county of santa cruzsccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/bds/govstream2/... · exception of some minor...
TRANSCRIPT
County of Santa CruzCOUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
0329
701 OCEAN STREET, SUITE 520, SANTA CRUZ, CA 95060-4073
(831)454-2100 FAX: (831)454-3420 TOO: (831)454-2123
SUSAN MAURIELLO, J.D., COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
September 3, 2013 Agenda: September 10, 2013
BOARD OF SUPERVISORSCounty of Santa Cruz701 Ocean StreetSanta Cruz, CA 95060
REPORT ON BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY AND EXPANSION
Dear Members of the Board,
On August 6, 2013, your Board directed staff to return on today's agenda with recommendations toenhance broadband connectivity and expansion in Santa Cruz County. The purpose of this letter is toprovide your Board with information regarding the County's broadband coverage, and to discussinitiatives that pose the greatest opportunity for achieving the stated objectives.
Our office has coordinated the efforts of staff in the Information Services, Planning and Public WorksDepartments in order to explore and evaluate various administrative and planning initiatives that couldlead to greater investment in broadband infrastructure in the County. These efforts have includedmeeting with broadband providers, reviewing a variety of information including coverage maps, digonce policies and conduit specifications, and working with regional stakeholders on ways to expandbroadband. The results of these efforts have been summarized by department in the attachment to thisreport. At today's meeting, a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the issues identified in the material inthis report will be presented.
It is therefore RECOMMENDED that your Board accept and file this report and direct staff to return onor before November 5, 2013 with updates on implementing recommended actions to expandbroadband in Santa Cruz County, as follows:
Information Services1. Finalize conduit specifications in collaboration with Public Works and broadband providers.2. Work with County Counsel and Public Works to establish master lease agreements that allow
the installation of broadband infrastructure on utility poles, light standards and County assets.
Planning3. Allow the installation of equipment within public right of ways, subject only to "time, place and
manner" of access, through the County's encroachment permit process.4. Streamline the application process and ensure permit fees are based on actual costs.
5. Draft amendments to County regulations that facilitate the deployment of broadband technology.6. Work with broadband providers on economic development opportunities.
38
REPORT BACK ON BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY AND EXPANSIONAGENDA DATE: SEPTEMBER 10, 2013Page 2
0330Public Works7. Work with utility companies on their financing and installation of conduit as part of County
projects.8. Draft an ordinance based on the San Francisco "dig once" model for the County of Santa Cruz.
Very truly yours,
d~H .SUSAN A. MAURIELLOCounty Administrative Officer
Attachments
cc: Information Services DirectorPlanning DirectorPublic Works Director
38 SERVING THE COMMUNITY - WORKING FOR THE FUTURE
COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ 0331
Report on BroadbandConnectivity and
--- - -r:-~P~-Q! __ - __ . .Prepared for the Board of Supervisors
9/3/2013
:18
38
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 1
(j..) -~¿
Table of Contents
Section 1: Information Services ........................................................... 2
Section 2: Planning ............................................................................... 8
Section 3: Public Works.......................................................................10
Attachment A: Santa Cruz County Broadband Coverage Maps........12
Attachment B: Proposed San Francisco Dig Once Ordinance..........18
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 2
Section 1: Information Servicesn?: -z"Z'- -~ ..".
What is Broadband
Broadband or high-speed Internet allows users to access the Internet and Internet-relatedservices at significantly higher speeds than those available through "dial-up" Internet accessservices. Broadband speeds vary significantly depending on the particular type and level ofservice ordered and may range from as low as 200 kilobits per second (Kbps), or 200,000 bitsper second, to 30 megabits per second (Mbps), or 30,000,000 bits per second. Some recentofferings even include 50 to 100 Mbps. Broadband services for residential consumers typicallyprovide faster downstream speeds (from the Internet to your computer) than upstream speeds(from your computer to the Internet).
Broadband can be provided over different platforms:
. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
. Cable Modem
. Fiber
. Wireless
. Satellite
. T1rr3 Business Class
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
DSL is a wireline transmission technology that transmits data faster over traditional coppertelephone lines already installed to homes and businesses. DSL-based broadband providestransmission speeds ranging from several hundred Kbps to millions of bits per second. Theavailability and speed of DSL service may depend on the distance from the home or business tothe closest telephone company facility.
Cable Modem
Cable modem service enables cable operators to provide broadband using the same coaxialcables that deliver pictures and sound to your TV set. Most cable modems are external devicesthat have two connections, one to the cable wall outlet and the other to a computer. Theyprovide transmission speeds of 1.5 Mbps to over 100 Mbps. Transmission speeds varydepending on the type of cable modem, cable network and traffic load. Speeds are comparableto or exceed typical residential DSL.
Fiber
Fiber optic technology converts electrical signals carrying data to light and sends the lightthrough transparent glass fibers about the diameter of a human hair. Fiber transmits data atspeeds far exceeding current DSL or cable modem speeds, typically by tens or even hundredsof Mbps. The actual speed you experience, however, will vary depending upon a variety offactors, such as how close to your computer the service provider brings the fiber and how theservice provider configures the service, including the amount of bandwidth used. The same fiberproviding your broadband can also simultaneously deliver voice (VoIP) and video services,including video-on-demand.
88
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 3
Wireless 0334
Wireless fidelity (WiFi) is a "short range" technology that is often used in conjunction with acustomer's DSL or cable modem service to connect end-user devices, such as PCs, laptopsand smartphones, located within the customer's home or business to the Internet. In thesecases, WiFi allows users to move WiFi-enabled devices around within their homes or
businesses without installing additional inside wiring, but the actual "connection" to the serviceprovider is via the customer's DSL or cable modem service. WiFi technology can also be"networked" to provide wider geographic coverage, and when configured this way, may be usedby some service providers in offering broadband service.
Fixed wireless technologies using longer range directional equipment can provide broadbandservice in remote or sparsely populated areas where other types of broadband would be toocostly to provide. Speeds are generally comparable to DSL service speeds. An external antennais usually required. With newer services now being deployed (WiMax), a small antenna locatedinside a home near a window is usually adequate, and higher speeds are possible.
Satellte
Just as satellites orbiting the earth provide necessary links for telephone and television service,they can also provide links for broadband services. Satellite broadband is another form of
broadband technology and is particularly useful for serving remote or sparsely populated areas.Downstream and upstream speeds for satellite broadband depend on several factors, includingthe provider and service package purchased, the consumer's line of sight to the orbitingsatellite, and the weather. Satellite service can be disrupted in extreme weather conditions.Typically a consumer can expect to receive (download) at a speed of about 1 Mbps and send(upload) at a speed of about 200 Kbps. These speeds may be slower than DSL and cablemodem, but the download speed is still much faster than the download speed with dial-upInternet access. Obtaining satellie broadband can be more costly or more involved thanobtaining DSL or cable modem.
T1 / T3 Business Class
Traditional business class service to commercial entities include T1 1T3 and the ethernet classservices. These are higher cost, reliable dedicated network services over copper infrastructurethat are packaged for non-residential use. The T1 (1.5 Mbps) and the T3 (45 Mbps) are stillwidely used. The relative high cost of these types of broadband, particularly T3s, has seen theirusage mainly centered in commercial/business situations requiring higher volume bandwidth. Anewer circuit technology, Ethernet over FiberOptic, now offers business class service overexisting fiber networks up to 10 Gbps speeds. The cost of these services makes them onlyeconomically feasible for large businesses and large public entities, such as universities andgovernments.
Current State of Broadband Coverage
Extensive analysis of broadband access for consumer and commercial use has been completedas part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As a result, there iscomprehensive data for the County regarding broadband availability and provider capacity andgaps. This data can be obtained from the National Telecommunications and Information
88
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 4
Administration (NTIA) \ California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)2 and independent sites3, 0335and includes detailed information regarding geographic coverage maps and provider diversity ina specific area. A Countywide map showing unserved and underserved areas and mapsshowing portions of the County's unserved areas (in red) and areas served by only one provider(in green) are attached to this report. A more detailed view of the maps will be presented at theBoard meeting.
In comparison to the national average, Santa Cruz has extensive broadband coverage with theexception of some minor gaps in the rural areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains, North Coast andWatsonville areas. The major providers include AT&T and the two cable providers, Comcastand Charter. There is one major local Internet Service Provider (ISP), Cruzio, whose networkconsists of a combination of Sunesys deployed fiber and self-deployed wireless point-to-point.There are several other smaller ISPs in Santa Cruz County, including Got.net and Surfnet.These smaller providers provide service to consumers and commercial entities through acombination of leasing fiber and other infrastructure from the major providers, such as Comcastand AT&T. From an availability standpoint, the County has extensive fiber and broadbandnetworks that meet the needs of commercial and residential usage, although it can beexpensive for smaller commercial uses.
Existing Broadband Services in the County
AT&T is one of the largest providers of broadband service in Santa Cruz County with a fibernetwork that covers most of the County's geographic areas. AT&T services include residentialU-verse with speeds ranging from 3 Mbps to 24 Mbps depending on the residential location, andbusiness class service from T1 up to 10 Gbps. U-verse is delivered over AT&T's LightSpeednetwork in some of the County's incorporated areas. AT&T has proposed an expansion of theirLightSpeed network in the unincorporated area, which would bring higher speeds to residentialand small-to-medium business customers. These plans are currently under review in Planningand Public Works.
Comcast and Charter are the two cable franchise providers in Santa Cruz County. Bothcompanies provide cable broadband to residential customers and in the past three years haveestablished business class offerings in the County. Charter, which provides cable services toSouth County, some parts of Aptos and Capitola, offers residential speeds up to 100 Mbps andcommercial speeds up to 1 Gbps. Comcast, which serves the cities of Santa Cruz and ScottsValley and the northern area of Santa Cruz County, provides speeds up to 45 Mbps. Comcasthas recently converted their network to digital, and will be upgrading their offerings in the nearfuture. Both providers have a strong presence in the residential areas as cable televisionproviders. Com cast just completed an expansion in several mountain and rural communitiesand is under construction for the Loma Prieta area now.
Of the smaller providers, Cruzio has the largest presence with a concentration of customers inthe area surrounding the City of Santa Cruz. They continue to grow their offerings for residentialand commercial DSL with their Velocity product line, which offers speeds up to 48 Mbps. Cruzioalso offers commercial class Internet access, but it is limited to several key geographic areas,including the cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville and parts of the unincorporated area in LiveOak.
1 http://ww.ntia.doc.gov/category/broadband2 http://ww.broadbandmap.ca.gov/3 http://ww.broadband.org/
88
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 5
Availabilty and Cost of High Volume Bandwidth0336
While broadband access is readily available in most of Santa Cruz County, there are severalissues that remain hurdles to broadband availability. While the majority of the County meets theARRA definition of served areas, there are significant pockets of residential and commercialcustomers in need of greater availability to larger bandwidth. These include the mountain areasbordering Santa Clara County and the rural areas surrounding Watsonville. Also, the increaseddemands of home based businesses and telecommuters working out of their homes havecaused increased demand for larger and cost effective capacity.
The cost of larger bandwidth capacity in Santa Cruz County has also been a limiting factor. Asshown on the attached maps, there are several key areas of the County for which there is onlyone broadband provider. As a result, many residential customers and smaller businesses withlarge Internet requirements are confronted with limited and potentially expensive current
offerings. As an example, as the medical industry moves more towards the electronictransmission of data, local medical provider offices are seeing increased capacity needs thatrequire data circuits that can run from $400 to $1,000 per month for capacities barely aboveDSL standards.
Finally, while the cable broadband networks have made significant inroads into residentialbroadband, there is still some lack of cable broadband infrastructure and availability incommercial and business areas. So while broadband is widely available in the County, there arepockets that lack affordable broadband or at least are not available at rates that are attractive tothe end consumer.
Gigabit Network: Financial, Legal and Other Barriers
One of the solutions for increased capacity and competitive pricing is the implementation of agigabit network, such as the Google fiber network or the Gig.U initiative that centers onuniversities as network "anchor" institutions. However, in Santa Cruz County, the majorproviders have few incentives to further build out existing infrastructures, which are alreadyextensive. The business focus of providers has been to sign up customers while keeping capitalcosts at a minimum. Many of these gigabit projects target high density population areas or citieswhere there is a high volume of web usage, which means higher rates of advertising revenue forproviders that build and maintain the network and infrastructure.
There are also significant fiscal and legal barriers. The cost of building and maintaining acompetitive business model within existing markets can be prohibitive in many circumstances.Existing ordinances and permitting processes can prove to be daunting to providers, which wantto quickly implement infrastructure or receive carte-blanche to run fiber in areas such as sewersand abandoned infrastructure.
Expansion Plans in Progress
Several major providers have indicated expansion plans for broadband in Santa Cruz County.There have also been discussions regarding opportunities to expand broadband in joint projectsbetween the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) and the majorproviders. These projects include AT&T's proposed expansion of their LightSpeed network, thejoint Sunesys/UCSC project to deploy a 90-mile backbone network between Santa Cruz and
a8
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 6
Soledad, and the potential deployment of broadband infrastructure as part of the Monterey BayScenic Trail project.
03'37
AT&T LightSpeed Project
AT&T has proposed expanding its LightSpeed network to the County's unincorporated area.The LightSpeed network upgrade builds upon AT&T's existing fiber network by extending fiberfurther into residential neighborhoods. While in most cases the additional fiber would be placedin conduit that is already in place, trenching may be required to install new conduit or repair andreplace existing conduit. LightSpeed also involves the construction of new 4' x 4' x 2' cabinetsthat house the electronics needed to light the fiber-optics and convert the fiber signal to abandwidth that can be transmitted from the new cabinets to homes over the existing copperdistribution network. The detailed plans are under review by Planning and Public Works. WithLightSpeed in place, AT&T can offer its U-verse service, which bundles television, voice andInternet, to additional consumers in the unincorporated area.
Sunesys Backbone Network Project
The Sunesys project has proposed to deploy a major fiber backbone network from Santa Cruzto Soledad (Monterey County) that would further extend their existing network in Santa Cruz.The current installed infrastructure provides broadband capacity to UCSC and Cruzio, a localISP, and includes a major broadband connection from Sunnyvale, CA to Santa Cruz. While thiswould proyide a large capacity backbone through the County, it will require an ISP, such asCruzio, to provide the "last mile" connections to residential and commercial areas. The project isto be funded through a grant from the California Advanced Service Fund (CASF). At this time,the grant proposal is pending review and approval by the CPUC.
Monterey Bay Scenic Trail Project
With the acquisition of the rail line by the SCCRTC, there has been some preliminary discussionbetween SCCRTC Board members, AT&T and Verizon to deploy fiber along the existing rail,either on poles or through microtrenching into the existing track areas. Like the proposed
Sunesys project, this would provide a backbone fiber network that would run the length of theCounty and intersect several major commercial areas from Davenport to Watsonville.Discussions to date have been preliminary. Further investigation of the potential of thisproposed joint project is still required.
Input from Internet Service Providers
Over the past three months, County staff have met with six providers, including both large andlocal companies offering broadband services. These discussions have focused on fiberavailability and mapping, broadband expansion plans and how that relates to economicdevelopment, and what the County can do to facilitate broadband expansion.
