FCC proposes no change to its RF standards
This FCC update was too significant not to send. And so while at it, I added 3 more items:
FCC Proposes No Change to Its RF Standards
Existing Rules Will Apply to 5G Phones and Infrastructure
After six years of study, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has decided not to revise its current safety limits for RF radiation. The rules, which were first adopted in 1996 and are the only ones governing cell phone exposures in the U.S., will continue to be based only on thermal effects.
“After a thorough review of the record and consultation with [the FDA and other health] agencies, we find it appropriate to maintain the existing radiofrequency limits, which are among the most stringent in the world for cell phones,” said Julius Knapp, the chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology.
Some had wanted the FCC to harmonize its limits with those of ICNIRP, which are considerably more permissive for cell phone exposures. The ICNIRP standard is 2 W/Kg, averaged over 10 g of tissue, while the FCC limit is 1.6 W/Kg over 1 g. The larger averaging volume alone makes the ICNIRP standard less stringent by two- to threefold (see MWN, J/A00, p.8).
In the FCC announcement, issued today, Chairman Ajit Pai cites the support of Jeffrey Shuren, the director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The available scientific evidence to date does not support adverse health effects in humans due to exposures at or under the current limits…” Shuren told the FCC, adding, “No changes to the current standards are warranted at this time.”
FCC officials said at a press briefing that there’s “nothing special about 5G,” according to a report from CNET. They went on to argue that the scientific evidence to date indicates that, in terms of causing health effects, 5G is no different from any other cellular technology, including 4G or 3G. The higher-frequency signals (millimeter waves) used to deliver 5G also pose no health risk, they said, pointing out that the existing RF exposure guidelines apply to 5G.
The FCC first announced its plan to review the agency’s RF rules in March 2013 in a 200-page filing.
For more on the FCC and RF safety, go here.
Austrian parliament commissions study on 5G health effects
The Austrian parliament has commissioned a study into the health effects of 5G networks due to concerns among the public the new generation of mobile services could pose risks from increased radiation exposure.
The Advisory Council on Technology Assessment of the Austrian Parliament has decided to obtain expertise in the field and appointed a consortium of the Institute for Technology Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Austrian Institute of Technology to conduct a study. The research institutes already provide the parliament with scientific advice on many topics.
The study is expected to be ready by January 2020, providing an overview of the latest research on the topic. The report will be published on the parliament’s website.
—
Theodora Scarato
Vacates and remands that portion of larger deregulatory order back to commission
John Eggerton Aug 9, 2019
“Turns out the race to 5G can’t run roughshod over the landscape, at least as the FCC has proposed it.
In a partial defeat for the FCC and a victory for localities trying to retain their authority over cell tower placement and impact, a federal appeals court has ruled that the FCC did not justify its deregulation of small cell site historic and environmental reviews and has vacated that part of a larger wireless deployment deregulation order.”
https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/court-vacates-fcc-dereg-of-cell-tower-site-reviews