Historic Opposition to Cell Tower Fast Track Plan

A Historic Pushback Against the FCC Cell Tower Fast Track Plan

First, an update on the FCC:

Our collective effort is making a major impact.

To date, more than 5,900 filings representing over 200 million Americans, the vast majority in opposition, have been submitted to the FCC regarding its proposal to fast track cell tower deployment.

This is a historic level of public engagement.

Telecom media has taken notice. Broadband Breakfast recently featured Environmental Health Sciences’ webpage that compiles key FCC filings in an article titled “Dozens of Orgs Say No to FCC’s Fast-Tracking Wireless Infrastructure.” The article highlights the strong filings from the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) and Physicians for Safe Technology, among others.

What’s next:

It is critical that the pressure stays on. Now the FCC by law must review the comments and, at some point determined by the FCC, will issue a decision.

H.R. 2289, the Congressional bill to fast track wireless infrastructure, was approved by the House Energy & Commerce Committee but has not yet passed the full House. Additional bills are moving forward that would further fast track cell towers. Our lawmakers at the federal, state, and local level need to continue hearing from all of us.

Sustained engagement is essential right now.

A heartfelt thank you to people across the country who are speaking up at local town council meetings and requesting letters and formal action to preserve local control.

Below are highlights from the filings, key resources, and the video replay from our cell tower webinar. Please share information with your local officials and request they write to the FCC and Congress. Consider writing an op-ed for your local paper and/or hosting a neighborhood awareness event.

Thank you all for your continued effort.

Onward,

Theodora Scarato MSW

Director, Wireless and EMF program at Environmental Health Sciences

Please don't hesitate to reach out to our team at EMFProgram@ehsciences.org if you need specific resources or would like a presentation for your community.

Webinar Recording:

Cell Tower Health and Safety Risks

With the federal government proposing unprecedented rules that would dismantle existing local government safeguards, it’s more critical than ever to understand what’s at stake for local communities and families.

Watch and share this webinar with your community.

Another Media Hit: Inside Towers featured Theodora Scarato's recently published review paper in “New Review Finds U.S. Wireless Radiation Rules Outdated and Weakly Enforced.”

Download the full paper from Frontiers in Public Health at this link. This paper is important to share with your local officials because it documents the lack of adequate oversight on cell tower radiation and health risks.

Key FCC 25-276 Reply Comments by Local Governments to Share with Your Officials

Colorado Communications and Utility Alliance, Association of Washington Cities, City of Aurora, Colorado, City of Boulder, Colorado, City of Colorado Springs, Colorado, City of Seattle, Washington, City of Tacoma, Washington, City of Tumwater, Washington, City of Redmond, Washington, King County, Washington, Thurston County, Washington

The Coalition's reply comments end by stating that the FCC should update “its radio frequency emissions rules in order to demonstrate to the American public that the Commission is willing to act in a manner consistent with its federal obligations to protect public safety and the public interest.”

The United States Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities the National Association of Counties and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors states,“setbacks of 500 - 1,500 feet from schools and residential areas are not per se unreasonable, particularly in suburban and rural areas with available alternative sites.”

The letter signed by 19 Attorney Generals of the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin states:

“States across the political spectrum are legitimately concerned about how businesses using AI may harm their citizens and/or interfere with their own core responsibilities. If the Commission had the authority to preempt state oversight of everything that includes the use of AI, then it could, for example, bar a state court from disciplining an attorney who had electronically filed a brief replete with hallucinatory citations. That is just one example of the overreach that the Commission contemplates."