Reference Guidlines compiled by Wired Broadband 3-10-24
WE NEED MORE CONSULTING PARTIES!
THE GENERAL PUBLIC CAN ALSO COMMENT.
In April of 2023 U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urging a review of the proposed installation of Link5G Cellular Towers throughout New York City’s historic preservation districts. Congressman Nadler was amplifying concerns of constituents residing in Historic Districts of the Upper East Side, Expanded Carnegie Hill, Park Avenue, SoHo-Cast Iron, and Morningside Heights that the 32-foot-tall towers would be out of context with the historic nature of these neighborhoods. Press release (PDF)
The FCC responded by sending a letter to City Bridge, the contractor, stating that their deployment of the 32-foot tall Link5G tower kiosk facilities are subject to the agency’s environmental and historic preservation review because the construction of these facilities constitute a “major Federal action” under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
The historical review requirement has triggered Section 106 of the NHPA, whereby community actors can become consulting parties, get direct notification, and submit public comments for each tower proposed. Consulting party comments have been highly relevant and stopped Link5G Towers in the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village, Forest Hills. But, where there are no consulting parties or comments from the general public, the NYS Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has not objected to Towers in those locations. Those are missed opportunities.
Wired Broadband is calling for more New Yorkers to get involved in the Section 106 process. And they have compiled very detailed instructions on how to proceed. Those who have a record of being involved in the historical preservation of the city and in their communities have greater likelihood of being accepted as a consulting party. All New Yorkers can comment. But consulting parties get immediate notice of proposed towers. There is a one month comment period subsequent to the initial notice.
See the attached document entitled “Section 106 Review … ” Deadlines to file comments on many 5G Towers have already passed and others are fast approaching.
The publication called Westview News has published an article documenting very high exposure to RF-EMR in an apartment complex in the East Village. This is a story about the predicament of Teresa Mazur, who has been suffering from the exposure to exceedingly high levels of microwave radiation, and whose pleas for help have been totally ignored. See the article here:
Hopefully, this article will lead to a clamoring for Teresa and residents with similar symptoms throughout NYC to be heard and for the wireless telecom providers to comply with the Communications Act of 1934 provision on power levels.
47 U.S. Code § 324 – Use of minimum power In all circumstances, except in case of radio communications or signals relating to vessels in distress, all radio stations, including those owned and operated by the United States, shall use the minimum amount of power necessary to carry out the communication desired. (June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 324, 48 Stat. 1091.)
Note: wireless antennas are basically radio stations that transmit data over radio frequencies.
Please forward this far and wide. Also, please send a note to the publisher expressing thanks and support for printing such an important article. If you have or know others with typical exposure symptoms such as Teresa has had, please include that in your message. Email it to gcapsis@gmail.com or call 212 924 5718.
We are very happy for the opportunity to engage with the West Harlem community on how to use our technology safely. We will be there with fliers and information. Come visit our table, and say HI!
MCB9 HEALTH FORUM Join your Community Board to discuss healthcare in our community. Experts will talk about ways to make healthcare safer for doctors and patients. DATE: MARCH 16, 2024 TIME: 11AM TO 4PM LOCATION: The Forum at Columbia University, 605 West 125th Street, NY 10027
Senator Harckam’s digital utility ‘smart’ meter bill has a companion in the Assembly, introduced by Assembly Member Steven Otis, the Chair of the Science and Technology Committee.
Senate Bill S5632A,Provides for consumer protection and utility meter choice
Assembly Bill A9148,Establishes certain consumer rights for the protection of consumer health, safety and/or privacy needs related to utility meters
This means New Yorkers are better positioned than ever before to get legislation that would allow them to keep an analog meter, and opt out of the digital ‘smart’ meters, without any fees. We could also get an analog meter re-instated in a timely manner. The legislation covers water, gas and electric meters, and also addresses multi-unit buildings. This is the best legislation we have had introduced so far, after many years of trying.
For those who are new to the topic, this purported ‘green’ solution to the aging energy grid has presented a huge array of problems for close to two decades. These include risks to health, safety, cybersecurity, privacy. Not to mention higher bills. And the fact that the meters don’t lower overall energy use.