. Fiber availability and mapping - Most providers are unwilling to provide detailed maps
showing the location of their fiber networks due to proprietary and security concerns, butthey are willing to discuss fiber availability in specific areas that are still needed. OnlySunesys provided detailed maps of their existing and proposed fiber routes.
88
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 7
D338. Broadband expansion plans - Both large and local providers are interested in
expanding their broadband service within the County. As described, AT&T would like toexpand its LightSpeed network to offer its U-verse service in the unincorporated area.Local providers are interested in building off of the existing and proposed fiber routes tocompete with the large providers and offer more options to residents and businesses. Allproviders are eager to work with the County on expanding broadband in connection witheconomic development.
. What the County can do - Local providers are interested in working with the County toexpand broadband infrastructure. Some providers also expressed an interest in havingthe County develop conduit specifications based on existing industry standards so theycan more easily install their networks. Information Services has drafted preliminaryconduit specifications and provided them to Public Works for analysis and costing.Finally, at least one provider would like to see the County establish master leaseagreements that allow the installation of broadband infrastructure on utility poles, lightstandards and County assets.
Summary and Conclusion
In summary, while providers have done extensive build outs of the County's fiber backbone,there is still room for improvement. Many areas of the County are limited to a single provider.To address this issue, the County could make it easier for the ISPs to work through theregulatory and permitting process, as discussed by Planning in Attachment B.
Information Services recommends the following actions:
1. Finalize conduit specifications in collaboration with Public Works and broadbandproviders.
2. Work with County Counsel and Public Works to establish master lease agreements thatallow the installation of broadband infrastructure on utility poles, light standards andCounty assets.
88
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 8
Section 2: Planning 0339
Broadband and Economic Development
The need for greater speed, reliability and ability to use several devices simultaneously hasbeen expressed at various community workshops related to the Sustainable Community
Planrrransit Corridor Plan and the Economic Vitality Strategy. The ability to offer high-speedInternet access, including larger bandwidth capacity at a reasonable cost, could facilitate theCounty's business attraction and job creation efforts. Improved broadband infrastructurecombined with our proximity to the Silicon Valley, the presence of several universities (i.e.,USCS, Cabrillo and Cal State Monterey Bay), and our creative and innovative culture offer greatpotential for economic development in Santa Cruz County. Broadband providers are eager towork with the County, and the County should welcome their contributions to our economicdevelopment opportunities.
Regulatory and Permitting Processes
The industries related to television, telephone and Internet services are rapidly evolving andconverging. The 2006 Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act (DIVCA) eliminated theability of local governments to enter into "franchise agreements", and provided that theinstallation of a network within the public right of way must be allowed in the same way thattelephone companies are allowed within the public right of way. The County can limitinstallations only where public access and safety would be affected. Currently, Planningcontinues to process applications for installations within the public right of way, and PublicWorks is responsible for encroachment permits. The County could allow the installation ofequipment within public right of ways, subject only to "time, place and manner" of access,through our encroachment permit process. This would make Public Works solely responsible forthese applications and would expedite the process.
According to providers, Santa Cruz County's existing ordinances and permitting processes areconsidered obstacles to expanding service. In order to achieve the goal of providing greaterbroadband services at competitive prices, the County could apply less stringent and morestreamlined regulatory approaches to foster greater competition among providers and toencourage providers to go into underserved areas. This would require streamlining theapplication process, including what type of information is required, when an application isconsidered "complete" for processing, and how extensive the "visualization" requirements needto be. It could also require ensuring permit fees are based on an "at cost" fee structure, ratherthan a "flat fee". Lastly, the County could consider amendments to regulations that wouldfacilitate the deployment of broadband technology, particularly within hard-to-serve residentialareas, agriculture areas and public right of ways.
As noted by Information Services, AT&T would like to expand its "U-verse" service in theunincorporated area and is preparing an application to install 80 new above-ground cabinets ata size of approximately 4' x 4' X 2' in the public right of way within both residential and
commercial areas. An accommodating and streamlined County permit process would enableAT&T to deploy this improved infrastructure in the near future. Currently, these plans are beingreviewed by Planning and Public Works.
88
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 9
Summary and Conclusion 0340
In summary, efforts to expand broadband would benefit businesses, residents and students inSanta Cruz County. To assist providers in deploying new and improved infrastructure, theCounty could support a number of changes to its regulatory and permitting processes.
Planning recommends the following actions:
3. Allow the installation of equipment within public right of ways, subject only to "time, placeand manner" of access, through the County's encroachment permit process.
4. Streamline the application process and ensure permit fees are based on actual costs.
5. Draft amendments to County regulations that facilitate the deployment of broadbandtechnology.
6. Work with broadband providers on economic development opportunities.
88
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 10
Section 3: Public Works 0341
Coordination with Utilty Companies
The County Department of Public Works (DPW) works with utiliy companies (AT&T, PG&E,Com cast, Verizon, Soquel Creek Water, etc.) and other local public agencies (city and countywater and sewer districts, and city public works departments) through quarterly utility meetingsfor updating and coordinating improvement projects. When County staff initiates a public worksproject at the design stage, DPW works directly with the affected utility companies and publicagency to coordinate specific relocation of individual utilities. Once a year, the County sends aletter to all the utilities and local cities regarding upcoming improvement projects. Likewise,utility companies and the cities coordinate their improvement projects through the Countyencroachment section of DPW for their own utility projects.
County Utility Projects and Cost of Conduit
In reviewing upcoming utility improvement projects by the County, the Sanitation District iscurrently in the design phase for three sewer replacement projects in the Live Oak and Aptosareas. The projects are scheduled for construction over the next several years and will providefor the replacement of sewer lines that are at the end of their service life. These projects includethe replacement of sewer lines on East Cliff Drive between 12th and 17th Avenues
(approximately 1,940 linear feet), a larger project on 17th Avenue between Brommer Street andFelt Street and then on Felt Street between 17th Avenue and the Rodeo Gulch Pump Station(approximately 5,630 linear feet), and a project located under Highway 1 near Valencia Creekbetween Aptos Street and Moosehead Drive (approximately 765 linear feet). Because all threeprojects are funded by the rate payers of the County Sanitation District, additional funding wouldbe necessary to install conduit for communication purposes (fiber optic) in the roadway adjacentto the new sewer line trenches. In situations such as this, as well as some of our roadwayimprovement projects, DPW would work with utility companies if they were interested infinancing the installation of conduit in conjunction with County projects.
In reviewing recent cost estimates for installing conduit for a recent sanitation project, DPW isestimating a construction cost of $30 per linear foot based to install conduit for with a pull tape(includes materials, excavation, backfill, asphalt-concrete cap, and a slurry seal over thetrench). This cost does not include the installation of the fiber optic lines or wire in the conduit.Additionally, this assumes pull boxes every 200 feet, with additional boxes set closer wherethere are bends or turns.
In evaluating abandoned sewer or drainage lines for possible installation of conduit, it would bedifficult to utilize these lines since they have reached the end of their useful service life. Thesewer lines that are being replaced or have been abandoned are in extremely poor structuralcondition due to wastewater environment the lines have been subjected too. Many of these oldsewer lines were manufactured with asbestos/concrete materials which require specialhazardous waste handling when removed, and they are generally located between 3 and 20feet beneath the roadway surface. If a line is abandoned, they generally fill with water due tolocalized high ground water tables. In most cases, as a localized drainage line is beingreplaced due to its existing condition, a new drainage line is installed in the same location forpurposes of keeping facilities within the existing utility easements.
88
Report on Broadband Connectivity and ExpansionPage 11
Dig Once Ordinance 03cJ2
Currently, DPW is reviewing a proposed amendment to an existing ordinance in the City andCounty of San Francisco (City and County) that would require the Public Works Department orother municipal utilities to evaluate and coordinate the installation of electrical orcommunications infrastructure, to the maximum extent practical and feasible, in the public rightof way whenever a new capital improvement project is under consideration at the planningstage, construction or reconstruction, or a roadway is being considered for repaving. Theordinance would essentially require revisions to the City and County Public Works Department'sstandard plans and specifications to accommodate the electrical and communications
infrastructure, as well as implement an extensive notification and project coordination processwith other City and County departments, utility companies and other municipal agencies. Theproposed legislation is attached to this report.
DPW believes that if a similar "dig once" ordinance to the City of County of San Francisco wasapproved by your Board, it would allow us to move forward with a coordinated approach on theinstallation of communication network within the County. This coordinated effort would alsorequire revisions to the County Design Criteria to provide recommendations on a recommendedinstallation process of the communication system with the utility companies. DPW will continueto monitor the City and County of San Francisco's proposed ordinance amendments to
accommodate communication infrastructure.
Summary and Conclusion
In summary, broadband infrastructure could be added to a number of utility improvementprojects in the County based on available funding. A coordinated approach to installing aCounty-wide communication network could be accomplished by establishing a "dig once"ordinance similar to proposed legislation in the City and County of San Francisco.
Public Works recommends the following actions:
7. Work with utility companies on their financing and installation of conduit as part ofCounty projects.
8. Draft an ordinance based on the San Francisco "dig once" model for the County of Santa
Cruz.
38
"0Q)
,~ v(j Q)v 'f ~
Q) (j Q)
"' ~ ~ ~U II :: ::~ III
88
0344
..
r
_I i~-i~ ~~
~íl" c
-~;'-
);
ii.i~
\L -..
It~5
~l~ Il;,',(J ~.-" '-,It ~~
."l&
. C4,~':' ,(i'" rr .."'. ,,,
.."'~,..,
.., ~ r
\~ ~
~, .. l'
'¡-'!'"
....
~
'-4
r -_"
Broadband Map - Numer of Providers - National Broadband Map
Pf,# National Broadband Map~ How connected Is my community?
htt://www. broadbandmap .gov/nwner -of- providers
I Permalik I ~ Short URL )) nbm.gov/ARCp
Number of Broadband Providers Data a5of: 1211/12Tweet Like 1.4k
Select a provider type:I WIREUNE I WIRELESS
I UNSERVED AREAS I SERVED AREA
0345
Selec area(s):
r,~
, ~¿p
~l
"
"~l"i
i"~~,
f";.1'
..c.~.
.'..-~i\ .,~ 1\~ ",'" 1,4,~ q ."~
lt~
...,"f\.
.;'C!
~
f'"
~."
JI./
~'"
~~
J~l:","" i::,~u¡:'INJ:u~rr
Ser, Ù)flt.' NMVr,l( ReSt.,-Y(l'ilSJrJ,"' Goif
',!Jte .vJ'~
1ö
i L':i
~Q
~
Dt'-LàVl"__igJ ,PJ'~.n,.1..nilJcic iRCSQrt6rOCLi)~,Jga GOI7" ~.'(crC,',e Centerl
lf..
Sr~JUrl'i''' " 0 t) J ,-qK" ()...("'l
"lc.'\..
iiilfY)' J\.s~ P,iflt.
\rA...,
s.f.~~
~
í~ ~
r~
CM.iit1,1R.lJid
l.j: ~wt, 1/,'J ..
~y\.i&(;JrM Iv
~ Æ;'''''''lr.
(
~
1l~,~ÇlTI'l
d' .~.J ,~ ~'l
M(lQrl' (,"". Up/nd axn~('Prt:5t~n."
,./ ',. l'.l fot.r
1)1nra DJ¡ SnuB C!.jftMil:!u: .1"'': ROdi "9"';'S'tI"'¿"
l'V~' Rdri..' Stiltf' Pdfl,'f~'It 'l"'VC4/O:'.1
Ul)lY"~l'SJC' 01 W.\rú~nM5..rt.i Cruz '.f~ir/flè SC.illCt:
L'Jmous
tI )The National Broadband Map is a tool to search, analyze and map broadband availabilty across the United States.
Created and maintained by the NTIA in collaboration with the FCC, and in partnership with 50 states, five tenitories and the District ofColumbia.
R£
88i ofl 9/4/20132:51 PM
Broadband Map - Numer of Providers - National Broadband Map
_ ~~ !~~e~~ L ~yrC~m~~n~~ n d Map
Number of Broadband Providers Data as of: 12/31/12
Select a provider type:I WIREUNE I WIRELESS
I UNSERVED AREAS I SERVED AREASelect area(s):
..
'V
('
~'\"HiUl'liii"i:~JL)iil'
~"'I-
~~
"~
"J'V.i:, ~";fl.IIJ
~'-l
..~~ 'l..
9-i:~V~1"
~..," "",
''1"
~~I'.:"li
I Permalink I
.~.'"
'ct
#.,'~.,1'/'
f~,J':,A....i(i;.fl'Tr ::$
fi
L"L
l.t",,", Sttt,'t!'
htt://www.broadbandmap.gov/numer-of-providers
Tweet Like 1.4k
Short URL )) nbm.gov/ARCp
.f
/'.110 w~~ ~P~k(A1J
1'."10 I ,,l.. r~'Y I'rlk
i:~~L"le
.'ti.'o:I.rR(1i1
':\.....~
~I' \. . ,,,,iP' '~r""
\ ''/0-'''''''..(r.
''I?,¡
''i
ll,m".iyI'J:k
,.J~.i" ß~~\. \J" ol-! ..i~ ,'l"P
"t #'
r~
N I' I(
¡f'f:~v
;k
'Vi'
k;,pWvJlltfl
i~1),~4:~rl
.I.tri( iVii..li.l'ii (l',~-'i~"'~ ''¡.,.
l"~I
p.\..1~\~..'
61l"'.""oj~\
0346
'I
A ,. t N
t'~
~...~
,J,r.
.~l'
('4-
\Ù,,;iof
~lL'irM.Oi,~
"'~)~ Hthl,-1
l~ttkOi
~H..llP.ri"ld
¥it'~"
"-~
I' .\ j '" P. ()
~ The National Broadband Map is a tool to search, analyze and map broadband availabilty across the United States.Created and maintained by the NTIA in collaboration with the FCC, and in partnership with 50 states, five terrtories and the District of
Columbia.F(
88i of I 9/4/20133:00 PM
Broadband Map - Numer of Providers - National Broadband Map
~J National Broadband Map~ How connected Is my community?
Select a provider type:
Number of Broadband Providers Data as of: 12/1/1
Select area(s):
I WIREUNE I WIRELESS
UNSERVED AREA I SERVED AREA I
/-. ..
,r.lti p..".
~'l""'...
li
,Cc
J~\../ 4~.
\ "J~'''~
\f'i.1,'\lY Wf'S.tPo.fW
..l ~~ 'Cr:' ,i+ ¡t'~ i.. t."J-\'!'!4-,
o
lp
~J'.
~"-.-,,,
\.
~';\~-..
,I
ht://www .broadbandmap .gov Inumer -0 f- providers
I Permalink I ~ Short URL )) nbm.gov/ARCp
Tweet Like 1.4k 0347
Minimum: 1Maximum: 1
~, \
\ \,ç'
~
~-
~
I
!vi"'l
./'
!~i,J."J)
I
) ~ .()LI~ P4" 1M ..xt' ¡115Ot ¿
Od "1t"lJ &O~ ~llJ Ct'rllXr¡
. _~""t'i!..... .' 'a¿/, I"":'..~r' L ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~/.4 ~..f.. " ;\""",,'1 Stn:,"'f · (iK.ru R.;l(~-t'. ..iL l
e./ -.
