Breaking: Both Sheffield and Great Barrington, Massachusetts Residents Vote in Favor of Citizens Petition to Hold 5G Applications Until the FCC Does and Environmental Review and Updates It’s Limit. 

Sheffield and Great Barrington annual town meetings May 1st, 2023 residents voted in favor of a citizen’s petition which calls for the town to hold applications for 5G  installations until the “FCC completes the DC Circuit court-mandated Environmental Review of the entire  800,000 to 1 million wireless telecommunication facilities roll out to the conditions as stated in the NEPA  Policy Act 1969 including studies from scientists independent from industry, who have fully investigated  millimeter wave 5G small cell technology safety; and that the FCC regulations have been updated to include measures that comply with the results of this review.” 

Full press release below from Nina Anderson, President of S.A.F.E reposted with permission and links added.

Watch video excerpts from the town meeting at Great Barrington below. 

Sheffield and Great Barrington voters approve hold on 5G applications 

Berkshire County, MA – At the Sheffield and Great Barrington annual town meetings May 1st, 2023 residents  voted in favor of the citizen’s petition Article 32 which requires the town to hold applications for 5G  installations until the “FCC completes the DC Circuit court-mandated Environmental Review of the entire  800,000 to 1 million wireless telecommunication facilities roll out to the conditions as stated in the NEPA  Policy Act 1969 including studies from scientists independent from industry, who have fully investigated  millimeter wave 5G small cell technology safety; and that the FCC regulations have been updated to include measures that comply with the results of this review.” 

Citing scientific evidence of biological harm from wireless radiation, an eleven-thousand page document was submitted as part of a legal case filed against the FCC by the Environmental Health Trust, the  environmental health organization led by Dr. Devra Davis, a member of the team awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scientists. The Court found that the FCC did not adequately review recorded evidence of people harmed by wireless radiation and found the FCC  ignored the scientific evidence indicating harmful biological impacts. Based on this and the fact that the FCC  has not updated the safety limits to include 5G small cell millimeter frequencies, petitioners want to put a hold on 5G small cell millimeter wave installations until they are proven safe.  

Specific concerns from the residents target the studies revealing millimeter wave frequency harm to  pollinators. As agricultural communities, voters want to be convinced that their crops will not suffer if the  myriad of 5G transmitters negatively affect the bees. Their warrant asks for input from scientists who are  independent from the telecom industry who can give an unbiased report. The petitioners related telecom’s  rollout of 5G without sufficient research as similar to big tobacco’s promotion of cigarettes. It was years later and many cancer deaths before regulations were enacted limiting smoking in public places and adding warning  labels to packaging. Voters spoke out that we want to know for sure a similar fate will not bestow residents  where electro-hypersensitivity syndrome becomes the norm with no recourse to remove the transmitters causing  the problem. 

Sheffield and Great Barrington joined several other communities in Massachusetts that are focused on  regulating 5G small cell installations. In response to limited phone service in some areas, the petitioners cited  that the 5G small cells are not about making a phone call. They are short range and were designed to make  streaming faster. But, testing has subsequently proven its hardly faster than 4G from cell towers, and the small cell frequencies are disrupted by rain and trees so are unreliable. The Scientific Alliance for Education (S.A.F.E.) in Sheffield has provided seminars in both Sheffield and Great Barrington recently so residents could avail themselves of the non-industry research they have compiled. It seems to have paid off in both towns as the  petitioners turned out and even applauded when statements for the Article was read.

Nina Anderson, President  of S.A.F.E. says,”this is the first step in trying to protect our towns from intrusion by industry who has not  complied with the court order and not proven this technology is safe.”

Details on this and other wireless  concerns can be found on their website www.SafeHelpsYou.org.

Watch a video of excerpts from the Sheffield Meeting below. 

Text of Sheffield Citizen Petition

We the undersigned residents of Sheffield and Ashley Falls do hereby request a warrant to be on the agenda for the 2023 Annual May town meeting to present the following motion for the following addition: General bylaws  ARTICLE IV Chapter 216: WIRELESS REGULATIONS

(Citizen’s Petition) For the reasons set forth above and notwithstanding any other provision of the Town of Sheffield General By-Laws to the contrary, To see if the Town will vote under the General Bylaws Chapter 216: Wireless Regulations, to adopt a Wireless Telecommunications Facilities (WTFs) application requirement for completeness: WTF applications, will be considered incomplete until the FCC completes the DC Circuit court-mandated Environmental Review of the entire 800,000 to 1 million WTF roll out to the conditions as stated in the NEPA Policy Act 1969¹ including studies from scientists independent from industry, who have fully investigated millimeter wave 5G small cell technology safety; and that the FCC regulations have been updated to include measures that comply with the results of this review; and, that the Town of Sheffield shall consider reasonable alternatives such as fiber optic.

Text of Great Barrington

(Citizen’s Petition) To see if the Town will vote to add under the General Legislation / Zoning Section
9.3.16.5 Wireless Telecommunications Overlay District; to adopt a Wireless Telecommunications
Faculties (WTFs) application requirement for completeness: Selectboard Meeting Packet for Monday
April 10, 2023 Item 7. b. Finalize Annual Town Meeting Warrant Working Warrant back from counsel 4/7
for SB approval 4/10 WTF applications, will be considered incomplete until the FCC completes the DC
Circuit Court-mandated Environmental Review of the entire 800,000 to 1 million WTF roll out to the
conditions as stated in the NEPA policy Act 1691 1 including studies from scientists independent from
industry, who have fully investigated millimeter wave 5G small cell technology safety; and that the FCC
regulations have been updated to include measures that comply with the results of this review; and,
that the Town of Great Barrington shall consider reasonable alternatives such as fiber optic. 1 The FCC is
required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, among other things, to evaluate the effect of
emissions from FCC-regulated transmitters on the quality of the human environment. On August 9,
2019, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, in its Ruling in Case 18-1129, vacated FCC Order 18-30’s
deregulation of small-cell Wireless Transmission Facilities(s) [sWTFs} and remanded this to the FCC. In
Case 18-1129, the judges stated that “the FCC failed to justify its determination that it is not in the
public interest to require review of [sWTF] deployments” and ruled that “the Order’s deregulation of
[sWTFs] is arbitrary and capricious.” The FCC was mandated to do this review in two court rulings which
are submitted into the record: one in 2019 in Case 18-1129, Keetoowah et al. v FCC; and another in 2021
in Case 20-1025, EHT/CHD v. FCC. To date the FCC has not complied.