The Bellingham Planning Commission and City Council have agreed to allow the deployment of 5G wireless telecommunication towers and antennas throughout our city and county. The telecom companies are in a huge hurry to push this technology through because they insist we need faster internet speeds, self driving cars and coverage to even the most remote places on our planet. What telecom is not telling us is that this technology has NEVER been tested on humans or animals. Millimeter wave radiation according to science is extremely dangerous and will have cumulative and severe adverse effects on everyone and everything.

For this technology to be even remotely effective as they claim and wish, antennas will have to be placed every 3-8 houses, throughout neighborhoods, on street lamps, and even historic buildings. The hardware will pervade rural neighborhoods as well, and due to the nature of how this technology works, trees and other vegetation will need to be cropped entirely removed to allow for the waves to go from the antenna to your devices.

What does this mean for you? It means losing some of the lush greenery and beautiful flora that makes BELLINGHAM an eden like the garden. It also means that NO person, NO animal, NO plant and NO insect on Earth will be able to escape the 24/7, 365 day onslaught of UNTESTED radio frequency (RF) radiation at levels never seen before.

1. This technology, originally to be released in 2022, was rushed to market without proper testing. We demand proper testing of the effects of this equipment on living things, by an independent group chosen by the people, before it is put into use.
2. As time goes on more and more professionals and credible organizations are warning us of the dangers of exposure to high intensity RF radiation. We demand our government challenge the FCC for the sake of the people, including the children, they are sworn to protect.
3. We acknowledge that the US SAR level (aka the amount of radiation a person, including a child, is allowed to absorb) is much higher than most other developed countries and inappropriate. A new, much lower, appropriate standard must be adopted.
4. All telecoms in Bellingham and Whatcom County are to release detailed maps to the public of all existing and planned sites where cellular equipment is located including towers, small cells and all of the equipment related to them. Failure to do so will result in a fine to each telecom of $1,000,000 per month until they comply.
5. We acknowledge that by nature wireless devices encroach on land owners and public property rights and owners should be compensated for their loss and request the devices be removed. These devices, and their effects, are being forced on the public against its will.
6. A publicly owned fiber optic network, with the option of non-profit, co-op, and municipal carriers should be established as an alternative to poisonous wireless solutions. It is more reliable anyway and perfectly safe.
7. We demand the establishment of a citizen technology committee with the authority to make policy decisions on our shared technological future noting that city staff, council, and the mayor have all demonstrated a dangerous lack of technological understanding, transparency on their dealings with the big telecoms, or willingness to learn from experts in their own community.
8. We acknowledge that cellular technology is convenient, but dangerous, and an inappropriate substitute for a FTTH (Fiber To The Home) communications infrastructure solution in our town especially considering that wireless does not work well in our specific environment.