So:"" C""~I .
d.
-- Q'"
,t
.!-
'òIQl~¡)"
Nr I The National Broadband Map is a tool to search, analyze and map broadband availability across the United States.Created and maintained by the NTIA in collaboration with the FCC, and in partnership with 50 states, five terrtories and the District of
Columbia.RÇ
i of i
il89/4/20132:51 PM
Broadband Map - Nwnber of Providers - National Broadband Map
~ National Broadband Map~ How connected Is my community?
Number of Broadband Providers Data as of: 12/31/12
Select a provider type:I WIREUNE I WIRELESS
UNSERVED AREA I SERVED AREAS ISelect area(s):
1 "J ''" 8'..,ii¡.'Iti.."tiP'..
r~
"",\..'\ t,
~'"
"¡...",
s..,~."''I,..
\
~.,~. \ ~
~~'~-9\.
",I'
'11"
ht://www .broadbandmap .gov Inwnber -0 f- providers
I PermaUnk I .: Short URL )) nbm.gov/ARCp
Tweet Uke L.4k0348
oMinimum: 1Maximum: 1
'~~Q.~,l
Pmii Wlt !.lr 't,r
¡'i",~no."'J
N I' ,\".ltlJ I,..¡.~ (.rr rtff':
Úl~Lil¡e ilLJ //J!1i"""'''OWJ
k;~IIVLi1~-(l
11/oçr!l
.llA,'Td':"" ,.l¡
~'~~'fi,.,
(~'1~)rj1\
?6'
~I' Îói. "'ii/""',.",\ '~'w~..
l; . Vfltllin....irlf.ow'rl. ..il-i,j,. ~(r"'ra
"'f.'~r
¿r'"l
'"R.t'l!f Pdfl.
s.1 ",..,Ri;i:
~'p.o.."
~ i;~¡t'tl"''''
9-.#.;;if
PdiJrO Vdk¡ GoJlCÑb
.t~ ii' .
Nf The National Broadband Map is a tool to search, analyze and map broadband availabilty across the United States.Created and maintained by the NTIA in collaboration with the FCC, and in partnership with 50 states, five tenitones and the Distnct of
Columbia.F(
~8i ofl 9/4/20133:00 PM
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
FILE NO. 130412 ORDINANCE NO.0350
(Public Works Code - Installation of City Infrastructure in Excavation Projects)
Ordinance amending the Public Works Code to require the installation of City-owned
telecommunications and electricity infrastructure in excavation projects where the City
has determined that it is both financially feasible and consistent with the City's long-
term goals to develop the City's electrical and communications infrastructure; and to
coordinate the installation of the infrastructure with municipal and utility excavators.
NOTE: Additions are single-underline italics Times New Roman;deletions are strike tlireugh itelics Times ,"lew Romen.
Board amendment additions are double-underlined;Board amendment deletions are strikethrough normaL.
Be it ordained by the People of the City and County of San Francisco:
Section 1. The Public Works Code is hereby amended by amending Section 2.4.13, to
read as follows:
SEC. 2.4.13. TRANSIT, PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLE, ANSTORMWATER, ELECTRIC,
AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AS PART OF PLANNING,
CONSTRUCTION, RECONSTRUCTION, AND REPAVING PROJECTS.
(a) Whenever the Department or other Municipal Excavator undertakes a project
involving the planning, construction, reconstruction, or repaving of a public right-of-way, such
project shall include, to the maximum extent practicable and feasible, the following transit,
pedestrian, bicycle, aA stormwater, electric, and communications infrastructure improvements:
(1) Street and pedestrian-scale sidewalk lighting;
(2) Pedestrian and bicycle safety improvement measures, as established in any
official City adopted bicycle or pedestrian safety plan or other City adopted planning
documents;
(3) Appropriate access in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act;
Supervisor Chiu
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 1
5/7/2013
88
1
" .-
0351
2 of the right-of-way as a transit preferential street designation or bus rapid transit corridor;
(4) Public transit facilities accommodation, including, but not limited to designation
3
4
5
6 Guidelines;
7
(5)
(6)
(7)
Traffic calming devices;
Landscaping;
Low-impact design stormwater facilities consistent with the Stormwater Design
(8) Other pedestrian and streetscape elements listed as appropriate to the relevant
8 street type as identified and defined in the Better Streets Plan; aM
9 (9) Other street and sidewalk improvements consistent with the City's "Transit First"
10 Policy" (Section 16.102 of the City Charter) and "Better Streets Policy" (Chapter 98.1 of the
11 San Francisco Administrative Code);-and
12
13
(10) Electric or communications infrastructure.
14 Transportation Agency, Department of Public Health, Planning Department, Department on
(b) The Director, in consultation with the Directors of the San Francisco Municipal
15 the Environment, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Department of Technology. and
16 Mayor's Office on Disability shall develop orders, regulations, or amendments to the
17 Department's Standard Plans and Specifications that address the improvements set forth in
18 Subsection (a).
19 (c) To the maximum extent practicable and feasible, the Director shall condition all
20 excavation and street improvement permits on the inclusion of the improvements set forth in
21 Subsection (a). If such conditions would exceed the Director's regulatory authority, the
22 Director shall coordinate with other City departments to provide, to the maximum extent
23 practicable and feasible, said improvements on behalf of the City. As part of the decision on
24 any permit or authorization pursuant to the Public Works Code, the Director shall take into
25
Supervisor Chiu
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 2
5/7/2013
88
0352
1 account the permit activity's positive and negative impacts on the integration, enhancement,
2 or preservation of the improvements set forth in Subsection (a).
3 Section 2. The Public Works Code is hereby amended by adding Section 2.4.14, to
4 read as follows:
5 SEC. 2.4.14. COORDINATION WITH CITY AGENCIES.
6
7
(a) Notice to City Agencies.
(1) Before fiing an application for a Permit, the Applicant shall notify the San Francisco
8 Public Utilties Commission and the Department of Technology in writing that the Applicant intends to
9 file an application for a Permit.
10 (2) The Applicant shall send the notice to the San Francisco Public Utilties Commission
11 and the Department of Technology at least sixty (60) days before filing an application for a Permit
12 under Section 2.4.10.
13 (3 ) The notice shall state the location oUhe proposed Excavation, the linear feet to be
14 excavated, the anticipated date for filing the application. and the anticipated dates on which the
15 Excavation wil be commenced and completed. The notice shall also state that the City agencies have
16 sixty (60) days to notify the Applicant and the Department that they intend to participate in the
17 Excavation or they wil be deemed to have elected not to participate.
18
19
(b)
(l ) Notice Required. The Department shall not approve an application and issue a Permit
Application Process.
20 until the Department has determined that the Applicant has followed the notice process required in this
21 Section 2.4.14.
22 (2 ) Denial of Application. The Department shall deny an application for a Permit ifthe
23 Department determines that the Applicant has failed to comply with the notice requirements of this
24 Section 2.4.14.
25 (3 ) Approval of Application.
Supervisor Chiu
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 3
5/7/2013
88
0353
1 (A) Where City Agencies Wil Not Participate. The Department may approve an
2 application and issue a Pennit i(the Department finds that one of the following has occurred:
3 (i The San Francisco Public Utilties Commission and the Department of Technology have
4 received notice from the Applicant and notified the Department and the Applicant that neither agency
5 intends to participate in the Excavation; or
6 (ii ) Sixty (60) days have elapsed since the Applicant sent the notice to the San Francisco
7 Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Technology and neither City agency has notified
8 the Applicant and the Department that the agency intends to participate in the proposed Excavation.
9 (B) Where City Agencies Wil Participate. If either the San Francisco Public Utilties
10 Commission or the Department of Technology timely notifies the Department and the Applicant that the
11 agency wil participate in the proposed Excavation. the Department shall not approve the application
12 or issue the Pennit until the applicable City agency or agencies have had a reasonable opportunity to
13 join in the application by submitting the necessary plans. The Department shall require the Applicant
14 to work with the applicable City agency or agencies to enable the City to participate in the Excavation.
15 (c ) Exception. The requirements of this Section 2.4.14 shall not apply to an application for
16 an emergency Pennit under Section 2.4.22.
17 Section 3. The Public Works Code is hereby amended by adding Subarticle IX,
18 Sections 2.4.95 and 2.4.96 to read as follows:
19 SUBARTICLE IX20 OBLIGATIONS OF CITY AGENCIES21 SEC. 2.4.95. SAN FRACISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION.
22 Upon receipt ofa notice issued pursuant to Section 2.4.14 that a Utilty Excavator or Municipal
23 Excavator intends to apply for a Permit under this Article. the San Francisco Public Utilities
24 Commission shall review the application to detennine whether it is both financially feasible and
25 consistent with the City's long-term goals to add electric infrastructure to a proposed Excavation. If
Supervisor ChiuBOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 4
5/7/2013
8~
C354
1 so. the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission shall notify the Applicant and the Department in the
2 time required by the notice that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission intends to participate in
3 the Excavation.
4 SEC. 2.4.96. DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY.
5 Upon receipt ofa notice issued pursuant to Section § 2.4.14 that a Utility Excavator or
6 Municipal Excavator intends to apply for a Permit under this Article. the Department of Technology
7 shall review the application to determine whether it is both financially feasible and consistent with the
8 City's long-term goals to add telecommunications infrastructure to be owned by the City to a proposed
9 Excavation. Ifso. the Department of Technology shall notify the Applicant and the Department in the
10 time required by the notice that the Department of Technology intends to participate in the Excavation.
11 Section 4. Effective Date. This ordinance shall become effective 30 days from the
12 date of passage.
13 Section 5. This section is uncodified. In enacting this Ordinance, the Board intends to
14 amend only those words, phrases, paragraphs, subsections, sections, articles, numbers,
15 punctuation, charts, diagrams, or any other constituent part of the Public Works and
16 Administrative Codes that are explicitly shown in this legislation as additions, deletions, Board
17 amendment additions, and Board amendment deletions in accordance with the "Note" that
18 appears under the official title of the legislation.
19APPROVED AS TO FORM:
20 DENNIS J. HERRERA, City Attorney
21
22
23
24
25
By:WILLIAM K. SANDERSDeputy City Attorney
n:\legana\as2013\1300289\00834188.doc
Supervisor Chiu
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Page 5
5/7/2013
38
Alicia Murilo
From:Sent:To:Subject:
[email protected], September 10,20133:34 AMCBD BOSMAILAgenda Comments
0355
Meeting Date: 9110/2013 Item Number: 32
Name: Steve Piercy Email: ~_eb@stevel~Jcv. cqm
Address: Not Supplied Phone: Not Supplied
Comments:Dear Board of Supervisors,
I am writing to request your approval of the staff recommendations presented today in the broadbandconnectivity and expansion report.
The recommendations will make it easier to build a tiber optic backbone for high-speed Internet access in theCounty.
Internet access is critical for both the economic development of Santa Cruz County and to increaseopportunities for residents to telecommute. This aligns with state, regional, and county transportation efforts toreduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve sustainability.
Additionally, access to install conduit for a tiber optic backbone along the rail line could be leased to funddevelopment of the rail traiL.
Thank you for your consideration.
Steve Piercy, Soquel resident and Internet technology business owner
i 88
RECEIVED '1/ ;; 'l /13CLERK OF THE BOARD 351 12~ l/,fJ.SEP 242013 (J~ 0\ (s5 '
BOARD OF" SUPERV1SO, ,RS i' -7"J :--1
7:, ' , ¿, '" ,COUNTY ~ SANTl1JW~ 1 J G" 11 / Å A LJ AM "" ~, ~1,0 Jd~ ~ UJ i ~' ..--..~~.../l/I/~~;. u3:¡6Ifc-; j~~;i e¡jfO/Í3 ~a -Æ~t,r' /Òlfl3 ~ ¡(e¡'l 1m ~~Û;~-;1./a: ~ ß~ /'
.~ fM a~d_~~~_..u., ; f' -=-JJJ,'~-/-j'~ "'V r, \. ' ".." '" ," AI A Á/tf . iul)~,~ ~~ -l v.~.M~~æ/~~jiaJdv .~f/~d: ~ fv ~~, .,. ~,C! ~5 Ge ~ ~)Q; ~,~VA~,~~
-I -~, .-l o- '/ ~d1r:tÐ 7/t '~'/ Cwri-z -
'd~ ~. II tY; ~ Ý'~wc i t~~ J/¿Cf/Ca. 1 ,A/~C' ê,LULc: ;,W . ~.-l10 111 (:~ ",,' '-"r:? ~ illJç'fÈ~' ~-t~ ~. ,,iIL"'l _ , .-~ ¡ ì I \ I ,4~t ;' ~ /0'.~r\('æu, . , ~/rt1 fl1fjl'71d-1f 74 ~ ;;h~lJ~ O-ih~". . _ ctQuA I~ßa-vt ~,rt;@ w~íUF ¡L.s~~ ~aA$/~ jJl~ Pr~ß~~ /l, ~~ N is
38 WI¥foi -fl "
r
J ~~/~ ~~i¿85~ ~~ I. ... . - ~/;:;....... irL/ I ~$V G/ i~--. n~k7\!) Tfi ~~tYl:::1 "~~
-/ mJ pcil ~ ir -~ -p rvc. " ~W r i z N1 i 5 t.~.x/~ j/)vi&-cUr~ t¡G ~ ~~. ~ ¡w/e$w¡fau p-oO l/v .5'~) ~(.Cfd- ~ JrrPci .¿-Uw: l)C-c.., fwiWv(t. 'fC~ /S 1151d aA i£r~~I1!~:;:NL .'ft Ct
tV tJ J 1/ j;--(~ . rc i/~. i,' L. fÂ''rI./~ ." ~~~6 pt/ VP, .~ -- ~~4.~ ~ J-S
i& tt~5 ~ ~~.rf~ 3;2 Lr. ioj 1/13,
f5 P ì(O i 'ecl l1k:b~~ote~~ ; et J ,L: . \1& · ~ ~ ~ $tr'La. ci~ h-~ 1~ .r,L t4 f(l 1~ ~ ~., sd'\ '1 ~~~/,(/'I'.3a8
,. ,,' . rf ~ õr @) . ,== #J ~ ~ ~ ~ S1Js ¿( C1ey (Lad
.~ ~ Cc;ry L. .J "LA / ÁrA _"'.:/ ,'L/ IT" CA r; t' r'' 03 5 Saa ~ ~ ¡. -l-C W-".s~i'~-1A :( \ / et £. ,.... ¡7 1 c7~~, ~-V117d~~/~~-!!
