Hello Everyone,

Here's the registration link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kduqqqTIsHtPB0x-A1ZDis3vq9IMsfXPx

Once you register, you will also be provided with call-in numbers in case you only have audio access by phone.

Because I will be in a meeting of the FCC's Communications Equity and Diversity Council (CEDC) 10am - 2pm, we'll be starting the meeting at 2:15.  Also, because we are planning a submission to a US Senate committee whose deadline is tomorrow, we will have one hour for our meeting.

Agenda:

1. FCC's CEDC.  I am a working group member.  Its mission: to make recommendations to the FCC on advancing equity in providing and accessing digital communication services and products for all people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or disability, and on how to accelerate the deployment of high-speed Internet access, or “broadband,” in all communities by reducing and/or removing regulatory barriers to infrastructure and investment.
   1. The trend has been to be "technology neutral" in order to substitute wireless for wired connections; however, they are not equivalent technologies, with wireless being inferior, unsafe, much slower, and obtrusive for communities.
2. City may redesign controversial 5G towers
   https://www.crainsnewyork.com/politics-policy/nyc-may-redesign-controversial-5g-towers-after-backlash-adams-official-says and https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/03/12/tuesdays-headlines-towering-news-edition
   1. The report states 140 towers installed, but at the time of CityBridge's receipt of the FCC notice, it was reported that only 107 towers were installed.  Have 33 towers been installed while historic review has been underway?
3. Defend our Landlines!  That's the real digital divide that millions in nationwide have experienced, esp in Feb -- not being able to call 911 when you have an electrical outage and cellular outage and can't charge or use your "smart" phone to call 911. Verizon has been retiring its copper lines in NYC for several years.  It's time to change that.
   1. See Newsweek coverage:  "Outage Nationwide as Emergency System Crashes for Millions" 2-24-24. Reporting outages in OH, CA, NY ...  "The City of Mentor in Ohio said: 'Attention all AT&T customers. Please be advised that all AT&T lines are DOWN and that ALL texts and calls to non-emergency and emergency lines ARE NOT GOING THROUGH. Please seek alternatives.'"
   2. See CNBC coverage: reporting 74,000 outages in the Bay Area in CA, https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/22/cellular-outages-hit-thousands-in-us-and-att-users-most-affected.html
4. City & State - I am an "Above and Beyond" honoree.  Thank you to everyone who nominated me and who donated. Unfortunately, we did not reach our sponsorship goal which would have given me the opportunity to speak at the event, along with Mayor Adams' Chief Advisor and others who will be speaking at the event.  It's high profile and attracts the attention of NYC officials.  It's on March 27th, 6:30-8:30 at The Sony Hall, 235 W. 46th St.  I invite you to come to the event. Tickets can be bought at https://www.cityandstateny.com/feature/2024-Above-and-Beyond-Women/?oref=csny-events-upcoming. 

GENERAL:

1. Video Collage - At next week's meeting, we will record your statements on these and other issues, such as risk of adverse health outcomes, public safety hazard, cybersecurity threat, etc. of the 5G Towers and the 4G/5G pods on the street poles.  We'll outline some possible issues to mention which will be distributed at the meeting.  Potential audience: the Mayor, Office of Technology, Dept of Health, Dept of Education, Chair Gutierrez and members of the City Council Technology Committee, our legislators.      

        To address for the video:

• WHO - Your profession
• WHERE - NYC
• WHAT - Issues that are important to you (radiation from cell phones, cell towers, smart meters, etc) 
• WHY are they important to you
• HOW the NYC Alliance for Safe Technology helps to coalesce our interests (we get things done, etc) 
• PITCH - Join The NYC Alliance for Safe Technology!Articles: French Court rules for individual injured from wireless radiation to live in a radiation free zone https://www.ledauphine.com/faits-divers-justice/2024/03/05/l-expulsion-d-un-electrohypersensible-refusee-par-la-justice

1. Sec 106 Review -- NYC Historic Preservation -- WE NEED MORE CONSULTING PARTIES!  THE GENERAL PUBLIC CAN ALSO COMMENT.  See attached document entitled "Section 106 Review ... " for instructions. Deadlines to file comments on many 5G Towers have already passed and others are fast approaching.  YOU NEED TO ACT NOW!
2. ALERTS! Your Sec 106 participation is crucial from community boards and civic associations in Washington Heights, Lower East Side, Jamaica, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island.  YOU'RE GETTING CLOBBERED WITH 5G TOWERS.
3. Results: Consulting party comments opposing proposed 5G Towers have so far been largely successful in stopping the 5G Towers in the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village, Forest Hills. But, where there are no consulting parties or comments from the general public, the NYS Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has not objected to Towers in those locations. Those are missed opportunities.
4. 311 Complaint Campaign - CALL 311 TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE 5G TOWERS.  We need an official city record of complaints that city officials cannot ignore.
5. Nominate.  Looking at the bigger picture, this is a good time to nominate structures and districts for historic preservation in NYC at the LPC and to SHPO.
6. Federal bills (60+) - several bills are now moving in Congress.  These bills will eliminate our local control over wireless permitting/placement, prohibit moratoria and eliminate environmental and historical preservation reviews. 

• SET UP MEETINGS NOW WITH: Reps. Espaillat, Jeffries, Clarke, Malliotakis, Meeks, Meng, Velazquez, Suozzi, Goldman, Torres.  Let me know when you do.  
• Every success we've had in NYC - disapprovals and moratoria on 5G Towers - are expressly prohibited under HR 3557, and our success in envt'l and historic preservation reviews will be virtually eliminated under HR 3557, HR 4141, etc.  
• HR 6492 will carpet our national parks with cell towers, which do catch on fire. CA had 4 major fires from faulty telecom eqpt - Woolsey Fire (2018) caused $6 bil in damages, 295,000 pp evacuated, 100,000 acres of land destroyed and several deaths. See below the fold for "Cell Towers & Fires" at https://thenationalcall.org/advocacy-and-action/
• See att'd fact sheets and https://ehtrust.org/congress/
• Federal Bills committee meets every Thursday, 4-6pm ET; let me know if you're interested.
• 8.  National Call for Safe Technology - I am Chair of this national group of over 100 organizations and individuals.  We meet every 2nd and 4th Friday; to sign up, email me or go to thenationalcall.org to sign up for notices of meetings and alerts.