Dr. Weeks’ Comment: I own and use an iphone (how did we every negotiate childhood and especially teen age years without one??) BUT, I always (well, almost always) use it on SPEAKER PHONE mode because the research I have reviewed clearly teaches that cell phone use causes cancer. In earlier posts, https://weeksmd.com/?p=4555 and https://weeksmd.com/?p=4990 , I notified you that you had “agreed “(when you bought your cell phone and skipped reading the “Agreement” to never have your phone closer than 5/8th of an inch from your body when turned on. Why would the cell phone company have you agree to that ludicrous term? (that means you agreed never to hold in your hand or touch to your ear, your cell phone when it is turned on). Perhaps, when people start being diagnosed with cancer (experts estimate 10 years of cell phone use is required before brain cancer is diagnosed) this “agreement” will remove all legal liability. Imagine: “Ms. Jones, as the defense attorney for the cell phone company, let me start to telling you we are very sorry that you are dying of a painful and incurable brain cancer at the age of 25, but we have one question – did you ever hold you cell phone or touch it to your ear when it was turned on??….”
So read below and keep a land line!
KEEP PHONES GREEN, SAFE and WIRED
Submit your REPLY to the FCC to preserve landline telephone service.
Many of you were not able to file Comment by the preliminary deadline in April 2011 about the proposal FCC 11-13 that could eliminate copper-wired land line phone infrastructure.
You can still submit your comment as a REPLY. Plan on filing it electronically by Sunday May 22, 2011 to avoid high traffic on the FCC website on the deadline date of Monday May 23, 2011.
Link to web page where you can submit your FCC Reply electronically:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/upload/display?z=a7cs6
This is a better link to use as it allows you to specifically designate that your REPLY submittal be included in each of the proceedings related to FCC 11-13.
Using this web page submission form requires that you attach your Reply either in WORD or PDF. To do so, be sure you use the caption found at: http://www.emrpolicy.org/news/action/index.htm as the heading for your document (put it at the top of the first page of your Reply). Click on the Instructions and Background link to find the caption.
The FCC proposal to eliminate many telephone landlines would profoundly impact the nation. Citizens need much more opportunity to discuss the issue and create regulations that protect our population and our environment as new technologies are introduced to our society.
More background on this NPRM and full instructions for writing and filing your electronic REPLY are found at: http://www.emrpolicy.org/news/action/index.htm
Citizens must be allowed the choice to keep landline phones. Landlines are safe, secure, reliable and affordable. Mobile phones have not been proven safe.
***The FCC’s duty is to facilitate communications for the whole country. Its new proposal ignores issues of health, safety, privacy, affordability and security.
Because of the rapid deployment of wireless telecom services, citizens, mayors, city legislators and city staff in every community in the United State are struggling to appropriately site the infrastructure for this technology while protecting the environment and the public’s health.
The FCC’s proposal values wireless telecom services more than our city and state charters, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Constitution. It promotes the interests of telecom corporations over citizens’ health and safety. Because so few city attorneys, planners or legislators have been trained in telecom law or in regulating wireless telecom equipment, there are now numerous lawsuits around the U.S. between municipalities, citizens groups and telecom companies.
As the FCC has stated, it does not have the expertise to determine safety standards for exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation. No government agency studies the biological effects of continuous exposure to RF radiation from wireless devices and antennas. The FCC’s new proposal fails to outline how wireless infrastructure will be monitored and regulated. It relies entirely on voluntary compliance from the telecom industry.
Citizens have the right to choose a landline phone. We have the right to opt out of wireless devices. If the FCC’s proposal passes, we will be denied the right to choose a landline.
Choose from these points to help you write your own personal Comment:
Do not replace existing landlines with wireless infrastructure until it is proven safe, secure, reliable and affordable!
Landlines are safe.
Children, people with medical implants, people with Radiofrequency Sickness, and people who don’t want to increase their risk of cancer can use only landlines.
Research on radiofrequency radiation exposure indicates increased cancer incidence, altered blood glucose levels, weakened blood-brain barrier.
