal program for nationwide RF measurements, environmental monitoring, oversight and compliance.

- Exercise Congressional oversight authority over the FCC and its lack of compliance with the US Court of Appeals order (Environmental Health Trust et al. v. FCC, 2021).

- Encourage the deployment of high-speed, affordable, wired broadband to bridge the digital divide with infrastructure that is faster, safer, and more secure.

A list of all pending bills is available at https://ehtrust.org/congress/

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely, [Your information here]