Subject: FCC ... CYA -- FCC's latest on cell phone safety (Carney)..
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 1999 103547 -0600 (CST)
From: "Roy L. Beavers"
To: emfguru
--------------------------------------------------
Hi everybody:
.......I am mindful of the fact that the FCC is not staffed with the
expertise it requires to fully protect the public (on an INDEPENDENT
basis) in cases like the following. They feel that they have no
alternative but to turn to the industry-created and controlled
institutions like the NCRP and the IEEE (see press release below).
But there is another alternative! Rather than perpetuate further
reliance for the protection of the public health and safety on such
'pro-industry' dominated bodies (as the NCRP and the IEEE), the FCC can
take the lead in apprising the Congress of the need to **change the
system**!!!
It is a system which now is totally devoid of credibility with those
Americans who have (been forced to) learn about what is happening in the
EMF health hazards matter..... One of the surest lessons we are learning
as a consequence of this "EMF saga" is that the nation has a desperate
need to create INDEPENDENT science expertise for the establishment and
monitoring of such standards and regulations......
One thing the FCC DOES have (virtually all bureaucracies do) is a staff
that knows how to draft legislation..... Get with it!!! Quit passing the
buck to the NEXT guy.....!!!
Cheerio.....
P.S. Perhaps most Americans have forgotten, but there was a time (before
WW II) when the independence of science was sustained (with pride) by
America's colleges and universities..... That was before THEY, too, "sold
out" in order to obtain federal funds and BIG $$$$$$ endowments from the
vested interests..... I suggest that is STILL an alternative that could
be restored -- if given some impetus and support by both the public
and the "government people" who recognize the magnitude of the present
problem.....
(I have a few additional comments in the text of the press release below.)
Roy Beavers (EMFguru)
rbeavers@llion.org
.....It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.....
NEW!!! Website
...................People are more important than profits.................
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 04 Nov 1999 08:14:59 -0700
From: Deb Carney
To: "Beavers, Roy" ,
Subject: FCC latest on cell phone safety
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/News_Releases/1999/nrwl9044.html
NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554
News media information 202 / 418-0500
Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 202/418-2555
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.
Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official
action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385
(D.C. Circ 1974).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 1999
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
David Fiske 202-418-0513
SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR HAND-HELD
CELLULAR TELEPHONES
Washington, D.C. - - On October 20, 1999, the ABC News show
"20/20" aired a story about the safety of hand-held cellular telephones
and their compliance with FCC safety and testing guidelines. The
Commission would like to provide consumers with the following
information relevant to these issues.
In 1996, the Commission updated its safety guidelines for all
the emitters of radiofrequency (RF) energy it regulates, including
cellular telephones.
The FCC's guidelines are based on recommendations from two
expert organizations, the National Council on Radiation Protection and
Measurements (NCRP) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE).
The scientists and engineers who made these recommendations
devoted a considerable amount of time and effort in developing
scientifically supportable safe limits for exposure. The FCC's guidelines
have received the support of key federal health and safety agencies,
including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA).
[.......Doesn't the approval of all these RICH health bureaucracies just
make you feel so 'warm and cozy' with confidence???.....guru.....]
The FCC takes its responsibility to monitor compliance with its
cell phone safety guidelines seriously and carefully analyzes test data
for compliance with the limits.
Variability in testing procedures for evaluating cell phone
compliance with FCC and other exposure guidelines is a key issue that is
currently being debated by several organizations, both in the United
States and overseas. In that regard, the FCC is working with a committee
of the IEEE to develop updated procedures for testing and evaluating
hand-held phones and devices.
We renew our call for the standard-setting committees to
develop specific uniform procedures and methodologies for testing cell
phone radiofrequency emissions. If they do not act promptly to
finalize standardized testing methods, the Commission will mandate
action on its own. This will help reduce any uncertainty over appropriate
techniques for evaluating cell phones for compliance with safety limits.
[.......I'll bet the telecom industry is really 'scared' about this
prospect!!??......guru......]
The ABC News story reported that certain cell telephones it
tested failed to comply with FCC test guidelines. We have not seen the
full report, but the preliminary data that was shared with us certainly
warrants close scrutiny. We will conduct our own expert examination of
the full report once it is provided to us by ABC. Whether these phones are
not in compliance with our limits remains to be determined, since
variability in evaluation procedures is often an issue and the specific
test procedures used by the European laboratory that conducted the tests
for ABC have to be reviewed further.
[........Bureaucratic/legal "gobbely-gook" about an irrelevancy..... The
"test procedures" are not the issue!! Why are we so sure that OUR
procedures are superior to the Europeans?? The HEALTH EFFECTS are the
issue!!!......guru.......]
The FCC will work with the phone manufacturers involved to
determine if any further action is required. It is important to note,
however, that the FCC guidelines already incorporate a large margin of
safety between allowed levels of exposure and exposure thresholds that
have been identified with known adverse health effects. The values of
exposure reported by ABC were well within that safety margin, and,
therefore, there is no indication of any immediate threat to human health
from these phones.
[......."No immediate threat to human health!?!" ...... Hey!! People
are **dieing** of brain cancer...... ARE YOU RESTING IN PEACE,
Mike????.......guru.....]
For additional information on safety issues related to
radiofrequency emissions please see the following FCC Web Site:
www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety.
This Web Site provides further information in the form of
information bulletins and factsheets that can be viewed and downloaded.
Also, for a recent statement from the Food and Drug
Administration on mobile phone safety see the following FDA Web Site:
www.fda.gov/cdrh/newpg.html
Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com