Please see Americans for Responsible Technology’s excellent overview for comprehensive information.
And the New York Safe Utility Meter Association’s summary which includes important historical background.
Now is the time to spread the word and contact your legislators to let them know about the bills and your support.
Hello, I’m ____ and I’m calling from _____ to urge (name of legislator) to support and co-sponsor the Digital Meter Opt-Out Bill. This is a very important issue for me, and I believe all New Yorkers deserve the same uniform opt-out choice which allows them to keep their analog utility meters.
The bill number is S5632A (Senate) or A 9148 (Assemnbly)
Thank you very much.
For a more lengthy conversation you can review the detailed talking points prepared by ART here.
Please ask your legislator’s contact person what the legislator’s position is, so that we can monitor levels of awareness.
Other really easy first steps:
— Participate in the Children’s Health Defense’s automated letter writing campaign:
(You might have to set up an account or sign in via Facebook or Google. Don’t forget to click the box to have your legislator receive a copy of your comments.)
— Sign our petition for safe utility and broadband policies:
There is some good news in this new year! Finally, a truly great ‘smart meter’ opt out bill for New York State!
There have been efforts since 2013 to pass a bill that prevents the forcible installations of digital “smart” utility meters, and removes penalties for those who want to hang onto their trusted analog meters. You can see Les Jamieson’s article in WestView News for a great history of all the shenanigans. Digital meters use pulsed RF radiation to operate and transmit consumer usage information wirelessly, which exposes residents to chronic, unnecessary radiation that has caused physical harm to many who have had them installed. Non-transmitting digital meters also pose problems, due to the dirty electricity created. Then there are the privacy, safety, cybersecurity issues, and of course the non-transparent increases in billing. You can check here for an overview.
Thanks to the work of amazing advocates, and the enlightened Senator Harckham, his consumer protection and utility meter choice bill is back in action, early in session, new and improved, with Senator Comrie as a co-sponsor. It is the best smart meter bill that we have had so far! Here’s what it says:
– You can keep your electric, gas, or water analog meter with no fee, penalty or service charge.
– You can get one re-instated, within 10 days if you provide written notice that you are electrically sensitive. Or within a month otherwise.
– There must be 50% approval within an apartment building in order for them to install any digital or smart meter at that location. (A great first step in dealing with multi-unit buildings.)
We are told that the best thing we can do at this moment is to contact members of that committee in order to encourage their support and encourage them to activate Chair Kevin Thomas to bring the bill up for a vote. This is especially important if you are one of these legislators’ constituents.
Here are their phone #s:
Sen. Samra Brouk -518-455-2215 Albany, 585-223-1800 (Rochester)
Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick – 518-455-2400; 516-766-8383 (Valley Stream, LI)
Sen Kristen Gonzalez – 518-455-3230; 718-765-6674 (NYC)
Sen. Brian Kavanagh – 518-455-2625; 212-4317836 (NYC)
Sen. Zellnor Myrie – 518-455-2410; 718-284-4700 (Brooklyn)
Sen. Bill Weber – 518-455-2991; 845-623-3627 (Rockland)
It would be great to contact these representatives early and often with a simple message:
“Bill S5632A on Utility Meter Choice is important to me and the whole community. I hope that the Senator will support the bill and encourage the Committee Chair Senator Kevin Thomas to bring it up for a vote!“
For a more elaborate script for all representatives, feel free to use:
“I’m calling to urge (legislator’s name) to support Senate Bill S5632A. This bill provides for utility meter choice, which is a consumer protection that residents and businesses in NY state require. We will get to say no to digital smart meters and keep our safe, reliable analog meter. Smart meters are a health hazard, and have many safety issues. After more than a decade of attempts, this bill is the best to date. I also urge (legislator’s name) to co-sponsor the bill. Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Let the staff person know if you’re in their district. If they ask and you’re not in their district, reply with “No, I’m not in your district, but this issue is pertinent to every NY resident, which is why I’m compelled to call.”
If your contact would like more information, ART’s overview is a great one to share.
Please do pass this on, and keep an eye out as we share more news and action ideas to get this bill ahead. It is a blessing to have it introduced so early in the session so we need to make the most of it. And please do let us know if you get any feedback.
