There is a lot of public sentiment against placing small cell sites on residential streets. There is a particular fear of broadcasting higher millimeter wave frequencies near to homes since these frequencies have never been in widespread use before. In the public’s mind, higher frequencies mean a greater danger of health problems related to exposure to radiofrequency emissions. The public’s fears are further stoked when they hear that Switzerland and Belgium are limiting the deployment of millimeter wave radios until there is better proof that they are safe.

The FCC released a report and order on December 4 that is likely to add fuel to the fire. The agency rejected all claims that there is any public danger from radiofrequency emissions and affirmed the existing frequency exposure rules. The FCC said that none of the thousand filings made in the docket provided any scientific evidence that millimeter wave, and other 5G frequencies are dangerous.

The FCC is right in their assertion that there are no definitive scientific studies linking cellular frequencies to cancer or other health issues. However, the FCC misses the point that most of those asking for caution, including scientists, agree with that. The public has several specific fears about the new frequencies being used:

• First is the overall range of new frequencies. In the recent past, the public was widely exposed to relatively low frequencies from radio and TV stations, to a fairly narrow range of cellular frequencies, and two bands of WiFi. The FCC is in the process of approving dozens of new bands of frequency that will be widely used where people live and work. The fear is not so much about any given frequency being dangerous, but rather a fear that being bombarded by a large range of frequencies will create unforeseen problems.
• People are also concerned that cellular transmitters are moving from tall towers, which normally have been located away from housing, to small cell sites on poles that are located on residential streets. The fear is that these transmitters are generating a lot of radiation close to the transmitter—which is true. The amount of frequency that strikes a given area decreases rapidly with distance from a transmitter. The anecdote that I’ve seen repeated on social media is of placing a cell site fifteen feet from the bedroom of a child. I have no idea if there is a real small cell site that is the genesis of this claim—but there could be. In dense urban neighborhoods, there are plenty of streets where telephone poles are within a few feet of homes. I admit that I would be leery about having a small cell site directly outside one of my windows.
• The public worries when they know that there will always be devices that don’t meet the FCC guidelines. As an example, the Chicago Tribune tested eleven smartphones in August and found that a few of them were issuing radiation at twice the FCC maximum-allowable limit. The public understands that vendors play loose with regulatory rules and that the FCC largely ignores such violations.

The public has no particular reason to trust this FCC. The FCC under Chairman Pai has sided with the large carriers on practically every issue in front of the Commission. This is not to say that the FCC didn’t give this docket the full consideration that should be given to all dockets—but the public perception is that this FCC would side with the cellular carriers even if there was a public health danger.

The FCC order is also not particularly helped by citing the buy-in from the Food and Drug Administration on the safety of radiation. That agency has licensed dozens of medicines that later proved to be harmful, so that agency also doesn’t garner a lot of public trust.

The FCC made a few changes with this order. They have mandated a new set of warning signs to be posted around transmitters. It’s doubtful that anybody outside of the industry will understand the meaning of the color-coded warnings. The FCC is also seeking comments on whether exposure standards should be changed for frequencies below 100 kHz and above 6 GHz. The agency is also going to exempt certain kinds of transmitters from FCC testing.

I’ve read extensively on both sides of the issue, and it’s impossible to know the full story. For example, a majority of scientists in the field signed a petition to the United Nations warning against using higher frequencies without more testing. But it’s also easy to be persuaded by other scientists who say that higher frequencies don’t even penetrate the skin. I’ve not heard of any studies that look at exposing people to a huge range of different low-power frequencies.

This FCC is in a no-win position. The public properly perceives the agency of being pro-carrier, and anything the FCC says is not going to persuade those worried about radiation risks. I tend to side with the likelihood that the radiation is not a big danger, but I also have to wonder if there will be any impact after expanding by tenfold the range of frequencies we’re exposed to. The fact is that we’re not likely to know until after we’ve all been exposed for a decade.