~..~)~~~~"(tJ £t \ ,". d ,. /L~'! ~ ~ /ìof-. e I~ ,Y/ ~ od 6UcL ~~~ ..EncfSL" " -f be11l~ tU~vtJ f~J2 (F~9~ /ó -1.3 ~ I r!Jlfs_ ~
r( Icrtfi~r 1~'Y~+~ber'r0 cv~_ wi@'fA sh; / ~~~~Ph "rtÇ) ~ r~th . .-..~ ¡u ~ ~/~ ~.~ re5/~fscR£ J1i¿1f re~ ~ "¡Joh~ .¡0~ ~/~:, t~. ' ",'. . .7H~ fdfw£: ~ J ¡; tJC2 . c/~~~..f~/. U-
dJ iY4j1 J,O( 3 /~ -i~ a~~~./55-0. ~ ~ddu CCØ .~ ~LÃ~' . ~~
38
0) ¿C-~~ ,~,~ Y GradCl~ (S~ dI~cV em
A ò 1 -0 ..'/.rt bci~~ ~~~::J,tV Ec- ~¡u- ~$i _~cU í ,it ft~'. .cc~r;/, ¡i~ by !3lëêfrod4~,#?fLittA ~ du .10 f;O)(llnllyLV fr 6'4L ~ ~' .
!r~~cd, ,AÆ~f ,~,: ~/¡~;1i¥~~io R ~ / /z d tJn fl1L Uk~t5 l;; tl JJ' NCi4.'T't la.~.. - s- rdtf/~ fit~ 3J¿; /5 ~~ (l4Jg /
~l ~~.. * ~~C"í~ b_e f A-. .. ee-. ct.(! U~ 1~" ~_: ~fl~¿./ -~ Ti~~~'j ~ W~ ~/lt~ f , ~.~
/:.~, ~~ S~ .~. ,//¡\ .t.tA O'.VL d~ /.5 ~~,. ';i! '... n -88;- c:~ ¡ii l~ ji~ ,,5" Æ t: ,er.", ."
. ~ fcJ~ /1'1 re-r~ ;b 'fk l"'~~77Lv~- YcH~(. '7YP.k~ d:eu1L,~/g,!-/r.(J/.
..
~Let's stop property devaluating and carcinogenic 4Gcell towers on utility poles in Aptos/Seaclif area.4G is smart meters on steroids! Zoning meeting this Friday, 9/20/13!
0360
Proposed by Verizon to be located on utilty poles in the public right-of-way: 1) on Sea ridge, about a block from 76
station, 2) on McGregor at Mar Vista, with 13 more planned for Freedom/Day Valley/McDonald and throughoutthe county (presently on October 18th ZA agenda).
In a departure from normal procedure, you did not receive a "Notice of Public Hearing" usually sent to propertyowners and those who live or work within 1000 feet of a proposed cell tower. Even if you had been notified, theCoi,nty omits disclosure of documented health impacts due to cell tower proximity*:
Sleeping disorders Increased cancer incidence Cardiovascular problemsDepressive tendencies Chronic fatigue/ headaches Concentration diffculties
*"Five Studies showing III-Health Effects from Masts" (i.e. cell towers) Document produced by Dr. GrahameBlackwell 21 Feb. 2005. 'No resident and/or child has given informed consent to 24/7 involuntary bodily microwave
radiation trespass. Children are especially vulnerable.
Science from 1932 to the present has demonstrated conclusively the harmful effects of "wireless" microwaveradiation. Hundreds.of oral and written health complaints followed the installation of PG&E's microwave "Smart"Meters. These emit biologically damaging pulsed modulated microwave radiation similar to 4G technologies.These testimonies prompted our County Health Offcer to issue a report (as part of Item 41) "Health RisksAssociated with Smart Meters" (and Other Wireless Technologies Such as Cell Towers) to the Santa Cruz CountyBoard of Supervisors on 1/24/12 (available at www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us). Also see 4G letter from researcher ArthurFirstenberg (reverse).
Attend Zoning Administrator meeting Friday, September 20th, 2013, 701 Ocean Street (at Water), at 9:00 a.m.Submit written comments to project planner Frank Barron [email protected] or phone (831) 454-2530.Urge denial of the project and/or request that the item be continued in order to properly notify residents andallow time for the public to review staff report. Help protect our community. Also on this agenda is a continuedhearing on the Boulder Creek 4G Verizon cell tower on Mountain Mechanic propert. View the July 21, 2012demonstration at S.c. Verizon store opposing their North Coast 4G rollout:http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/07/22/18718032. php.
Get the independent science, not the industry spin:
takebackyourpower .net
cell phonetaskforce .org
emrpolicy.org
emfsafetynetwork.org
emfacts.com
stopsmartmeters.org
wirelesswatchblog.org
radiationed ucation.com
We do not consent to violation of our privacy, health, and propert rights.Register your opposition with our elected Supervisors:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors: (831) 454-2200 . \1 ...tf
niis material is proyided by com~unity ~olunteer labor and dona)ions. ~e.ljj) '1 / ¡J,o a L (11' Or,
3~4iè~S' tiß.fê;;iMJ~f iP/~ /CI?-J'f/c/~:1/:3,
Subject: From Arur FirstenbergDate: Sat, 17 Ju12010 10:40:09 -0700 (pDT)
To All Concerned, 0361
The iPhone 4 went on sale April 20. The Droid X went on sale today. These are the gadgets tht are drving the
push to build hundreds of new cell towers in Santa fe and hundreds ofthounsads thoughout the United States.
It's called 40 wieless technology. The increases in speed and bandwidth are phenomenal. With 20 phonespeople could only ta and text, and not at the same time. 40 phones can handle any combination of voice,
Internet access, music, video games, TV reception and video streaming simultaeously. And they can doeveryng about 3,000 times as fast as 20 phones. All ths uses hundreds oftimes more bandwidth. As if
ths
weren't enough, most people leave their 40 phones on all the time, using up bandwidth even when they're not
using their phones. All t.tis mea.-i that existg net.vorks of cell towers that provide complete coverage forordinar cell phones are totally inadequate for 30 and 40 "Smart Phones." So where a company used to needfive towers to serve its customers it now needs a hundred, and it needs to build them as fast as possible becausepeople are buying up me new 40 phones as fast as the companes can seìl them.
There are two tracks going on at City Hall with regard to ths technology. One trk began a couple of years ago
when AT&T applied to the city to build four new high power cell towers, two at PNM substations, one on theroof the Hotel Santa Fe, and one in the chimney of
the St. John's Methodist Church. The one at the Hotel has
been dropped because of conficts with the management of the HoteL. The other thee are still in the works. In
addition, both AT&T and Verizon are about to upgrade all of their existing cell towers to accommodate 40
technology, which means both more radiation and more bandwidth (both cause health effects) just from the
towers that already exist. Applications will be submitted ths week to upgrade antennas on the Marcy Streettower; the tower by the landfill; the tower at Cerrllos and Aiort Road; and the tower on Camo Carlos Reybehind Pep Boys (hdden in a false chimney). A flur of other applications are expected in the coming weeksand months.
The second track has to do with the new telecommuncations ordinance that was just passed by the CityCounciL. Ths will give franchises to a new kind of company tht will come in and build small cell towers everyhalf mile everyhere in Santa Fe. lam calling antennas on existing utility poles towers. These wil be small in
size but not in power. Although they will be less powerfl than say, the antennas on the Marcy Street tower,they will be much closer to where people live and work, and the net effect will be to increase radiation levelsthoughout Santa Fe tens to hundreds oftimes, depending on where you live. These "distrbuted antennasystem" companes will lease their towers, in tu, to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint-Nextel, and T-Mobile so that all
their customers who are buying Smar Phones will be able to use them~
4G technology will also soon tu every cell phone into a mobile WiFi hotspot. Verizon's Droid X already has
this capability (it rebroadcasts what it receives from any nearby hotspot), and other Smar Phones are sure tocopy this featue.
The result of all this is that Santa Fe wil soon be swimming in levels of radiation that no one is prepared for.
Arhur FirstenbergPO Box 6216Santa Fe, NM 87502
(505) 471-0129
Arur Firenbeg is an autor and constat on the heath and envinmenta effec ofelectrmagnetc energy. He is a founder and president of the Cellular Phone Task Force,a nonprofit orgation. He is the author of Microwaving Ou Planet: Tne
Envinmenta Impact of the Wirless Revolution (1997), and he edited and publishedthe jour No Place To Hide frm 1997 to 2002. He can be contacted at (505) 471-0129or (707) 937-3990.
88,t.
n i!Jç:/l c' ~ S~~L,~'i/'-ADt'í&1' ,5rG¿ (b ¿ .: r2 V )J
We !., ti s. a . ß. cP S-- .· · 9 i · -, ~362hiiA.. hi G'a- --
.
tt -4~O~ a'-
.;/~ no IS~ fe!ee~r- dA .. ~ ~~.(J ~ UI~ '3;'1/-(
. .;4- ~ £4/~ bfi ~'(d' ~ad¿ ah ~~ ~&a-. '¡y PA-r-+ ~ téJLd-~.l ~Lý ~ ~~ ~c.~ -- 6t ~
~~.f~ ~~ -t 5lí~r!i, Rd
\ Âf~ia$, Cit ?S?3~ jJistrl bure â~ 53WmS
.
.
\
County of Santa CruzBOARD OF SUPERVISORS
701 OCEAN STREET, SUITE 500, SANTA CRUZ, CA 95060-4069 C 3 63
(831) 454-2200 . FAX: (831) 454.3262 TDD: (831) 454-2123
JOHN LEOPOLDFIRST DISTRICT
ZACH FRIENDSECOND DISTRICT
NEAL COONERTYTHIRD DISTRICT
GREG CAPUTFOURTH DISTRICT
BRUCE MCPHERSONFIFTH DISTRICT
May 23,2013
Marilyn Garrett351 Redwood Heights RoadAptos, CA 95003
Dear Mrs. Garrett:
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your letter requesting that the Board impose anine month moratorium on issuing permits for telecom antennas and towers. A copy ofyour letter will be circulated to each member of the Board for their individualconsideration.
Sincerely,
NC:ted
cc: Clerk of the Board
1889A6
88.'"
28 Januar 2012
Satuday StaSHEREEBEGA 03CA
Scorched tree poser for cellphone giantjavascript:: javascript: :javascript::j avascript:; http://thestar.newspaperdirect.com I epaper Ishowarticle.aspx?arti cl e=Oc6 1 8 3a8-6 5bf-4f4d -9 de8-
a 7 a 1 Ofed da 49&key=z8vPWaXiTYww7W9 lfNXT1Q% 3 d %3 d&i ssu e=69 88 20 12012800000000001001javascript::
Woman in solo crusade to end 4G roll-out across SAJOBURG woman believes the imment roll-out of 4G cellular telephony could have massive health implications foranyone in the path of the signaL.
'¡If'
-.
PICTURES: PABALLO THKiSO BLACKED: Ths tree looks burt, but it's not. According to Tracey-leeDorny, the blackening is caused by a cellphone tower's radiation slowly damaging the trees and plants- and it could also be affecting us.
The governent disagrees. So does cellphone giant MTN, which is doing 4G/LTE testing in thenort of Joburg.
Tracey-lee Dorny has 60 pine trees in her garden. They have all been burnt and blackened - in thelast five months. Her neighbours also report blackened trees.
"I first noticed these big scorch marks on my pines, and then some of the eucalyptus and the futrees around Fourays," says Domy, chairman of the Electromagnetic Research Foundation of SA,from her Craigavon home. "It's like very focused beams are coming though here and lútting some of
38 t.
the trees and plants. The signals are fairly high-powered and they're transmitting long distances... Theresin just bursts open."
4G is the fourth generation of wireless communication standards, converging cellphones 0365wirelessly in an era of ultra-fast broadband internet access.
Dorny suspects the sudden fire storm in her garden is MTN'S testing of its new technology in herarea, which she believes corresponds with reports of
ilnesses in Fourays, Dainfem, Sunninghl1 and
further afield.The trees are an indicator of what is to come, she believes. "We're receiving more reports of
headaches, blurr vision, tinntus and nausea and problems with breathng and hair loss in the area.Children are experiencing severe shooting pains in their muscles and
joints."
Last year she won an epic battle against iburst when it removed a wi-fi mast it had erectedA30m from her bedroom window, which had caused her family to fall ilL. She has since beendiagnosed as electrosensitive, becoming physically ill when exposed to electromagnetic radiation.
This month Domy wrote to the Ministers of Communication, Health, Water and EnvironmentalAffairs about her foundation's concerns. She told them the MTN testing was the cusp of
the next
technological revolution with digital TV being next."The ntiber of service providers in South Afca wanting to roll out the service, if it is allowed,
wil result in a bigger impact on health and environment and the deployment of even more towers."Israel, she said, had forbidden a 4G/L TE roll-out until a proper study was done but in SA the
governent had not acted on an industr that was self-regulating, unonitored and out of control. "Wewant an investigation to find out who is doing what and who is testing... but Icasa have told us thatonce people are licensed, they have no idea what they roll out, when and where and how."
This week Amanda Britz of the Deparent of Environmental Affairs wrote that the Deparent ofHealth was "satisfied that, based on the curent research and guidelines, which are endorsed by theWorld Health Organsation (WHO), the health of the general public is not being compromised (by)their exposure to the microwave emissions of cellular base stations".
However, says Domy, there are areas in Joburg where the levels are high and uncontrolled."But the companies wil tell you they're perfectly safe, but nobody is monitoring... Our levels
compared with what other countres define as safe levels are two totally different things. It just takesthat one extra signal, frequency, or a Wimax, then you find a lot of people star to get il. They getheadaches and rashes, but the minute they switch it off, or remove it from their offce, their symptomsgo away."
Last year the WHO revealed that the International Agency for Research on Cancer had declared thatthe electromagnetic fields produced by cellphones are possibly cancer-causing.
Kanagaratnam Lambotharan, MTN chief technology offcer, disputes the claims. "LTE is a stadardthat is par of the evolution of 3G, which incorporates significantly increased data rates and betterperformance to enhance the mobile broadband experience."
MTN, he says, ensures that everyng from 2G to 3G and 4G/LTE adheres to all world safetybenchmarks. "There's no evidence to convince experts that exposure below the guidelines set carresany health risks, for adults or children."
The WHO found no evidence that "the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks"cause adverse health effects, he says.
South Afrcahttp://thestar.newspaperdirect.com/ epaper /viewer.aspx
88
Press Release0366
Conservationists Fight in Court to EnforceProtections for Migrating and Endangered Birds
L')r¡
Milions of birds die annually in collsions with cellularand television towers
Apri 8, 2005
Birds found dead under a communi-cations tower in Madison, Wi, Sept.
2005. Photo by Andy T. Paulios.
Y"/ashhigrun, D.C. -- Conservation groups today filed a petitionin federal cour to see action from the Federal CommuncationsCommssion (FCC) to protect millons of birds killed anuallyin collisions with telephone, radio, cellular and othercommuncations towers nationwide. FCC has refused toimplement gudelines that will protect bird populations and limitneedless killings occurg every day.
Earjusce, on behal of American Bird Conservancy and Forest
Conservation Council, filed a petition in the United States Courof Appeals for Distrct of Columbia Circuit that seeks a courorder diecting FCC to respond to ths problem. In August 2002,American Bird Conservancy and Forest Conservation Councilfiled a request with FCC to comply with applicable federal lawswhen licensing these towers for constrction. FCC has sinceoffered no response, and millioIi of birds have died as a result.