Many of you have already been in this fight and have gotten us to where we are. Thank you for all you have been doing. Let us all join in to make this the year that finally we get a meaningful Smart Meter opt out bill into law!
The good news is that the City Council’s LinkNY Oversight Committee’s hearing on June 7 lasted six hours, with the public testimony predominantly in opposition. Over the last months 16 Community Boards have issued some form of disapproval of the Link5G proposal, and CityBridge, the franchisee, is now enaged in a Section 106 National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) as well as National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) review, as per the FCC’s directive.
While more and more local voices are raising questions and demands for proper telecom ordinances, the US Congress is trying to undo all hard won progress through HR 3557, the American Broadband Deployment Act, which would eliminate any local control over wireless decisions, as well as further weaken NHPA and NEPA review. There is a long list of industry-friendly bills that have come out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but the main one to oppose right now is HR 3557. Please read and listen to these important words from Americans for Responsible Tech:
Meanwhile Odette Wilkens of Wired Broadband is setting off her summer series of town halls with the first being this Wednesday, that will feature the best alternative to this streamlined all wireless all the time world. They will be discussing Chattanooga’s great success story with its municipal fiberoptic deployment to every premises, and discuss how it could become a reality in New York City. Please see further information below and how to register.
Please do pay close attention as events unfold in the coming months and let your local and federal representatives know your thoughts.
New Yorkers 4 Wired Tech
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& More….
Dear Safe Tech Friends,
There are so many events coming up, but the main one is the
City Council Technology Committee Oversight Hearing on Link5G this Wednesday, June 7, at 1pm.
We very much encourage you to share your perspective in person or via zoom, and to follow up with your longer written testimony within the next 3 days after the hearing.
Sign up to testify in person, video, or written statement: council.nyc.gov/testify Select: Committee on Technology
* Please note, one reason to do your testimony in person:
11 am before the meeting there will be a rally against the towers at at City Hall Park (Broadway sidewalk), New York, NY 10001.
If you need to brush up on background for your testimony you can view Odette’s comprehensive position paper to get a familiarity with all the points that can be brought up. And join Odette’s strategy meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, June 6, at 2pm. Please write for zoom info.
The NYC community is invited to express their broadband needs and what their vision for the future of broadband in NY might be.
Please see attached flyers for more information, and easy dissemination.
June 21st, 5:30pm, Manhattan Community Board 7, Land Use meeting, via zoom, Health issues over Link5G will be discussed, and a possible resolution voted on. Tell all upper west siders and upper west side lovers to register:
that allows you to keep or get returned an analog meter
Time to increase our voices at the
Senate Consumer Protection Committee!
5/16/23
Dear Friends of Safe Technology and Utility Metering,
We have gotten word that Senator Harckham’s bill S5632 that provides for consumer protection and utility meter choice might be coming up for a vote in Senator Kevin Thomas’ Committee on Consumer Protection very soon.
We need to call and write the members of the Consumer Protection Committee and let them know that we have a real interest in getting this bill passed!
Also it is important to mention that there is an alternate bill S404 introduced by Senator Kevin Parker (once again) which offers something of a fake ‘opt out,’ that still allows for a 1-way transmitting meter, and refers to toothless FCC and ANSI standards, which never created standards specific for digital meters. See NYSUMA’s very helpful comparison below you can also share with your legislators:
This watered down bill procured a companion bill–rather miraculously quickly–in the Assembly, sponsored by Energy Committee Chair Didi Barrett, co-sponsored by AM Rebecca Seawright, AM William Conrad, and AM John T. McDonald. We need to warn the representatives that this is not much of a remedy at all, and underlines the need for S5632 all the more.
Another thing to note is that two Senators on the Consumer Protection Committee (indicated below) are also on the Energy & Telecommunications Committee and perhaps have a conflict of interest between the two bills, one favoring industry, and the other consumers.