Many in the public cannot use any cordless or wireless phone without developing headaches that are often severe.
Landlines are secure. Cabled phones ensure privacy.
Using mobile phones makes us vulnerable to hackers who commit financial fraud. It makes us vulnerable to terrorists.
Landlines are reliable.
During power outages and natural disasters, landlines are dependable.
Teleconferencing can be unreliable with broadband connections. Failure to initiate a conference call is a common problem with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) carriers. Teleconference systems often cannot decode the DTMF tones sent by VoIP service providers so that the systems are unable to recognize some of the keys entered for the passcode resulting in failure to initiate the teleconference. VoIP calls are also often dropped midstream.
Wireless telecom equipment can cause disasters. ABC News confirmed on April 26, 2009 that the Malibu, California fires were caused by utility poles overburdened by cellular phone gear.
Landlines are affordable.
We already have the infrastructure for landlines.
Mobile phones fees are unregulated.
Mobile phones and computers need constant repair, upgrades and replacement. Seniors and low-income citizens can’t afford this. Equipment for landlines is durable and economical.
Landlines are easy to use.
Imagine people with Alzheimers or other dementia trying to learn how to initiate computer calls.
Landlines are Green.
As a nation, we must reduce our use of power and greenhouse gas emissions. Corded landlines require minimal electricity compared with antennas that emit radiation continuously. Cellphones require recharging. This is not the time to buy new devices or install new infrastructure that demands more electricity production.
*** The FCC has the duty to facilitate communications for all citizens.
Sample Comment and suggestions for Distribution:
From at Comment filer – I’ve also forwarded the request on to my family and friends along with my commentary as a form letter. Another thing I’m mentioning to those I’m contacting about this issue is that many senior citizens would be affected, so I’m suggesting they contact the AARP for their elderly loved ones, too. I’m also sending a brief letter to the ACLU regarding this issue. I think it would be great if we could get others in the community to do the same.
Commentary submitted to the FCC at: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/upload/display?z=a7cs6
RE: FCC proposal – Developing an Unified Intercarrier Compensation – FCC-2011-0078-0001
Landline service is absolutely essential to many people and must be preserved.
There is a portion of the populace who cannot use wireless technologies due to health constraints, especially those with electromagnetic sensitivities. This prevents them from using the cellular phone system. These people rely exclusively on the landline switched telephone network for voice communication.
Removing landline service would deny these people access to phone service, a fundamental and essential right and resource. This would also constitute a serious violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In light of these facts, it is clear that elimination of landline service should be prohibited.
For a brief review of pertinent information regarding those with environmental sensitivities, please visit the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) at http://www.access-board.gov/research/ieq/intro.cfm
Regards,
Full name
Adddress
City, State
Send an Opinion Letter to your local paper and to a newspaper with statewide distribution, like this one:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/119508214.html
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Your Opinions
Land lines provide a valuable service
Are you in favor of letting the corded telephone go the way of the dinosaur? It is time to decide what you think because the Federal Communications Commission has taken the first steps to begin phasing out land lines.
This FCC policy would shut down land lines by shifting their maintenance funding to cell networks, so it would become undesirable for companies to offer landline phone service.
Yet land lines continue to be lifelines, despite the federal agency’s attempt to choke them off. During emergencies, tiny, fragile cellphones can be easily lost or broken, and they need to be recharged – not possible when the power is out.
During natural disasters, when cellphone service may be uneven, land lines can help emergency personnel know your location. Even cellphone companies rely upon landline systems in such times to complete calls, route calls and connect their towers to the national network.
Besides emergency considerations, land lines do not have the following problems that are associated with cellphones: privacy; implant interference – people with medical implants report interference with their implants from wireless signals that cell phones produce; safety – science has not conclusively proven cellphone radiation is harmless; and sensitivity – a percentage of the population has electromagnetic sensitivity and cannot use cellphones for business or social interactions. Without land lines, people would have no other options.
While mobile phones may offer convenience, they do not replace the benefits of landline telephones.
Charyl Zehfus
Sheboygan, Wisconsin