Stealth Means Sneaky: That Defines the Telecoms

Great information has been brought to our attention from Briarcliff Heights Community Action Group (the blindsided neighborhood in Atlanta that only learned in November that a cell tower is planned for the middle of their quiet community, destroying their dog park and backyard views). 

Here's a list they provided of the canidates this year who are coming into the race using telecom dollars to back them. 

Hidden agendas are likely when you know that telecoms invented things like the public notification scam that actually intends to attract no one to their meetings and the "stealth" cell towers, which, by definition, means "sneaky" (as opposed to disguised which would imply "hidden."). 

Back in 1996, when no one in the general public was even thinking about whether or not a cell phone might someday be able to transfer digial video images, the telecoms had a hand in writing a little thing called the Telecommunications Act, which was intended to help wireless companies start-up new businesses and increase competition to keep prices affordable for all Americans. 

Instead, it has been used to buy-up any start-ups or smaller competitors and run over local governments and intimidate them into backing down from enforcing their own laws and ordinances. And, they convinced Congress to put a little line into that Act that states a local government cannot deny a wireless transmission tower permit solely on the grounds of environmental factors as long as it complys with FCC standards. 

Through the court system, they have since convinced us that "envirnomental" also means "health" even though no other Act or Bill has even been interpreted that way. And, they've convinced some local governments that they are not even allowed to discuss the possible health effects. They've convinced some school boards that they can use that same language to convince parents that there is nothing they are also barred from discussing this topic. 

So, doesn't it make you wonder... if no one was talking about the health or environmental effects of cell phones in 1996 or even considering using that as a reason to deny a tower...  and no one had even been faced with the issue of whether or not a cell tower would be safe to put in someone's backyard or at a child's playground ...  then how did that language make its way into the Telecommunications Act of 1996? 

Obviously, the answer is that someone did know. And, they expected us to be upset about it. And they knew they would have a fight on their hands that they would likely lose, if we were allowed to talk about the environmental and health effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation, also known as microwave radiation. 

If they told us they wanted us to put a small microwave up to our ear and hold it against our heads for hours at a time, we would likely tell them to get lost. If they told us that we would have to pay them hundreds of dollars a month for the privedledge of doing this, we would use stronger language. If they said they were going to do this to our children against their will, we would have them arrested and thrown in jail. 

But, all these things are true. And look where we are today. We hold miniture, low frequency devices that emit microwave radiation up to our ears or in our hands or place them in our pockets. We are forced to send children to schools that have this form of radiation being emitted from a tower over their heads all day every day. 

We want our government to deny permits based on concerns about the health effects, but we are told not to talk about it. We look at the FCC guidelines and they contain nothing about the cumulative effects of multiple towers and multiple devices all working together to increase the background levels of radiation we are exposed to every day without our consent.

 We want to protest, but a new state law tell us we cannot do that either. 

We want a bill to ban these towers from our schools. Instead we are left with a non-binding question that is poorly worded that will go on a ballot in the middle of the Summer, the same time that they snuck their deal through last year with our school board. We appreciate Rep. Karla Drenner's efforts to pass legislation to ban cell towers from school grounds, but how did we get left with a referendum to put a question to voters that doesn't even need to be asked? 

We have heard from every corner of this county. Isn't it obvious that everyone who has learned what the school board is trying to do is against it? There was no one who came to any of the cell tower hearings at the state capitol to complain that they needed a cell tower and it had to be allowed at our schools. There was a room full of people who were against it. We filled every second of public comment time we were permitted at every hearing they held and all the voices were saying, ultimately, the same thing: NO! We do not approve! We do not want this! Cell towers do not have anything to do with education and should not be allowed to use our public land to further their profit objectives. 

Politicians are handed money from lobbyists with corporate goals in mind.

We are being taxed until we can no longer afford to live in our own homes. We can't afford the gas to put in our cars to get to work. And they even want to tax us to use the very roadways we need to take us to our jobs. Or, to get our kids to the "better" schools that we know are not in our neighborhood, but we think might be out there somewhere. We just have to drive far enough to find them, right? 

There is nothing wrong with a debate over the issues and politicians who are willing to take a side and defend their reasons for it.  And, we are happy to head that the DeKalb County Commissioners have written to CEO Burrell Ellis to say that they would like to enforce the county's zoning laws when T-mobile applies for cell tower permits, but why did it take them so long to speak up about doing their jobs? 

When a debate becomes a one-sided campaign to drown out the citizens who are seen as nothing more than a mere obstacle in the way of corporate profit margins, then it's time to do something more than what we are doing now.

I, for one, have written to the Governor Nathan Deal and asked that he consider no signing off on the referendum that will place a question on July's ballot that is poorly constructed, misleading and can do nothing to help those of us involved in the effort to keep cell towers off school grounds. It's non-binding. It doesn't even use the words "cell" or "wireless." It combines multiple questions into one and it doesn't allow you to say, "I don't know" or "I need more information" or "unaware."

But other than beg for help, which we have been doing for nearly a year through our unofficial group, Get the Cell Out - Atlanta, what can we do? Relocate? Hide?  Live in fear? Let them win? Give up? Or VOTE! 

I will opt to VOTE this election and I will encourage everyone I know to do the same. VOTE! Do the homework and learn the issues. If you are taking a vacation in July, make sure you get an absentee ballot. If you are not registered, please REGISTER TO VOTE NOW! 

And if you vote in the school board election, with or without children of your own, just remember: ALL INCUMBENTS MUST GO! It's as easy as that. Yet, it's so difficult if we do not join forces and do the right thing. The citizens of DeKalb County have the power, the money and the numbers to set our county straight.  Let's do something about the problems this year. Let's remind every elected official who they work for and what we demand they do for us in exchange for the comfortable office and the cushy jobs they enjoy. 

VOTE! And if you value your life, make a resolution to reduce your use of wireless services and don't hold your phone to your head, ever!

Visit the Get The Cell Out site for more information and sign the countywide petition which will soon be delivered to CEO Burrell Ellis in expectation that his office will have the final say regarding permits for towers at our schools. Your name can remain annoymous online and information will not be used for any other purpose than delivery to elected officials who can help us stop the towers.