{"id":18617,"date":"2022-03-01T17:56:52","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T00:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=18617"},"modified":"2023-07-25T06:12:30","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T13:12:30","slug":"bill-could-restrict-rollout-of-5g-antennas-in-nh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=18617","title":{"rendered":"Bill could restrict rollout of 5G antennas in NH"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"subscriber-preview\">\n<ul class=\"list-inline\">\n<li><span id=\"author-popup-880238dc-3f10-11ec-bd3c-ab752efec760-asset-3b05d76c-51c4-5f15-9345-b1502670b68c\" class=\"tnt-byline asset-byline\" title=\"\" data-original-title=\"\" aria-describedby=\"popover831675\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sentinelsource.com\/users\/profile\/rgreen\">By Rick Green Sentinel Staff<\/a><\/span><time class=\"tnt-date asset-date text-muted\" datetime=\"2022-01-25T20:00:00-05:00\">\u00a0 Jan 25, 2022<\/time> <span class=\"text-muted tnt-update-old\">Updated <\/span><time class=\"tnt-date tnt-update-old asset-date text-muted\" datetime=\"2022-01-26T10:40:20-05:00\">Jan 26, 2022<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A bill pending in the N.H. House Science, Technology and Energy Committee would make it more difficult to build the infrastructure needed for communities to use the fifth generation of wireless technology, or 5G.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>House Bill 1644, whose backers say they are worried about the health effects of the evolving technology, would require new telecommunication antennas to be kept 1,640 feet, or about one-third of a mile, from residentially zoned areas, parks, playgrounds, hospitals, nursing homes, day-care centers and schools.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Many new antennas would be needed on cellphone towers, utility poles, streetlights and elsewhere to build out 5G service, which will bring quicker downloads, more reliability and more general capacity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tncms-region-ads-fixed-big-ad-top-asset\" class=\"tncms-region-ads\">\n<div id=\"blox-ad-position-fixed-big-ad-top-asset1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tncms-region-article_instory_top\" class=\"tncms-region hidden-print\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Opponents of the legislation say scientific evidence simply doesn\u2019t support the health concerns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>The practical difficulties of implementing the bill can be seen in Charlestown, a community of about 5,000 people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Liz Emerson, Charlestown\u2019s planning and zoning administrator, said the area needs economic development. Planners have expressed a willingness in the town\u2019s master plan to be a test site for 5G communications.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>The plan makes specific reference to allowing 5G testing once needed optical fiber has been installed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>But under HB 1644, it would be difficult to find a place to put the required antennas that wouldn\u2019t be within 1,640 feet of an area zoned for residences. Homes are now allowed in most of the town, and small areas set aside solely for commercial or industrial development are close to residential areas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cThat would put a damper on putting antennas pretty much anywhere in town,\u201d Emerson said. \u201cAnd that would kind of ring true for most towns, I would assume.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Speaking in favor of the bill in a committee hearing last week, its prime sponsor, Rep. Patrick Abrami, R-Stratham, said a study commission formed by the state, which he chaired, concluded in a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gencourt.state.nh.us\/statstudcomm\/committees\/1474\/reports\/5G\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> that not enough attention is being paid to the potential dangers of radiofrequency radiation associated with cellular technology, particularly 5G.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cWith this bill, cellphones will live on, but hopefully in a safer manner,\u201d he said at the hearing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Abrami said the state commission reached out to the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but didn\u2019t get direct answers to health-safety questions about telecommunication antennas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cSo basically there really is no one at the federal government that is dealing with this issue on the health level,\u201d he said. \u201cOur conclusion is that one needs to ensure the safety of citizens from overexposure to radiofrequency radiation and the state of New Hampshire needs to control its own destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Also testifying in favor of the bill was Sen. Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford, whose district includes several local communities, including Peterborough.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Ricciardi said she educated herself about cell towers when she fought a battle a few years ago against an attempt to put one near her home and near an elementary school.<\/p>\n<div class=\"asset-content subscriber-premium\">\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cWhile information is presented by companies that make it seem like cell tower radiation is safe, in fact, there are no safety assurances when it comes to this radiation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cWhile wireless companies put forward federal agency statements as supporting their stance, a deeper look reveals these agencies haven\u2019t looked at all the science nor have they concluded safety is assured.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Bethanne Cooley, assistant vice president of state legislative affairs at CTIA, an association representing the U.S. wireless communications industry, testified at the hearing that the bill is unwarranted and would be illegal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>She said the commission that Abrami chaired didn\u2019t look at the issue of radiofrequency radiation in a balanced fashion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cThis legislation is based on the unsupported premise that the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s regulated telecommunications equipment presents a quote \u2018significant public risk\u2019,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>In fact, she said the U.S. and the international scientific community, including the World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society, have said there are no known adverse health risks from the levels of radiofrequency radiation emitted by cellphones and transmission facilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>The World Health Organization said in an online question-and-answer document that no harmful health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cHealth-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum but, so far, only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>The American Cancer Society said in a statement there\u2019s no strong evidence that exposure to radiofrequency waves from cellphone towers causes any noticeable health effects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>\u201cHowever, this does not mean that the RF waves from cell phone towers have been proven to be absolutely safe,\u201d the statement said. \u201cMost expert organizations agree that more research is needed to help clarify this, especially for any possible long-term effects.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Cooley also said a string of court decisions indicate federal law preempts state and local regulations based on radiofrequency safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>House Bill 1644 would also establish a registry maintained by the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services for residents experiencing symptoms from wireless radiation exposure. Owners of wireless antennas would pay for the registry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>Michele Roberge, administrator of the bureau of public health protection for the department, told the committee it would cost $750,000 to set up such a registry and $50,000 a year to maintain it. Also, the department would have to hire two new staff members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>She said the department also has concerns about validating information in a registry in which participants would self-report their symptoms. Another concern would be the ongoing cost of running the registry if the antenna owners did not cover the expense.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\">\n<p>The N.H. House Science, Technology and Energy Committee will decide whether to recommend the bill\u2019s passage to the full House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tncms-region-ads-fixed-big-ad-bottom-asset\" class=\"tncms-region-ads\">\n<div id=\"blox-ad-position-fixed-big-ad-bottom-asset1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tncms-region-article_bottom_content\" class=\"tncms-region hidden-print\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"asset-tagline text-muted\">\n<p>Rick Green can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:rgreen@keenesentinel.com\">rgreen@keenesentinel.com<\/a> or 603-355-8567.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sentinelsource.com\/news\/local\/bill-could-restrict-rollout-of-5g-antennas-in-nh\/article_3b05d76c-51c4-5f15-9345-b1502670b68c.html\">https:\/\/www.sentinelsource.com\/news\/local\/bill-could-restrict-rollout-of-5g-antennas-in-nh\/article_3b05d76c-51c4-5f15-9345-b1502670b68c.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Rick Green Sentinel Staff\u00a0 Jan 25, 2022 Updated Jan 26, 2022 A bill pending in the N.H. House Science, Technology and Energy Committee would make it more difficult to build the infrastructure needed for communities to use the fifth generation of wireless technology, or 5G. House Bill 1644, whose backers say they are worried [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[346,127,289],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-5g","category-antenna","category-usa-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18617"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18619,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18617\/revisions\/18619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}