letters to the editor
Sharing ‘more of the 5G cellular antenna story’ about MasTec underground cables
I write in response to your April 9 picture (Through The Lens) seeking comment on:
“MasTec subcontractors were busy late last week installing underground cables along Campbell Station Road. Farragut Municipal Planning Commission approved the fiber installation project back in December.”
Let’s please share more of the story. Those cables are intended to support and feed 5G cellular antenna that will go into our neighborhoods and near our schools.
Since for-profit cellular companies have been authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly to use public right-of-way, collectively owned by the citizens of Farragut, I believe we as citizens have standing to demand answers to questions regarding deployment of 5G in our Town.
The Town of Farragut has the initial Fiber Optic deployment map on file at Town Hall. Portions of this Fiber Optic are intended to support the 5G antenna intended for Farragut. In multiple public forums I’ve asked that map be published in your newspaper to let people know where 5G may be headed.
To date the map has not been published. I have also asked the Town to publish intended locations of all the 5G antenna once applications are dropped, the first 11 of which were approved (with secondary follow-up requirements) on Jan. 16, even though approximately 80 citizens showed up in opposition. It is interesting to note that one of the antenna will sit directly across the street from Farragut Primary School and the two intended for Sonja Drive will be within eyeshot of the rooftops of the intermediate, middle and high school campuses.
The underground cables in your April 9 picture are those to feed the 5G antenna intended for deployment in/or near older neighborhoods of Farragut: Sweet Briar, Woodland Trace and Sonja Drive. If your neighborhood is not mentioned, it may only be a matter of time. That may be a delightful future prospect or a frightening proposition depending upon your personal position regarding 5G.
As Town of Farragut residents and property owners, I want you to become familiar with a new vocabulary term – (“Co-location:” as I understand the term in light of the 2018 law, “colocate,” “colocating” and “colocation” mean, in their respective noun and verb forms, to install, mount, main maintain, modify, operate or replace small wireless facilities on, adjacent to or related to a PSS. “Colocation” does not include the installation of a new PSS or replacement of authority-owned PSS.
What is a PSS you might ask? Potential support structure for a small wireless facility or PSS — a pole or other structure used for wireline communications, electric distribution, lighting, traffic control, signage or any similar function including poles installed solely for the colocation of small cells.
However, if the proposed location of the new or modified PSS lies within a residential neighborhood, then the height is limited to 40 feet above the ground.) Portions of the Previous (bracketed) content from: Public Chapter No. 819 House Bill No. 2279, signed into law in May of 2018.
These 5G antenna can be placed in right-of-ways of our public streets on existing PSS (if agreement is reached with PSS owner) or they may install their own pole.
My concern is that if multiple antenna from multiple companies are placed on the same pole or if the Town of Farragut wishes for fewer poles and attempts to encourage cellular companies share newly dug poles, could the multiple antenna in the same location push the safety standards of the emitted radiation? To date I continue to seek this answer.
Please educate yourself on 5G factors that may impact your property.
Laura Squires
Farragut
Possible danger of 5G towers/antennas must be studied
The Farragut Planning Commission must study the medical danger of 5G small cell towers/antennas close to our homes. Specifically, a baseline in Farragut must be established to make sure no home in Farragut is exposed to more than the U. S. Federal limit for cellular radiation.
To do this, Farragut must purchase radiation testing equipment and first establish a baseline for all existing cellular towers in Farragut. Then as new towers/antennas are installed they must be measured. A computer database to record these tests must be created.
Having more than one 5G small cell towers/antennas on an LCUB pole should not be allowed in the Town of Farragut. This will increase the radiation load beyond Federal limits. While this will increase the number of poles with 5G towers/antennas, it is the only way to make sure no single family is exposed to radiation in excess of Federal limits.
Please know that there is not a single medical, toxicological or epidemiological study that shows 5G small cell towers/antennas are safe to be near humans.
There are, however, thousands of medical, toxicological and epidemiological studies that show these cellular devices harm human health and can cause cancer and even death.
Visit https://www.emf-portal.org/en
“The Internet information platform EMF-Portal of the RWTH Aachen University summarizes systematically scientific research data on the effects of electromagnetic fields. All information is made available in both English and German.
The core of the EMF-Portal is an extensive literature database with an inventory of 30,758 publications and 6,703 summaries of individual scientific studies on the effects of electromagnetic fields.
Mike Mitchell
Farragut
