Banning Dangerous Wireless Facilities & Products

The Dept. of Radiation Control has the right to regulate wireless and all nonionizing radiation, but will not do so on its own due to the political stakes. This bill sets a timeline for the dept. to ban particularly dangerous emissions, starting with wireless baby monitors and small cell towers, and then proceeding from there. By admitting some risks merit a ban, this bill allows public awareness, discussion, and pressure to grow and gives the dept. an opening to make further bans as needed.  

An Act banning especially dangerous wireless facilities, emissions, and products

SECTION . Section 5N of Chapter 111 of the General Laws Part I Title XVI is hereby amended by adding after the last paragraph the following paragraphs:-

The department shall prepare a timeline for the removal of wireless facilities and products deemed to be especially dangerous based on factors such as frequency band, power level exposures, modulation, population exposed, and any other factors which the department deems relevant to making a determination.

The department shall begin by banning wireless emissions, facilities, and products considered to be especially dangerous and lacking sufficient proof of safety, starting with a ban upon wireless baby monitors, small cell facilities, and frequencies at the higher end of the 5G band.
The department may proceed with banning other types of nonionizing radiation and equipment or products generating nonionizing radiation. If necessary the timeline shall allow for the replacement with landline or hard-wired broadband connections with significantly reduced emissions of non-ionizing radiation.

In setting bans, the department shall use common sense in recognizing that bans may not effectively address removal of wireless products already existing in homes, and public education and other systems may be necessary to remove products such as wireless baby monitors.

The department shall work with the attorney general’s office as necessary to insure bans and accompanying procedures are legal under state law. The department may work with the department of public utilities, the department of telecommunications and cable; the department of housing and economic development; the Massachusetts Broadband Institute; and any other departments or public entities to smooth the transition or to assist with determining reasonable timelines.

When questions arise regarding which products, frequency bands, and facilities to ban, the department shall adhere to the principle of reverse onus, under which it is the responsibility of those supporting an exposure to show that the exposure is not seriously harmful and to do so with credibility. Further, the department shall adhere to the principle of alternative assessment that requires that no risky action will be taken if there are alternative actions available that safely achieve the same purpose.

The department may refer to the precautionary principle and the most stringent rules and regulations set in other countries in shaping rules and regulations for the commonwealth, and may further take the advice of medical and scientific experts actively engaged in the field as researchers or for the purpose of consumer protection, provided that these experts are not product defense experts or employed by product defense companies or the industry.