There is another deceptive bill that is sitting in the Energy & Telecommunications Committee, and that is, S5287, which calls for the utilities to study the potential health effects of smart meters, introduced by Senator Kevin Parker and co-sponsored by Senator Pete Harckham, who we are thankful for his S5632 Opt Out Bill, and Senator Zellnor Myrie, who is on the Consumer Protection Committee. Although we can see why they think this sounds like a good idea, the utilities have not proven themselves to be honest about their research and simply cannot be trusted to do due diligence. And we already have decades of peer-reviewed research on microwave radiation, as well as the more recent New Hampshire Commission’s Report.
Please take 10-15 minutes to call state legislators listed below.
Sample script to promote S5632:
“Please help S5632 get through the Consumer Protection Committee right away. We’ve been waiting over 10 years for effective regulations on smart meters and this is the best yet. It allows for “analog choice”. Please co-sponsor it and help get it passed into law in the remaining weeks of the legislative session.”
Sample script to oppose S404 and S2587:
“Please oppose S404. It falls far short of what’s needed for effective protections on the many pitfalls of smart meters, which could all be avoided. Also, please oppose S2587 which calls for studies on smart meters. This is completely unnecessary because we have decades of peer-reviewed research on the dangers of microwave radiation, and harms caused by smart meters. New Hampshire already did a major study which resulted in comprehensive guidelines. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. “
COMMITTEE CHAIR Kevin Thomas (D) DISTRICT 6 CONTACT SENATOR DISTRICT OFFICE 990 Stewart Ave., Suite LL45A Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: (516) 739-1700 Fax: (516) 747-7430
RANKING MEMBER Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R, C) DISTRICT 9 ALBANY OFFICE Legislative Office Building, Room 415 Albany, NY 12247 Phone: 518-455-2400 Fax: 518-426-6780
DISTRICT OFFICE 55 Front Street, Suites 1 & 2, Rockville Centre, NY 11570 Phone: 516-766-8383 Fax: 516-766-8011
EMAIL ADDRESS: canzoneri@nysenate.gov
Samra G. Brouk (D, WF) DISTRICT 55 DISTRICT OFFICE 274 N. Goodman Street Suite B127 Rochester, NY 14607 Phone: 585-223-1800
ALBANY OFFICE 188 State Street Legislative Office Building, Room 812 Albany, NY 12247 Phone: 518-455-2215
EMAIL ADDRESS: brouk@nysenate.gov
Kristen Gonzalez — also on the Energy & Telecommunications Committee (D, WF) DISTRICT 59 ALBANY OFFICE Legislative Office Building, Room 817 198 State St Albany, NY 12247 Phone: 518-455-3250 Fax: 518-426-6785
DISTRICT OFFICE Phone: (718) 765-6674 EMAIL ADDRESS: gonzalez@nysenate.gov
Brian Kavanagh — also on the Energy & Telecommunications Committee (D) DISTRICT 27 MANHATTAN OFFICE 250 Broadway Room 2011 New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-298-5565 Fax: 212-431-7836
BROOKLYN OFFICE 209 Joralemon Street, Suite 300 Brooklyn Borough Hall Brooklyn, NY 11201 Phone: 718-875-1517
ALBANY OFFICE Legislative Office Building Room 512 Albany, NY 12247 Phone: 518-455-2625 Fax: 518-426-6956
EMAIL ADDRESS: kavanagh@nysenate.gov
Zellnor Myrie — also a co-sponsor of problematic S5287, which calls for biased utilities to study health effectsof smart meters (D) DISTRICT 20 ALBANY OFFICE 188 State Street., Legislative Office Bldg. Room806 Albany, NY 12247 Phone: 518-455-2410 Fax: 518-426-6856
DISTRICT OFFICE 1077 Nostrand Ave. Ground Floor Brooklyn, NY 11225 Phone: 718-284-4700 Fax: 718-282-3585 Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm
EMAIL ADDRESS: myrie@nysenate.gov
Bill Weber (R, C) DISTRICT 38 ALBANY OFFICE Legislative Office Building, Room 504 Albany, NY 12247 Phone: 518-455-2991 Fax: 518-426-6737
DISTRICT OFFICE 163 Airport Executive Park Nanuet , NY 10954 Phone: 845-623-3627 Fax: 845-425-4617
A Broadband Blueprint for New York CityVIRTUAL TOWN HALL
New Yorkers 4 Wired Tech 