re Proceedings 17-84, 17-79, and 15-180

Regarding the FCC proposal, “Accelerating Wireless Broadband Deployment by Removing Barriers to Infrastructure Investment,” ETC.: I am adamantly opposed to removing such barriers.  

Do not roll out more and more celltowers/antennas, and end your lust to expedite the rollout of 5G.  

While all other countries of the world are exercising caution before approval of the build-out of the newly invented 5G (5th generation of) cell phone/cell antenna technology, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rushed ahead with its approval of the technology.

The worthwhile goal of increasing bandwidth can much better be accomplished with fiberoptics (TO THE PREMISES), which provide better speed, security, and privacy.  Local control and oversight by cities and counties is essential.  Here are some reasons: 

- Peer reviewed published independent science shows RFR harm to public health and to nature.
- The FCC is not protecting public health, safety or the environment: the FCC fails to enforce its own outdated RFR safety guidelines, guidelines that enable many false claims of safety for wireless products. Those guidelines are based primarily on a 30-year-old analysis by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), done many years before the emergence of today’s digital wireless technology. The FCC’s proposed move to 5G would offer no further study of safety, and the goal of 5G to irradiate all environments ends any remnant of the notion of having some control over your home environment.
- Telecoms’ interests do not outweigh local municipal, county and state jurisdiction. Local municipalities have legitimate and established authority to protect citizens’ constitutional rights.
- “All Americans” do NOT want more involuntary exposure to wireless radiation.

For the above reasons, I ask the FCC to stop the acceleration of RFR until safer alternatives are established — and proceedings such as 03-137 regarding safe exposure limits (which has been pending ever since it was opened in 2013) are finalized.

AND FINALLY, the idea that landlines are “a barrier” to progress must be dropped.  There is still no substitute for analog landline service.  Analog landlines continue to work indefinitely in a power outage. They provide 911 with exact location information, and allow use of operator services, like collect calling.  Some disabilities make the use of an analog landline essential.  Analog landlines have by far the highest sound quality since they employ analog, rather than digital signals.  Landlines do not experience call interference or dropped calls. In addition, alarms, fax machines, pacemakers, and other equipment are often only compatible with traditional landline systems. While many today have chosen to embrace the wireless revolution, that is a personal mistake they have chosen to pursue. Others who are informed and want to make the best educated choice are choosing to continue using their landlines. Removal of the highest-quality, most reliable, most robust communications system in an area is not progress, it is moving backwards, it is about cutting costs for industry at the expense of the public.  It is essential that a company that is the landline provider of last resort in an area continues providing that essential service for its residents.