976 birds kiled in a single night at a Florida TV tower. Photo byRobert Crawford.
",38
SmartMeters are Hurting BeesPosted on June 24, 2011 byonthelevelblog
0367
Scientific- as well as anecdotal -evidence is emerging that electromagnetic fields from cell phones,wifi, and "smart" meters can negatively impact bees, and may be behind much of the recent "colonycollapse disorder."
Stop Smart Meters! received this report yesterday via e-mail:
From Susan Morin, Red Wolf Ranch, Grass Valley CA:
We had three bee hives that \vere healthy and had no other reason to leave-when bees areuncomfortable, threatened, or lack food sources, they leave. Now, a colony will leave individually, yetthese hives, all on completely different areas of the property left vdth in three days of the installationof a PG&E smart meter. We also called PG&E and asked them not to install, and they did when wewere off the propert.
I have read reports 'on the smart meters and was not enrolled that they were/are safe and now haveevidence that they effected our personal livelihood and lost three hives which equates to $2so/hiveloss, pollnation loss to fruit tress (bees pollinate 80% of all fruits and vegetables) $Sk+/-, and honeyas a source of medicine and food $4k.
The math does not equate, the loss of pollination does not equate, and the rapid push of PG&E to dothis just because they may be at a financial loss-does not equate \'\,hen it DOES in FACT harmfullyaffect our community, livelihoods, and food stuffs.
I have experienced this personally and documented it. Call and email if you need fuherdocumentation.
Thank you for listening and doing the right thing.
r 88
Introduction
Electromagnetic fieldsas prerequisite andhaza rd to lifeAuthor's introduction to this paper
The question of causal effects and bio-logical relevance of electrical and ma-gnetic parameters is generally posedwithout simultaneous reference totheir relevance to life's organisation.These questions cannot, however, be
considered in isolation of each other.What role have the electrical and ma-gnetic fields played in the evolution oflife on earth? What role are they play-ing in the individual development andphysiological capacities of an organ-ism? Whoever investigates these que-stions must sooner or later conclude:Not only did the electrical and magne-tic fields of our planet exist before alllife, but they have had a decisive handin the evolution of the species - in
water, on land and in the near-earthatmosphere. Living creatures adaptedto it in the development of their kind.
Biological experience teaches us thatlife will use the energy pool in which itfinds itself to its best advantage. Ad-vantageous not only because the ab-sorbed energy is a carrier ofinformation, useful for orientation inthe environment (see glossary; herein-after GL). But advantageous also be-cause the organism developed to makeuse of gravitational and electroma-
gnetic interactions, creating decisive
functionalities of life. The biological
system expresses itself just as the en-vironment does and unity and coordi-nation with its environment is itsguiding principle.
But if bees and other insects disappe-ar, if birds are no longer present intheir traditional territories and hu-mans suffer from inexplicable functio-nal deficiencies, then each on its ownmay appear puzzling at first. The ap-parently unrelated and puzzling phe-
nomena actually have a common trig-ger, however. Man-made technologycreated magnetic, electrical and elec-tromagnetic transmitters which fun-damentally changed the natural elec-tromagnetic energies and forces on
earth's surface - radically changing
million-year-old pivotal controlling
factors in biological evolution.
This destruction of the foundations oflife has already wiped out many spe-cies for ever. Since this extinction ofspecies mostly affected ecological ni-ches and hardly ever own life, most ofus were not interested. But now, theendangerment of animals is alsothreatening the survival of man in anew and unexpected way.
Animals that depend on the naturalelectrical, magnetic and electroma-gnetic fields for their orientation andnavigation through earth's atmosphe-re are confused by the much strongerand constantly changing artificialfields created by technology and fa ilto navigate back to their home envi-ronments. Most people would proba-bly shrug this off, but it affects amongother one of the most important insectspecies: the honeybee.Because the bee happens to be the in-dispensable prerequisite for fructifica-tion: without bees, the fruit, vegetableand agricultural crops will fall short.
C369
We are, however, not only affected
by the economic consequences ofour actions. IUan also be proventhat the mechanisms evidently af-fecting birds ~nd bees are also af-fecting the humariorganism. Anall-róund unriáturalradiaï:oriwith.. ari....un¡irècederitedpowerd~nsitv(GL) isalšoha'rlTinghumårï healthin a nOvelway. .. '.".' . ;; ;', ',,'-:.; ;;.';':;', .,. . ,:.;:' "i,. .:, - :;.:; -. ',"':::" ,: .: _:. '; -; '~:'¡., " ': '..- ;.::;::,
. B~t,..~ni~~s~a.nkindr~mindsitselfofth~basics6f its existèrïc:eandunless the politiciansirichargeputa stop tothe present development,the damagetóhealthand econo-mic fundamentals is predictableand will fully manifest itself notnow, but inthe next generation.
The reasons for thisare expla ined
in this paper: It endeavours toquantifynatLlralelectrical and ma.-g neticsiQn~lsprovided tOrn en andanimals as guidirigsignals throug-hout evolution. The paper, however,places particularemphasisonVlhathappens when thesenatura i signalamplitudes. are.... suppressed,changed and dIstorted. on anun-precedented scale by technicallygenerated artificial fields. Mankindcan only take successful counter-measures if the damage mecha~nismsare understood.
38
3.7 Effects of technically gene-rated fields on bees
We investigated the reaction of beesto artificially created electrical fields
in the laboratory (WARNKE 1975,
1976, WARNKE et al. 1976) and foundthe following: 50 Hz AC fields withfield strengths of 110 Vlcm cause si-
gnificant restlessness of the bees in
their enclosure. The colony temperatu-re increases greatly. The defence of thesocial territory is uncontrollably in-
creased to the point where individualsin a colony stab one other to death.They no longer recognise one other.
After a few days in the field, the beestear their brood from the cells; no newbrood is reared. Honey and pollen arealso depleted and then no longer col-lected. Bees that were newly establis-hed in their hives shortly before the
start of the experiment always aban-don the hive again and disappear
when the electrical field is switchedon. Bees that have lived in their hivefor a long time, plug all the cracks andholes with propolis, including the en-trance. This otherwise only happens inwinter in a cold draught.
Since an acute lack of oxygen developswhen the cracks and the entrance areplugged, the bees attempt to introdu-ce air by intensive fanning. In this pro-cess, the wing muscles generate
temperatures high enough to melt thewax. The animals attempt to fight thetemperature increase by more fanning.In the end, the colony burns itself out.This implies the death of all membersof the colony - which we could obvio-
usly prevent in future.
With very sensitive colonies, the reac-tion signal was measurable from fieldstrengths of 1 Vlcm and frequencies
between 30 Hz and 40 kHz. When thefield is switched on, the animals sud-denly move their wings and buzz atfrequencies of 100-150 Hz (WARNKE1973, 1976, WARNKE et al. 1976).
0370
increased and the homing ability muchreduced even though the natural me-teorological and electromagnetic en-vironment was intact in the flightspace (WARNKE, 1973).
Scientists from the University of Ko-
blenz-Landau conducted several expe-riments, looking at different aspects
and questíons, to measure the homingbehaviour of bees (Apis mellifera car-nica) as well as the development ofmass and area of the combs under theinfluence of electromagnetic radiation
(KUHN et al. 2001, 2002, STEVER et al.2003, 2005, HARST et al. 2006).
They recorded an increase in agility, anincreased swarming drive and no win-ter clustering when under the influen-ce of EM radiation of cordlesstelephones.
In other experiments with base stationWith signals in the frequency range of fields of the DEeT cordless telephones
10 to 20 kHz, the aggressiveness was (1 880-1 900 MHz, 250 mW EIRP, 100
98
Hz pulsed, 50 m range, permanent ex-posure), the weight and area develop-ment of the colonies was slower
compared to the colonies that werenot exposed to a field. .
The homing ability of the bees was te-sted from five days after the DECT te-lephones were introduced. There weresignificant differences in the return ti-
mes of the colonies that were in thefield and those that were not. No mo-re than six of the bees exposed to thefield ever returned - sometimes nonereturned. With the bees not exposedto a field, there were returning bees atany point in time of the experiment.
22
Summary
5. Summary
For many decades, research results showing
that the natural electrical and magnetic fields
and their v¡:riation are a vital precondition for
the orientationand navigation of a whole ran-
have been freely available.
Today, however, this natural andfunctional system of humans, animals and
plants has been superimposed by an unprece-
dented dense and en~rgetic mesh ofa rtificia i
magnetic,. electricaL and. electromagnetic
fi.'.eld...s....,generat.e.d. bin. u.mer.ous rno. b..ileradio...,. ......... ..... .. ... ...... .. ..'..... a~d.....wir~less.. c:omrhunication.. technologies.
The consequ~ncts()fth isdevelopment ha\l.e
alsobeenpredicted by the critics for many de-
cades and can now no longer be ignored. Bees
and otherinsects disappear, birds avoid certain
areas and are disoriented in other locations.
Humans suffer from functional disorders and
diseases. And those that are hereditary are
passed on to the next generation as existing
defects.
(371
88
Health Impacts Due to Proximity to Cell Towers:0372
South Bend, Indiana: heart palpitations, interference with hearing, recurring headaches,short-term memory loss, sleep disturbances, multiple tumors, glandular problems,chronic fatigue, allergies, weakened immune system, miscarriage, inability to leam.1
Germany: (within 400 meters = 1312 feet = -~ mile) significantly higher rates, andearlier development (8 years earlier), of malignant tumors; after 5 years of toweroperation, cancer risk increased to 3 times that of those living outside area. 2
Spain: (up to 300 meters = 984 feet) fatigue, sleep disturbances, headaches, feeling ofdiscomfort, diffculty concentrating, depression, memory loss, visual disruptions,irritability, hearing disruptions, skin problems, cardiovascular disorders, dizziness (theseare the symptoms of electro hypersensitivity, a condition recognized by the 'vVorld HealthOrganization). Repeat study recording exposure to radio frequency: within 50-150 m(164 - 492 feet) of cell phone antenna at 0.11 +1- 0.19 microW/cm2 - headaches, sleepdisturbances, irritbilty, diffcult concentrating, discomfort, depression, dizziness,
appetite loss, and nausea.3,4
France: extreme sleep disruption, chronic fatigue, nausea, skin problems, irritabilty,brain disturbances, and cardiovascular problems. 5 .
Egypt: high risk for developing nerve and psychiatric problems, and changes inneurobehavioral function; significantly lower performance on tests for attention, short-term auditory memory, and problem-solving
Israel: those living near a cell tower for 3-7 years had a cancer rate 4 x higher thancontrol population, with breast cancer most prevalent 7
Animals:
Dairy cattle: significant drop in milk yield, behavioral disorders after erection of atelecom mast with cellular antenna and TV antenna (when they were moved 20 kmaway, milk and behavior returned to normal), abortion, death due to acute cardiac andcirculatory collapse with internal bleeding from several organs 8
Birds: reproductive problems, aggression among nesting pairs, infertilty 9
Trees: possible leading cause of forest die-off instead of acid rain or climate change 10
Bees, bats, butterfies, birds, insects, and other wildlife (also humans): impact onorientation and navigational ability (due to presence of magnetite in organism), impacton NOS (nitrous oxide system) which controls the immune system, and is involved inthe ability to smell and learn 11
38
"Laboratory studies of radio frequency radiation as well as epidemiological studies ofpeople who live near cell phone antennas and/or use wireless technology indicateadverse biological effects. These effects include
increase in cancers, DNA breaks, impaired reproduction, increased permeabiltyof the blood-brain barrier, altered calcium flux, changes in enzyme activity,neurological disorders, altered brainwave activity, insomnia, decreased memory,inattention, slower reaction time, tinnitus, dizziness, skin disorders, headaches,chronic pain, chronic fatigue, respiratory problems and arrhythmia.
A growing population is becoming sensitive to electromagnetic energy and some ofthese people are affected by radio frequency radiation and are unable to live nearantennas. Animals that live near cell phone and broadcast antennas are alsoaffected by RF radiation, which manifests itself in reproductive impairment andbehavioral abnormalities.
0373
The cancers and symptoms of EHS (electrohypersensitivity) occur at levels well belowthe FCC guidelines for radio frequency radiation. These guidelines are based on short-term (3D-minute) thermal effects and are inadequate to protect the population from long-term, non-thermal exposure. The FCC guidelines conform to ICNIRP guidelines but aremuch higher (Le. less protective) than guidelines in other countries.
Metal objects such as wiring in the home, fences, poles, roofs, filing cabinets canredirect RFR and create hot spots or interfere with reception. This applies to metalimplants and metal objects on or near the body (zippers, glasses, jewelry, etc.). For thisreason calculations of exposure may not be as reliable as actual measurements. n
in "Analysis of Health and Environmental Effects of Proposed San FranciscoEarthlink Wi-Fi Network", May, 2007. Magda Havas, B.Sc., Ph.D. Environmental& Resource Studies, Trent University, Canada(http://ww.buergerwelle.de/pdf/snafu havas wifi. pdf)
1 Hicks, Onnink, Barber, Pennington v. Horvath Communications, Cause No. 71C01-0107-CP St. Joseph
Circuit Court, St. Joseph, County, Indiana2 Eger, H. et al. 2004. The Influence of Being Physically Near to a Cell Phone Transmission
Mast on the Incidence of Cancer. Umwelt'Medizin.Gesellschaft 17,4 2004, as: 'Einfluss derraumlichen Nähe von Mobilfunksendeanlagen auf die Krebsinzidenz'.3 Santini, 2001. Symptoms experienced by people in the vicinity of cellular phone base station in
La Presse Medicale4 Oberfeld, G. et al. 2004. The microwave syndrome-further aspects of a Spanish study. Biological
Effect of EMFs, Kos Greece, October 20045 "Study of the health of people living in the vicinity of mobile phone base stations: I. influences of
distance and sex," R. Santini et ai, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées-Iaboratoire de biochimie-
rharmacologie, 2002"Neurobehavioral Effects Among Inhabitants Around Mobile Phone Base Stations," Abdel-Rassoul et ai,Neurotoxicology, 8-01-20061 "Increase of Cancer Near Cell-Phone Transmitter Station," Wolf D. and Wolf, Intemational Journal of
Cancer Prevention 1-2, April 2004
88
S8
B Löscher and Kas. 1998. Conspicuous behavioural abnormalities in a dairy cow herd near a TV
and Radio trnsmitting antenna. Practical Vetennary Surgeon 79: 5,437-49 Balmon, A. 2005. Possible effects of electromagnetic fields from phone masts on a population
of white stork. Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine 24: 1 09-11910 Wolfgang Volkrodt and Ulrich Hertel, also". . . There is also this importnt fact any tree may act as a
receiving dielecnc rod or monopole antenna with the ability to both absorb energy from the wave passingby and to scatter the wave in many directions. If the polanzation of the transmitting tower antennamatches the particular tre or trees (Le. vertical orientation of the antenna which is usually the case forcollnear dipole arrys on towers), maximum coupling or absorption of the wave energy by the tree wiloccur. Polanzation and conduction currents wil generally flow to the root system.from Chapter 11 :"Bnef Overview of the Effect of Electromagnetic Fields on the Environment" byRaymond S. Kasevich, BSEE, MSE, PE, Registered Professional Electical ;Cell Towers: WirelessConvenience or Environmental Hazard? Proceedings of the 'Cell Towers Forum' Stte of theScience/State of the Law edited by B. Blake Levitt (2001)11 Warnke, 2007. Bees, Birds and Mankind - Destroying Nature by 'Electrosmog'. Kompetenzinitiative,
Stuttgart, Germany
0374
August 27,2010
A Pushback Against Cell TowersBy MACELLE S. FISCHLER 0375
http://ww.nytimes.com/20 1 0/08/29/realestate/29Lizo.html? r= 1 &pagewanted=print&
TINA CANARIS, an associate broker and a co-owner ofRE/MAX Hearhstone in Merrck, has a$999,000 listing for a high ranch on the water in South Merrck, one of a handful of
homes on the blockon the market. But her listing has what some consider a disadvantage: a cell antenna poking from thetop of a telephone pole at the front of the 65-by-l 00- foot lot.
