Here’s her contact information if you want to share your concerns as I did:
| Jessica Rosenworcel | (202) 418-1000 | jessica.rosenworcel@fcc.gov |
By B.N. Frank
Original Source Link: https://www.activistpost.com/2023/07/despite-health-security-risks-fcc-chairwoman-wants-to-expand-funding-for-wifi-on-school-buses-hotspots-for-library-patrons-and-students-in-need.html
High-speed broadband connections can be achieved more safely and securely with hardwired internet connections. Nevertheless, the Biden Administration as well as various government agencies – including the U.S. Department of Agriculture – continue to allocate funds for broadband primarily via wireless connections. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues to endorse (and sometimes fund) wireless connections too – on land and from space – despite a federal court ruling in favor of petitioners who sued the agency for NOT updating wireless radiation guidelines (including 5G) since 1996. Despite the 2021 court order, the agency has still not addressed this or that Electromagnetic Sensitivity (ES) is a federally recognized disability. That’s why the FCC chairwoman’s crusade to expose Americans to even more hazardous wireless radiation may come as no surprise.
From Inside Towers:
Rosenworcel Supports Expanding E-Rate Funding for School Bus WiFi
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called on her colleagues to support new efforts to allow E-Rate funding to support WiFi on school buses. She’s also proposed using E-Rate funding to support WiFi hotspots so that public and school libraries, and schools can check them out to patrons or students in need.
The E-Rate program started in 1996, to distribute funds to libraries for basic internet connections. Over the years, the FCC has updated it from a program to connect libraries and schools to covering services like installing WiFi throughout the building.
“This could make a big difference in rural areas where students spend long hours on school buses just to get to class and home again,” said Rosenworcel in a speech to the American Library Association’s annual conference this week. “We can turn ride time into connected time for homework. We can take E-Rate policies from two decades ago that supported mobile phones on these buses and modernize them so we have WiFi on wheels—and students can Learn Without Limits.”
She said libraries can help fill the digital divide. “Libraries have computer labs. They have classes to teach digital skills. And they help enroll people in our programs to support internet for all, like the Affordable Connectivity Program,” explained Rosenworcel. “These efforts are on top of the day-to-day work you do to help people navigate information, get the facts they are searching for, the services they require, and the support they need to participate in modern life.”
Senate Commerce Committee member Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) supports the proposals. “With the new school year just a few months away, we cannot allow millions of students across the country to lose access to broadband,” said Markey. “We urge the FCC to swiftly adopt this commonsense proposal to expand E-Rate funding to include WiFi hotspots and internet support for school buses.”
In response to the pandemic, Congress created a program to help meet the adapting connectivity demands of libraries and schools—the Emergency Connectivity Fund. This $7.17 billion fund was designed to make sure that libraries and schools could connect patrons and students at home, with funding for devices and connectivity. To date, the program has helped over 17 million students get connected to their schools and teachers, notes the Commission.
The proposed changes to the E-Rate program will require a full vote of the Commission.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
Adding insult to injury, a group of telecom experts who call themselves The Irregulators have already proven that Americans have already paid for high speed broadband deployment via safer and more secure copper landlines and fiber optics to the premises (FTTP) (see 1, 2) rather than less safe and less secure biologically and environmental harmful Wi-Fi and 5G. Of course, the FCC has been ignoring that too.
Action Alert: Demand the FCC Recognize Electromagnetic Sensitivity (EMS) and Prioritize #FiberFirst
Tell the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to recognize Electromagnetic Sensitivity (EMS) as a legitimate health condition, accommodate those disabled by it and demand #FiberFirst.
With this new rule, the FCC wants to ensure everyone has access to wireless high-speed internet. Despite mounting evidence that radiofrequency (RF) radiation from wireless technology is harmful to people and the environment, the FCC is charging forward.
After receiving hundreds of comments urging the FCC to recognize the EMS-disabled community and prioritize fiber technology in its rulemaking process, the FCC has done neither. We need your help to let them know this is unacceptable!
Before March 21, we need to repeat our concerns to the FCC about the risks and harms of wireless technology on our children and vulnerable populations by submitting comments in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking phase. We must also share these concerns with our elected officials, who must hold government agencies accountable for their decisions.
Take action by completing the form and submitting official comments.
What is EMS?
Prevalence estimates indicate that up to 30% of the population is affected by EMS — a condition where radiofrequency radiation emitted from smartphones, WiFi, cell towers, smart meters, etc., produces adverse health effects or worsening of existing health conditions. Symptoms of EMS:
- Headaches
- Cognitive impairment
- Disorientation
- Sleep disruption
- Fatigue
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Vertigo
- Nausea
- Skin rashes
- Behavioral problems
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Depression
We Must Advocate for Disability Rights
The EMS community is large in number but often cannot attend public policy and zoning meetings due to wireless exposure.
Those with severe symptoms are functionally excluded from public participation, and those with nearby wireless facilities, such as cell towers, cannot even take refuge in their homes.
What We Are Proposing
- The FCC should prioritize “fiber to the premises (FTTP)” solutions. FTTP is the installation of optical fiber directly to individual homes, multi-dwelling units, schools, municipal buildings and businesses to provide high-speed broadband access. The FCC should rely on fixed wireless only when fully wired is technically impossible. The main purpose of mobile wireless is to support mobility, not to be a substitute for wired fixed arrangements.
- Allow equal access to broadband in a form that does not threaten or worsen the health and well-being of RF-sensitive individuals, especially those with EMS disabilities. Individuals who cannot be around RF must have the ability, as a matter of right, to obtain wired (fiber-based) broadband.
- Provide RF-free “safe zones” in public spaces and buildings to ensure inclusion in public life.
What You Can Do
- Complete the form below to email FCC committee decision-makers and your federal elected representatives.
- Use our customizable prepared response (at the bottom of this page) or write your own and submit a comment directly to the FCC.
If the form below does not appear, use this page.
Neighbors Organizing Against Trespassing Technology 
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