- ALERT! The FCC will be voting on Thursday on a Net Neutrality rule that will preempt local authority over wireless facilities, like HR 3557. The FCC wants to make broadband a Title II telecom service, meaning that the FCC would have preemption not just for phone service but for wireless broadband, as
well. Here is the proposed rule.
Today, please reach out (by email and follow-up calls) to Senators Schumer and Gillebrand and Democrat
Representatives.
THE ASK: no need to reclassify broadband as Title II as the FCC already has control of broadband under Title III (blocking, throttling, etc); but if they do reclassify broadband as Title II, there
should be a provision that the FCC will forebear from preemption under 47 USC §224, §253a-d, and §332c7B.
Democrats are supporting the FCC’s net neutrality proposed rule which contains the very preemption of local authority over the approval and placement of wireless facilities which Democrats opposed in HR
3557 in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Republicans are generally opposing the proposed rule although for different reasons. It is not clear how much widespread awareness there has been among Democrats about the local zoning preemption in the rulemaking.
2. National Environmental Advisory Council (EPA) - public meeting until Thursday on environmental justice issues. Written comments are being accepted.
3. 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!
a.
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. The NYS Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has not objected to Towers in many 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. 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. See below for federal bills update.
- SET UP MEETINGS NOW WITH: Reps. Espaillat, Jeffries, Clarke, Malliotakis, Meeks, Meng, Velazquez, Suozzi, Goldman, Torres. Let me
know when you do. Unfortunately, our NY delegation is voting for all of the bad bills. Call them today to schedule a meeting.
- See new voting guide at https://thenationalcall.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/voting-guide-federal-bills-3-31-24-1.pdf and att'd fact sheets and https://ehtrust.org/congress/
- Federal Bills committee of the National Call for Safe Technology meets every Thursday, 4-6pm ET; let me know if you're interested.
6. National Call for Safe Technology - Sign up to
connect with other advocates nationwide. We meet every 2nd and 4th Friday; to sign up, email me or go to thenationalcall.org.
7. Defend our Landlines! Verizon has been retiring its copper lines in NYC for
several years. That means if you can't make a 911 call if your cell service goes down. That recently happened in CA that left over 70,000 stranded. Contact your City Council member and your US Representative.
Federal Bills Update: Our NY delegation is supporting bad bills, please contact your Representative today:
- HR 3294 - Nydia Velazquez sponsor
- HR 5919 and HR 4235 - Lawler sponsor
- HR 1123 - passed House, voted by Nadler, Lawler, Goldman, Jeffries, Malliotakis, Espaillat, Clarke, Meeks, Meng, Velazquez, Torres, Ocasio-Cortez - Now included in HR 4510 NTIA Reauth, ASK: must amend to include
5G in cybersecurity study with required Homeland Security input
- HR 1353 - passed House, voted by ditto
- HR 1339 - passed House, voted by ditto
- HR 6492 - passed House, co-sponsored by Lawler
- 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/.