"Even houses where there are transformers in front" make "people shy away," Ms. Canars said. "Ifthey have the opportity to buy another home, they do."
She said cell antennas and towers near homes affected propert values, adding, "You can see a buyer'sdismay over the sight of a cell tower near a home just by their expression, even if they don't sayanythig."
By blocking, or seeking to block, cell towers and antennas over the course of the last year, Islandhomeowners have given voice to concern that proximity to a monopole or antena may not be justaesthetically unpleasing but also harful to property values. Many also perceive health risks inproximity to radio frequency radiation emissions, despite industr assertons and other evidencedisputing that such emissions pose a hazard.
Emotions are ruing so high in areas like Wantagh, where an application for six cell antennas on theFarmingdale Wantagh Jewish Center is pending, that the Town of Hempstead imposed a moratorium onapplications until Sept. 21. That is the date for a public hearing on a new town ordinance stiffeningrequirements.
At a community meeting on Aug. 16 at Wantagh High School, Dave Denenberg, the Nassau countylegislator for Bellmore, Wantagh and Merrck, told more than 200 residents that 160 cell antennas hadbeen placed on telephone poles in the area in the last year by NextG, a wireless network provider.
"Everyone has a cellphone," Mr. Denenberg said, "but that doesn't mean you have to have cellinstallations right across the street from your house." Under the old town code, instalations over 30feet high required an exemption or a varance. But in New York, wireless providers have public utilitystatus, like LIP A and Cablevision, and they can bypass zoning boards.
Earlier ths month in South Huntington, T-Mobile was ordered to take down a new lOa-foot monotowererected on property deemed environmentally sensitive (and thus requiring a varance). Andrew J.Campanelli, a civil rights lawyer in Garden City, said a group of residents had hied him to oppose thecellular company's application.
"They were worred about the propert values," Mr. Campanell said. "If your home is near a cellantenna, the value of your property is going down at least 4 percent. Depending on the size of the towerand the proximity, it is going down 10 percent."
In Januar, in an effort to dismantle 50 cell antennas on a water tower across from a school in the
88
vilage of Bayvile, Mr. Campanelli filed a federal lawsuit that cited health risks and private propertyrights.
0376In a statement, Dr. Ana F. Hunderfd, the Locust Valley superitendent, said that in Februar 2009the district had engaged a firm to study the cellphone installations near the Bayville schools, findingthat the tower "posed no significant health risks," and she noted that the emission levels fell well belowamounts deemed unsafe by the Federal Communcations Commission.
In June 2009, Sharon Curr, a psychologist in Merrck, woke up to find a cell antenna abuttng herbackyard, level to her 8-year-old son's bedroom window.
Puzzled by its presence, particularly because she lives next to an elementary school, she did research tosee if there was cause for concer. What she learned about possible health impacts, she said, led her toseek help from civic associations and to form a group, Moms of Merrck Speak Out, to keep new celltowers out. She said she was seeking the "responsible" placement of cell antennas, away from homesand schools.
The Federal Communcations Act of 1996 says health concerns are not a valid reason for a muncipalityto deny zoning for a cell tower or antenna. Property values and aesthetics, however, do qualify,according to the act.
Fran Schilero, an associate broker with REIM Innovations in Wantagh, has a listing on a $629,000home down the street from the Faringdale Wantagh Jewish Center, where the application is pendingto put six cell antennas on the roof.
"People don't like living next to cell towers, for medical reasons or aesthetics," Mr. Schilero said. "Orthey don't want that eyesore stickig up in their backyards." There is an offer on his listing, he added,but since the buyer heard about the possible cell antennas she has sought more information from thewireless companes about their size and impact.
Charles Kovit, the Hempstead deputy town attorney, said that under the proposed code change any newtowers or antennas would have to be 1,500 feet from residences, schools, houses of worship andlibraries.
The town recently hired a consultant, Richard A. Comi of the Center for Municipal Solutions inGlenmont, to review antenna applications.
Under the new ordinance, applications for wireless facilities would require techncal evidence that theyhad a "gap" in coverage necessitating a new tower.
"If not, they will get denied," Mr. Kovit said. The wireless companies would also have to prove that theselected location had "the least negative impact on area character and propert values." If anotherlocation farer away from homes can solve the gap problem, "they are going to have to move."
38
Attachment A
4-!l..-e ~5t
ORDINANCE NO. 5114
AN UNCODIFD ORDINANCE OF THE COUNTY OF SANA CRUZIMOSING A TEMPORAY MORATORI ON TH INSTALLATION C380
OF SMATMTERS AN RELATED EQUI:MNT IN, ALONG,ACROSS, UPON, UNER AN OVER THE PUBLIC STREETS AN
OTHER PLACES WIHI THE UNINCORPORATED ARA OF SANTACRUZ COUNY
The Board of SuperVisors of the County of Santa Cru find as follows:
WHREAS, the County of Santa Cru (the "CountY"), though its policepowers granted by Aricle XI of the Californa COnstitution, retain broaddiscretion to legislate for public puroses and for the general welfare, incluàigbut not limted to matters of public health safety and consumer protection; and
WHREAS', the County of Santa Cru has a franchise agreement wtthPG&E that has been in effect since 1955; and
WHREAS, in addition, the County reta authonty under Aricle XI,Section 8 of the Constitution to grant fran~hises for public utilties, and pursuat toCaliforna Public Utilties Code section 6203, "may in such a franchie imposesuch other and additional term and conditions. . ., whether governental orcontractul in character, as in the judgment of
the legislative body are to the public
interest;" and
w'HREAS, Public Utilties Code section 2902 reserves the County's rightto.supervise and regulate public utilties in matters affecting the health,.convenience and safety of the general public,. "such as the use and repai of
public
streets by any public utiity, the location of the poles, wies, mains, or conduits of.
any public utilty, on, under, or above any pubiic streets, and the speed of commoncarers operating with the limts of
the muncipal coiporation;"and
WHREAS, Pacific Gas & Electrc Company ("PG&E") is now intallingSmareters in Central and Nortern Californa and is intaling these meterswithin the County of Santa Cru; and. . .
. WHREAS, concern about the impact and accuracy of Smareters havebeen raised nationwide, leading the Marland Public Service Commission.to denypermission on June 21, 20 I 0 for the deployment of Smareters in that state. TheState of Hawaii Public Utilty CommsioDlìlso recently
declined to adopt a smar
grd system in that state. The CPUC curently has pending before it a petition fromthe City and County of San Francisco, and other muncipalities, seekig to delay
~ .181
- -
NOOO
m:the liplementation of Sma.eters unti the questions about their .accuracy can be
evaluated; and
WHREAS, major problems and deficiencies with Smareters in 0381
California have been brought tò the attention of the Board of Supervisors of theCounty of Santa Cru including PG&E's confation that Smareters haveprovided incorrect readings costing ratepayers untold thousands of dollars inovercharges and PG&E's records outlined "risks" and "issues" including anongoing inabilty to recover real-tie data because of faulty hardware origiatingwithPG&E vendors; and
WHREAS, the ebb and flow of gas and electrcity into homes disclosesdetaed inormation about private detas of daily life. .Energy usage datameasured moment by moment, allows the recÇlnstrction of a household'sactivities: when people wake up, when they come home, when they go onvacation, and even when they tae abot bath. Sn:areters represent a new form
oftecbnology that relays detaled hitherto confidential inormation reflecting thetimes and amountS of the use of electrcal power without adequately protectig
. that data from. being accessed by unauthorized persons or entities and as such pose
an uneasonable intrion of utilty customers' privacy rights and securty interests. .Indeed, the fact that the CPUC has not established safeguds for privacy in itsregulatory approvals may violate the priciples set fort by the U.S. SupremeCour in Kyllo v. United States (2001), 53JU.S. 27; and
WHREAS, signficant health questions have been raised concerning theincreased electromagnetic frequency radiation (EMF) emitted by the wirelesstechnology in Smareters, which will be in every house, aparent and business,
. thereby adding additional human-made EMF to our environment around the clockto the already existig EMF from utility poles, individual meters and telephonepoles; and
WHREAS, FCC safety stadards do not exist for chronic long-termexposure to EMF or from multiple sources, and reported adverse health effectsfrom electromagnetic pollution include sleep disorders, irtabilty, short terI
'memory loss, headaches, anety, nausea DNA break, abnormal cell gro.wtcancer, prematue agig, etc. Because of untested technology, internàtionalscientists, envionmenta agencies, advocacy groups and doctors are callig for theuse of cautionin wireless technologies; and
WHREAS, the primar justification given for the Smareters programis the assertion that it will encourage customers to move some of their electrcityusage from dayte to evenig hours; however, PG&E ha conducted no actupilot projects to determine whether ths assumption is in fact correct. Non-transmitting tie-of-day meters are aleady available for customers who desire
2
ItS
~-ef54
them, and enhanced customer education is a viable non-technological alternativeto encourage electrcity use tie shiftg. Furer, some engieers and energyconservation expert believe that the Smareters program--in totality--could. wellactually increase total electrcity consumption and therefore the carbon footpnnt; 0382and
WHREAS, tIs Board of Supervisors sent a letter to the CPUC onSeptember 15, 2010 expressing concern about report that Smareter technologywas interferig with the proper fuctionig of common household devices andrequestig a response from the CPUC; and
WHREAS, there has been no response by the CPUC to the letter sent bythe Board of Supervisors; and '
WHEREAS, because the potential risks to the health, safety and welfare ofCounty residents are so great, the,Board of Supervisors wishes to adopt amoratorium on the intallation of Smareters and related equipment with theuncorporated area of the County of Santa Cru. The moratorium period willallow the Council on Science and Technology and legislative process referencedabove to be completed and for additional inforiation to be collected and analyzedregarding potential problems with Smareters; and
WHREAS, there is a curent and immediate theat to public health safetyand welfare because, without ths urgency ordinance, Smareters or supportingequipment will be intalled or constrcted or mpdified in the County without
PG&E's complying with the CPUC process for' consultation with the localjursdiction, the County's Code requiements, and subjecting residents of SantaCru County to the privacy, securty, health, accuracy and consumer fraud risks ofthe unproven Smareter technology; and
WHREAS, the Board of Supervisors hereby finàs that it can be seen withcertty that there is no possibilty that the adoption and implementation of thsOrdinance may have a signcant effect on the envionment. Ths Ordinance does
not authorie constrction or installation of any facilities and, in fact, imposes
greater restrctions on such constrction and installation in order to protect the
public health, safety imd genera welfare. Ths Ordinance is therefore exemptfrom the environmenta review requirements of the Californa Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of Title 14 of the Californa
Code of Regulations; and
WHREAS, there is no feasible alternative to satisfactorily study thepotential impact identified above as well or better with a less burdenome or .restrctive effect than the adoption of this interi urgency moratorium ordiance;and
3
38
'Ooee~WHREAS, base~ on the foregoing it is in the best interest of public
health safety and welfare to allow adequate study of the impacts resulting from,the Smareter technology; therefore it is appropriate to adopt a temporar 0333moratorium that would remai in effect from the date of its adoption untilDecember 31, 2012, unless your Board acts to repeal it prior to that date.
NOW, THREFORE BE IT ORDAID by the Board of Supervisors ofthe County of Santa Cru as follows:
SECTION I
Moratorium. From and after the effective date of ths Ordinanc~, noSmar1eter may be intalled in or on any home, aparent, condominium orbusiness of any tye with the uncorporated area of the County of Santa Cru,
and no equipment related to Smareters may be instaled in on, under, or above
any public street or public right of way with the uncorporated area of theCounty of Santa Cru.
SECTION II
Violations of the Moratorium may be charged as inactions or
misdemeanors as set fort in Chapter 1.12 of the Santa Cru County Code. Inaddition, violations may be deemed public nuisances, with enforcementbyinjunction or any other remedy authoried by law.
SECTIONID
1bs Board of Supervisors findsand determines that: (a) there is a curentand imediate theat to the public peace, health, or safety; (b) the moratoriummust be imposed in order to protect and preserve the public interest, health, safety,comfort and convenience and to preserve the public welfare; and (c) it is necessarto presere the public health and safet of all residents or landowners 'adjacent to ,such uses as are affected by ths interi ordinance as well as to protect all of thecitizens of Santa Cru County by preserving and improving the aesthetic and
economic conditions of the County.
SECTION IV
If any provision of ths interim ordinance is held to be unconstitutional, it isthe intent of the Board of Supervisors that such portions of such ordinance areseveråble from the remader and the remaider is given full force and effect.
884 f ~t - --.-
.. ' _.
SECTION V
Ths interi ordinance is not subject to the Californa EnvironmentaQuality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15060(c) (2) - the activity wil not resultin a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environmentand Section lS060(c) (3) - the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378of the CEQA Guidelines, because it has no potential for resulting in physicalchange to the environment, directly or indirectly.
SECTION VI
Ths ordinance shall tae effect on the 31 st day after the date of finalpassage.
PASSED AN ADOPTED THS 7th day of February' ,2012, bythe Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Cru by the following vote:
AYES:NOES:ABSENT:ABSTAI:
StJERV1S0Fl Coonerty. Stone. Caput and LeopoldSUPERV1S0RS NoneSUPERVISORS PirieStJERV1S0RS None
~ 885
~~0334
From: "Joel MOSKOWITZ" [email protected]:: ..0395
Looming Health Crisis:Wireless Technology and theToxification of AmericaJames F. Tracy, Before It's News, May 17, 2013
As a multitude of hazardous wireless technologies are deployed in homes,schools and workplaces, government offcials and industry representativescontinue to insist on their safety despite growing evidence to the contrary. Amajor health crisis looms that is only hastened through the extensivedeployment of "smart grid" technology.
In October 2009 at Florida Power and Light's (FPL) solar energy stationPresident Barack Obama announced that $3.4 billion of the AmericanReinvestment and Recovery Act would be devoted to the country's "smartenergy grid" transition. Matching funds from the energy industry brought thetotal national Smart Grid investment to $8 billion. FPL was given $200
. million of federal money to install 2.5 million "smart meters" on homes andbusinesses throughout the state.(1)
By now many residents in the United States and Canada have the smartmeters installed on their dwellngs. Each of these meters is equipped with anelectronic cellular transmitter that uses powerful bursts of electromagneticradiofrequency (RF) radiation to communicate with nearby meters thattogether form an interlocking network transferring detailed information onresidents' electrical usage back to the utility every few minutes or less. Suchinformation can easily be used to determine individual patterns of behaviorbased on power consumption.
The smart grid technology is being sold to the public as a way to "empower"individual energy Consumers by allowing them to access information on theirenergy usage so that they may eventually save money by programming
/
-'':''':.~.';' ,'"
38
"smart" (i.e, wireless enabled) home appliances and equipment that willcoordinate their operability with the smart meter to run when electrical ratesare lowest. In other words, a broader plan behind smart grid technology 0396involves a tiered rate system for electricity consumption that will be set by theutility to which customers will have no choice but to conform.
Because of power companies' stealth rollout of smart meters a large majorityof the public still remains unaware of the dangers they pose to human health.This remains the case even though states such as Maine have adopted an"opt out" provision for their citizens. The devices have not been safety-testedby Underwriters Laboratory and thus lack the UL approval customary for mostelectronics.(2) Further, power customers are typically told by their utilities thatthe smart meter only communicates with the power company "a few times perday" to transmit information on individual household energy usage. However,when individuals obtained the necessary equipment to do their own testingthey found the meters were emitting bursts of RF radiation throughout thehome far more intense than a cell phone call every minute or less.(3)
America's Telecom-friendly Policy for RFExposureA growing body of medical studies is now linking cumulative RF exposure toDNA disruption, cancer, birth defects, miscarriages, and autoimmunediseases. Smart meters significantly contribute to an environment alreadypolluted by RF radiation through the pervasive stationing of cellular telephonetowers in or around public spaces and consumers' habitual use of wirelesstechnologies. In the 2000 Salzburg Resolution European scientistsrecommended the maximum RF exposure for humans to be no more thanone tenth of a microwatt per square centimeter. In the United States RFexposure limits are 1,000 microwatts per centimeter, with no limits for longterm exposure.(4) Such lax standards have been determined by outdatedscience and the legal and regulatory maneuvering of the powerfultelecommunications and wireless industries.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ceased studying the healtheffects of radiofrequency radiation when the Senate AppropriationsCommittee cut the department's funding and forbade it from further researchinto the area.(5) Thereafter RF limits were codified as mere "guidelines"based on the EPA's tentative findings and are to this day administered by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC).These weakly enforced standards are predicated on the alleged "thermaleffect" of RF. In other words, if the energy emitted from a wireless antenna ordevice is not powerful enough to heat the skin or flesh then no danger isposed to human health.(6) This reasoning is routinely put forward by utiltiesinstalling smart meters on residences, telecom companies locating cellular
a8
transmission towers in populated areas, and now school districts across theUS allowing the installation of cell towers on school campuses.(7)
0397The FCC's authority to impose this standard was further reinforced with thepassage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act that included a provisionlobbied for by the telecom industry preventing state and local governmentsfrom evaluating potential environmental and health effects when locating celltowers "so long as 'such facilities comply with the FCC's regulationsconcerning such emissions."'(8)
In 2001 an alliance of scientists and engineers with the backing of theCommunications Workers of America fied a federal lawsuit hoping theSupreme Court would reconsider the FCC's obsolete exposure guidelinesand the Telecom Act's overreach into state and local jurisdiction. The highcourt refused to hear the case. When the same group asked the FCC toreexamine its guidelines in light of current scientific studies the request wasrebuffed.(9) Today in all probability millions are suffering from a variety ofimmediate and long-term health effects from relentless EMF and RF exposurethat under the thermal effect rationale remain unrecognized or discounted bythe te/ecom industry and regulatory al;thorities alike.
Growing Evidence of Health Risks From RFExposureThe main health concern with electromagnetic radiation emitted by smartmeters and other wireless technologies is that EMF and RF cause abreakdown in the communication between cells in the body, interrupting DNArepair and weakening tissue and organ function. These are the findings of Dr.George Carlo, who oversaw a comprehensive research group commissionedby the cell phone industry in the mid-1990s.
When Carlo's research began to reveal how there were indeed serious healthconcerns with wireless technology, the industry sought to bury the results anddiscredit Carlo. Yet Carlo's research has since been upheld in a wealth ofsubsequent studies and has continuing relevance given the ubiquity ofwireless apparatuses and the even more poweiiul smart meters. "One thingall these conditions have in common is a disruption, to varying degrees, ofintercellular communication," Carlo observes. "When we were growing up, TVantennas were on top of our houses and such waves were up in the sky. Cellphones and Wi-Fi have brought those things down to the street, integratedthem into the environment, and that's absolutely new."(1 OJ
38
In 2007 the Biolnitiative Working Group, a worldwide body of scientists andpublic health experts, released a 650-page document with over 2000 studieslinking RF and EMF exposure to cancer, Alzheimer's disease, DNA damage,immune system dysfunction, cellular damage and tissue reduction.(11)In May 2011 the World Health Organization's International Agency forResearch on Cancer categorized "radiofrequency electromagnetic fields aspossibly carcinogenic to humans based on an increased risk for glioma, amalignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless cellphone use."(12)
In November 2011 the Board of the American Academy of EnvironmentalMedicine (AAEM), a national organization of medical and osteopathicphysicians, called on California's Public Utilities Commission to issue amoratorium on the continued installation of smart meters in residences andschools "based on a scientific assessment of the current available literature.""(E)xisting FCC guidelines for RF safety that have been used to justifyinstallations of smart meters," the panel wrote,"only look at thermal tissue damage and are obsolete, since many modernstudies show metabolic and genomic damage from RF and ELF exposurebelow the level of intensity which heats tissues... More modern literatureshows medically and biologically significant effects of RF and ELF at lowerenergy densities. These effects accumulate over time, which is an importantconsideration given the chronic nature of exposure from 'smart meters."'(13)
In April 2012 the AAEM issued a formal position paper on the health effects ofRF and EMF exposure based on a literature review of the most recentresearch. The organization pointed to how government and industryarguments alleging the doubtful nature of the science on non-thermal effectsof RF were not defensible in light of the newest studies. "Genetic damage,reproductive defects, cancer, neurological degeneration and nervous systemdysfunction, immune system dysfunction, cognitive effects, protein andpeptide damage, kidney damage, and developmental effects have all beenreported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature," AAEM concluded.(14)
Radiating ChildrenThe rollout of smart meters proceeds alongside increased installation ofwireless technology and cell phone towers in and around schools in the US.In 2010 Professor Magda Havas conducted a study of schools in 50 US statecapitols and Washington DC to determine students' potential exposure tonearby cell towers. A total 6,140 schools serving 2.3 million students weresurveyed using the antennasearch.com database. Of these, 13% of theschools serving 299,000 students have a cell tower within a quarter mile ofschool grounds, and another 50% of the schools where 1,145,000 attendhave a tower within a 0.6 mile radius. The installation of wireless networksand now smart meters on and around school properties further increaseschildren's RF exposure.(15)
a8
() 398
Many school districts that are strapped for cash in the face of state budgetcuts are willing to ignore the abundance of scientific research on RF dangersand sign on with telecom companies to situate cell towers directly on school 0399premises. Again, the FCC's thermal effect rule is invoked to justify towerplacement together with a disregard of the available studies.
The School District of Palm Beach County, the eleventh largest school districtin the US, provides one such example. Ten of its campuses already have celltowers on their grounds while the district ponders lifting a ban established in1997 that would allow for the positioning of even more towers. Whenconcerned parents contacted the school district for an explanation of itswireless policies, the administration assembled a document, "HealthOrganization Information and Academic Research Studies Regarding theHealth Effects of Cell Tower Signals." The report carefully selectedpronouncements from telecom industry funded organizations such as theAmerican Cancer Society and out-of-date scientific studies supporting theFCC's stance on wireless while excluding the long list of studies and literaturereviews pointing to the dangers of RF and EMF radiation emitted by wirelessnetworks and cell towers. (16)
The Precautionary Principle I ConclusionSurrounded by the sizable and growing body of scientific literature pointing tothe obvious dangers of wireless technology, utility companies installing smartmeters on millions of homes across the US and school offcials whoaccommodate cell towers on their grounds are performing an extremedisservice to their often vulnerable constituencies. Indeed, such actionsconstitute the reckless long term endangerment of public health for short termgain, sharply contrasting with more judicious decision making.
The 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment & Development adopted theprecautionary principle as a rule to follow in the situations utilities and schooldistricts find themselves in today. "Where there are threats of serious orirreversible damage lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as areason for postponing cost effective measures to prevent environmentaldegradation."(171In exercising the precautionary principle, public governanceand regulatory bodies should "take preventive action in the face of scientificuncertainty to prevent harm. The focus is no longer on measuring ormanaging harm, but preventing harm."(181
Along these lines, the European Union and the Los Angeles School Districthave prohibited cell phone towers on school grounds until the scientificresearch on the human health effects of RF are conclusive. The InternationalAssociation of Fire Fighters also interdicted cell towers on fire stations
88
pending '''a study with the highest scientific merit and integrity on healtheffects of exposure to low-intensity (radio frequency/microwave) radiation isconducted and it is proven that such sitings are not hazardous to the health of C400our members."'(19)
Unwitting families with smart meters on their homes and children with celltowers humming outside their classrooms suggest the extent to which theenergy, telecom and wireless industries have manipulated the regulatoryprocess to greatly privilege profits over public health. Moreover, it reveals howthe population suffers for want of meaningful and conclusive information onthe very real dangers of RF while the telecom and wireless interestssuccessfully cajole the media into considering one scientific study at a time.
"When you put the science together, we come to the irrefutable conclusionthat there's a major health crisis coming, probably already underway," GeorgeCarlo cautions. "Not just cancer, but also learning disabilities, attention deficitdisorder, autism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and psychological and behavioralproblems-all mediated by the same mechanism. That's why we're so
worried. Time is running out."(20)
Notes(1 J Energy.gov, "President Obama Announces $3.4 Billion Investment to Spur Transition toSmart Energy Grid," October 27,2009,http:// en e rgy . gov 1 a rti c1es/p re si d en t -0 ba ma-a n n ou n ces-34- bi II io n -i n vestme nt-s pur -tran s itio n-smart-energy-gríd(2J lIya Sandra Perlingieri, "Radiofrequency Radiation: The Invisible Hazards of SmartMeters," August 19, 2011, GlobaIReserach.ca, http://ww.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26082(3J Dr. Bill Deagle, "Smart Meters: A Call for Public Outrage," Rense.com, August 3D,2011, http://ww.rense.com/generaI94/smart.htm. Some meters installed in California byPacific Gas and Electric carry a "'switching mode power-supply' that 'emit sharp spikes ofmillisecond bursts' around the clock and is a chief cause of 'dirt electricity.'" See Perlingieri,"Radiofrequency Radiation: The Invisible Hazards of Smart Meters." This author similarlymeasured bursts of radiation in excess of 2,000 microwatts per meter every 30 to 90 secondsduring the day, and once every two-to-three minutes at night.(4J Magda Havas, BRAG Antenna Ranking of Schools, 2010,http://el ectromag netichealth. org/wp-conte ntlu ploads/20 1 0104/B RAG_Schools. pdf
(5J Susan Luzzaro, "Field of Cell Phone Tower Beams," San Diego Reader, May 18, 2011,http://www.sandiegoreader.comlnews/2011/may/18/citylights2-cell-phone-tower/?page=1 &(6J FCC Offce of Engineering and Technology, http://www.fcc.gov/oet/risafety(7J Luzzaro, "Field of Cell Phone Tower Beams"; Marc Freeman, "Cell Towers Could BeComing to More Schools," South Florida Sun Sentinel, January 5, 2012,http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20 12 -0 1-05/news/fI-cell-towers-schools-palm-20 1201 05_1_cell-towers-cellular-phone-towers-stealth-towers
(8J Amy Worthington, "The Radiation Poisoning of America," GlobalResearch.ca, October 9,2007, http://ww.globalresearch.ca/index. ph p?context=va&a id= 7025
(9J Worthington, "The Radiation Poisoning of America."(10J Sue Kovach, "The Hidden Dangers of Cell Phone Radiation," Life Extension Magazine,August 2007, http://ww.lef.org/magazine/mag2007
:-18
/aug2007 _report_cellphone_radiation_01.htm(11) Susan Luzzaro, "Field of Cel/ Phone Tower Beams"; Bioinitiative Report: A Rationale Fora Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard For ElectromagneticFiel ds, . http://ww . bio initiative. org/freeaccess/repo rti ndex. htm.(12) World Health Organization lntemational Agency for Research on Cancer, "fARCClassifies Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields as Possibly Carcinogenic," May 31,
2011, ww.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E. pdf; Joseph Mercola, "Be Aware:These Cell Phones Can Emit 28 Times More Radiation," Mercola.com, June 18, 2011,http://articles . mercola. com/sites/a rticles/arch ive/20 11 /06/18/finally-experts-ad mit -cel/phon es-are-a-carcinogen .aspx.(13) American Academy of Environmental Medicine, "Proposed Decision of CommissionerPeevy (Mailed 11/22/2011) Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California,"January 19, 2012. ww.aaemonline.org(14) American Academy of Environmental Medicine, "The American Academy ofEnvironmental Medicine Calls for Immediate Caution regarding Smart Meter Installation,"April 12, 2012, http://ww.aaemonline.org/(15) Havas, BRAG Antenna Ranking of Schools, 31-38.(16) Donna Goldstein, "Health Organization Information and Academic Research StudiesRegarding the Health Effects of Cell Tower Signals,"Planning and Real Estate Development,Palm Beach County School District, January 30, 2012.(17) Havas, BRAG Antenna Ranking of Schools, 17.(18) Multinational Monitor, "Precautionary Precepts: The Power and Potential of thePrecautionary Principle: An Interview with Carolyn Raffensperger," September2004 , http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2004/09012004/september04interviewraffen . htm I.(19) Luzzaro, "Field of Cell Phone Tower Beams."(20) Kovach, "The Hidden Dangers of Cell Phone Radiation.James F. Tracy is Associate Professor of Media Studies at Florida Atlantic University. He isan affliate of Project Censored and blogs at memorygap.org.http://beforeitsnews . com/alternative/20 13/05/loomin g-health-crisis-wire less-tech no logy-a nd-the-toxification-of-america-3-265251 O. html
Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Family and Community HealthSchool of Public Health, University of California, BerkeleyCenter: http://cfch.berkeley.edu
Electromagnetic Radiation Safety
Website: http://saferemr.blogspot.comF acebook: http://ww.facebook.com/SaferEMRNews Releases: http://pressroom.prlog.org/jmm716Twitter: @berkeleyprc
0401
88
Americans Beware:
Nationwtide. Violations of FCC. RadiationLimits a Wireiess Antenna SitesMARSHFIELD, Vf--(Marketwire - Mar 20, 2013) - The EMRadiation Policy Institute
(EMRPI) releases Videos revealing the FCC's failure to protect Americansfrom wireless radiofrequency (RF) radiation.
US workers and families are at risk of overexposure to RF at hazardous levels. Hundredsof wireless industry-operated antenna sites from Maine to California have been
tested by EMRPI and found to be in gross violation -- up to and in excess of600% -- of the FCC's public exposure limits. These sites include rooftops as well aslocations where the general public, including children, can gain access, and where workersare on the job. See: Wireless Industry Safety Failure I
Wireless Radiation Can Harm Health.Public health is threatened by wireless radiation exposure at current FCC lawful limits asthey are among the least protective in the world. FCC safety limits do not acknowledgecurrent science, nor the 2011 WHO IARC's classification of wireless radiation as a Group2B carcinogen. The FCC does not even enforceits own inadequate radiation limits.
FCC Fails to Enforce Its Own WirelessRadiation Limits.EMRPI informed FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in December 2011 of widespread FCCrules violations. Despite detailed complaint letters sent to FCC Enforcement Bureau ChiefP. Michele Ellison, ofRF safety violations in 23 states across all regions of the US, EMRPIhas received no response that the FCC has taken any enforcement action against anynoncompliant site. EMRPI's investigation re-tested sites and found violations still occurringmonths after EMRPI's initial filings with the FCC. The FCC responded to a US Senator's
inquiry on sites in her state with misleading information about the safety of the Senator'sconstituents. See: Wireless Industry Safety Failure II
Are the FCC and the Wireless IndustryTurning a Blind Eye to RF Violations?FCC policy allows wireless companies to self-report their compliance with the lawful RFlimits. The FCC website provides no information or procedures for either the public orworkers to report potential or actual violations. Despite hundreds of thousands of wirelessantenna sites across the US, since 1996 the FCC has issued only one wireless Notice ofViolation, and not until 2010. Is FCC policing site violations and are violations hidden fromthe public?
The American Public Is Not Protected.Congress must act to hold the FCC accountable. If not, Americans will remain at risk fromunlawful RF radiation exposures at antenna sites across the country. The American peoplehave a right to know and a right to be protected. EMRPI urges the American people to
demand that the FCC enforce its own RF safety limits to protect all Americans.
Contact US Senatorsat: http://www .senate.gov /generaVcontacCinformation/senators_cfm .cfmContact US House Members at: http://www.house.gov/representatives/
Contact Information
.
Contact:Janet Newton(802)[email protected] EM Radiation Policy Institute
0403
88
WHY OUR WORLD is ELECTRO POLLUTED11:00 pm March 1,2012,. by Helke. Ferrie D405
(Ed note: This is the first ofa 2-part series on Electropollution. The second part, to run in AprilVitality, wil focus on solutions.)
If something is invented by and forthe military, it is certain to be effective and lethaL. Andindustrial capitalists invariably view such military gizmos as having great profit potential -particularly ifthey'rere-packaged and promoted as beneficial to the public. Hence, the sciencebehind atom bombs dropped on Japan in World War Illed soon after to cancer radiation therapyand mammography - two of the most lucrative practices in modern medicine. Similarly,biological warfare weapons such as DDT and chemotherapy proved to be enormously lucrativein their peace-time applications - their deadly properties being undiminished despite re-packaging. Originaily, the miltary objected to the declassification of both, but industry interestsprevailed.
Today, it's World War Il radar technology that has been harnessed to create a near universaladdiction and worldwide dependence on telecommunications. Anything thatfaciltates and
enhances the human ability to communicate plugs into a powerful primal urge.
We can say no to radiation and chemotherapy, and we can do perfectly well without pesticides-
but we cannot do without telephones, the internet, or electricity. Milions of people use cellphones as if they were an indispensable body part; thousands of households use microwaveovens daily, unaware that they are ruining the nutrients in their food; well-meaning parentsirradiate their infants with baby monitors; and most of us are zapped continuously by smartmeters. All things wireless have taken the world by storm, supposedly servng progress.
Very few people know that all these gadgets are allowed to proliferate on the basis of outrightfraudulent research. Mostdon't know that current safety standards are so completely at variancewith genuine scientific evidence as to be truly absurd: in fact, our regulatory authorities aresupporting the unfolding of a public health disaster. There simply is no research proving thesafety of this technology as we know it. None at all.
NO GENUINE SAFETY TESTING CONDUCTED .Wireless technology has undergone no genuine safety tests because existing standards onlyapply to anything above 2.4 gigahertz of the radio spectrum, and anything below that level wassimply assumed safe when commercial standards were adopted in 1997. This rests on theassumption that non-thermal radiation is harmless; non-thermal means not-heat producing.Radio waves and microwaves do produce heat, but only atvery high concentrations. At lowconcentrations they do not produce heat but, instead, cause other equally serious problemsaffecting all organs of the body.
This problem started with Hermann Schwan, inventor of the microwave oven. As a scientistwho
worked for the Nazi regime, he was brought to the U.S. in 1947 along with 1,400 others under"Operation Paperclip" which allowed them to escape war crime prosecution in return foremployment with the U.S. government. Schwan became a professor in Pennsylvania andcontinued radar research. He believed that radio and microwaves could only be harmful at
88
intensities above 100 microwatt per square centimeter when they produce heat. He added asafety factor of 10, and in 1953 announced the safety limit for humans at 10 microwatts persquare centimeter (10 mW /cm2) which in 1965 was accepted as doctrine.
iJ 406
This "safe" level allowed the military to continue using radiation for their own purposes. Thisstandard also saved the U.S. government untold milions in liability payments to injured soldiersand industrial workers from the war years and provided liabilty protection into the future. Andreal estate companies were delighted because the former restrictions on developing land tooclose to radiation facilities no longer applied. Had the already known facts about harm from non-thermal levels of radiation informed the making ofthis safety standard, some 498,000 acres ofvaluable real estate would have been lost to the market. (See Becker and Brodeur listed at end.)
Schwan and the scientists of his generation already knew of the "radiation sickness" reported bywartime radar technicians who often became blind from cataracts. Indeed, it was because ofthese reports that the discussion about a need for a safety standard began. At the very time that
Schwan's standard was developed, the Soviets were microwaving the u.s. embassy staff inMoscow to see if this wartime radar/microwave technology could disrupt information, addlebrains, and mess with behaviour among the embassy staff. It sure did. The U.S. governmentwasfully aware of this Sovietespionage project, but kept silent for years - just to see what wouldhappen. After all, it was a perfect science project (for the sake of which the glaring ethicalinconsistency with the 1940s US-led Nuernberg trials was conveniently ignored). The Germansdoing medical experiments on people was evil; this project, however, could be massaged to aid
some greater good. The U.S. ambassador died of cancer and many staff members developed thoseforms of cancer, birth defects, infertilty and more which are characteristic of
non-thermalradiation exposure. Not until 1976 did this government betrayal of its own staff become the
subject of congressional investigation.
UNIVERSAL RISK TO ALL HUMANSToday, the complete bibliography of more than 2,000 scientific reports on non-thermal radiationdamage compiled before 1970 are available. They were declassified by the military in 1971 (seehttp://ww.magdahavas.com).
When cell phones hit the market in the early 1990's and WiFi for computers was invented, it wasalready known what damage these products were capable of causing. Most importantly, thatearly literature, now supported by an ever-growing body of high-tech and epidemiologicalresearch, negates the assertion that just "some" people are "hypersensitive". That same myth wasused for decades to downplay Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as welL. The profit from war gadgets,communication technology, and pesticides is simply too big to resist; better to blame those fewweirdos who stand in the way of profit.
To put this "hypersensitivity" of the few into perspective, consider Swedish and Americanresearch published last fall which shows that within the coming decade
we are likely to face a 25-fold increase of brain cancer incidence worldwide. There is no way that any government orinsurance company can pay for this. Not surprisingly, two of the world's largest insurancecompanies, Lloyds and Swiss Re, have recommended exclusion clauses to the entire industry fordamage from long-term use of such radiation-producing gadgets.
38
RESEARCH ON THE DANGERS OF EMF SUPPRESSED BY INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENTResearchers have found that cell phone use impairs DNA cellular repair, and has caused a sharprise in brain cancer (documented from cell phone use over the past decade). The facts became sounavoidable that the usually arch-conservative World Health Organization had no choice lastsummer but to declare radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RE-EMF) produced by cell phones,Bluetooth, cordless phones, Smart Meters, baby monitors, and WiFi to be a Class B carcinogenQike asbestos and DDT). 0407
True, the actual mechanism by which this low-level radiation caused harm was not understood.in the 1940's, even though the fact of harm was known and documented. Today, ourunderstanding is so thorough, it exceeds the evidence we have of the harm done by DDT,asbestos, and smoking by far. Yet, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing RadiationProtection (ICNIRP), established in 1992, continues to stick to Schwann's standard and evendeliberately misquotes, disguises, or ignores this enormous body of knowledge. It continues toprovide guidelines to governments and industry based on research pubUshed before WiFitechnology had even left the labáratory and become commercially available. To support theseabsurd guidelines, even fraudulent research projects were undertaken in the UK(see MarkAnslow).
In Canada an interesting case of suppression of evidence exists in the federal Report L TR-CS-98of April 1973. It provided the evidence that microwave radiation is an "environmental pollutant"and a "threat to human health." And yet Health Canada established its Code 6 by followingICNIRP guidelines for radio frequencies and publicly repeated the propaganda about non-thermal radiation being safe as recently as September 2010.
The many international resolutions presented by scientists to governments the world overdemanding the public be protected from this technology are simply ignored, but their urgency isincreasing. When cell phon-es first became available in the early 90's, the Council of Europe,aware of the science since the 1930s about the dangers of radar to human health, requested thatyoung people in particular be protected from such commercial devices. Last April, the Councildid so again, in even stronger terms and armed with even more research. In February of thisyear, the Ontario Teachers' Union came to the defense of their students' safety and demanded ageneral WiFi blackout in schools. Some schools have done so already (Globe & Mail, Feb 13,
2012).
There is no doubt that we live in a time in which science consistently takes a back seat toindustry interests and that governments consistently support industry, not public health ormedical facts. If you suspect that government is selling us out, body and soul, to toxic industriesfor profit, you are not mistaken.
.,
Just like the FDA's Dr. David Graham, and Health Canada's Shiv Chopra, the radiation industry toohas its whistleblowers: Barrie Trower, as reported in the Toronto Star on August 26,2010, is aformer British Secret Service Microwave Weapons Specialist who recently spoke at theUniversity of Toronto. He stated that Canada "is one of the world leaders in microwave radiationresearch," having documented the first recognized symptoms of radiation sickness in 1932 inconcert with the u.s. government. Canada shares 13 secret code names for this research whichdocuments the damage. Trower also pointed out that "there isn't a school in the world that hasn'tseen an increase in aggression (and other behavioural problems) when WiFi was introduced." He
88
stated: "By 1971 we knew everyhing that needed to be known. A 1976 document summarizing.U.S. Defense Intelligence research is the saddest and most despicable document ever
published
in history." The document lists all of the health hazards caused by wireless devices and 0408concludes: "This should be kept secret to preserve industrial profit." Trower also cited a 19S0'sreport stating: "If this paper becomes known around the world, it
wil threaten miltary andcommercial interests." He especially condemned Health Canada's Code 6, stating that the science-based safety level published in the Biolnitiative Report is 0.1 microwatts per cm2 - not Canada's600 to 1,000 mW /cm2!
Due to the determined suppression of the evidence over three quarters of a century, it is vitallyimportant to get legal rulings that create a foundation for appropriate liability
and the defense of
public health through successful case law. That will force the invention of better technology. Last
year the famous microwave activist Arthur Firstenberg brought a case regarding deployment ofcell phone-related technology before the federal district
court in New Mexico on the basis of the
industry's infringement of the .~.mericans with Disabilty Act The judge ruled "that theTelecommunica-tions Act preempts the Americans with Disabilties Act, even if such aninterpretation would condemn a class of citizens to death because of their disabilties." The judgealso ruled that the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause ofthe U.S. Constitution's14th Amendment was not applicable.
An appeal was launched on February 21. My hunch is that because of the denial of fundamentalhuman rights, this legal action wil now move out of the polarization between industry andscience and intothe territory of what lawyers call "first principles/' in this case liabilty law andestablished case law on harm done from whatever source.Yes, the danger posed by EMF radiation is significant, but it is possible to save yourself and yourloved ones. In Part 2 of this article, i wil share the information and resources that I used torestore my health and make my home and workplace safe. Put simply, the answer to badtechnology is notno technology, but good technology, just as bad medicine is cured by goodmedicine.
http: l/vitalitymagazine.comlarti cle (why-our-worl d - is~el ectropoll uted (
88
Alicia Murilo
From:Sent:To:Subject:
cbd bosm [email protected]
Sunday, September 29, 20136:49 PMCBO BOSMAILAgenda Comments
Meeting Date : 10/1/20 i 3 Item Number: 38
Name: Jamilah Vittor Email: Not Supplied
Address : Santa Cruz County Phone: Not Supplied
Comments:I urge you to deny, or at least delay approval of the 4G broadband expansion in Santa Cruz County. Wirelesstechnology has caused health problems for many people in the community, including headaches and insomnia,among others. There are very few places any longer which are not blanketed with wireless signals 24 hours aday; multiple studies have pointed to the dangers of wireless technology. It is not right to force this co nstantbombardment on people who are harmed by the technology. Industry spokespeople insist that the technology isperfectly safe; their companies' profits depend on this belief. Please put the health of the community aboveindustry profits.
i 38
Alicia Murilo
From:Sent:To:Subject:
Tess FitzgeraldMonday, September 30,20132:46 PMAlicia Murillo
FW: Agenda Item 38
From: Rachmat Martin (mailto:[email protected])Sent: Monday, September 30,2013 2:46 PM
To: Tess FitzgeraldSubject: Agenda Item 38
Dear Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors,
With an engineering background and as a person with over 30 years experience in thecommunications industry, I am very concerned about the ramifications of enacting the proposedAgenda Item 38. At the very least, I request that the Board mandate an Environmental ImpactStudy and Report on the proposed action, and paying particular attention to the issues associatedwith health of all living things. In the meantime, I request a moratorium on the proposed actionuntil such EIR can be completed, circulated to the public, reviewed and commented upon by thepublic.
All of the supporting material quoted in the Agenda Item is very familiar (to me) rhetoric fromthe communications industry who commonly deny any health issues. If you are not aware of it,the European Union many years ago, instituted a power limit to all forms of wirelesscommunications towers that was 10% of what the so called "safe standard" had been deemed (byour own industry) safe here in the US. More recently, within the past few years, the EU hasreconsidered their earlier action and determined it to not be safe enough and cut allowedemissions standards another 501Xi. There is a considerable body of documented evidence now thatreveals that all but the lowest levels of EMF are extremely damaging to developing tissue, humanand otherwise. There are further studies linking the sobering decline of bee populations to strongEMF established in the vicinity of hives and also studies linking the crash of bird migrationsthrough zones of heavy or intense EMF. Might we become the place where the monarchs used tocome and where tourists used to come to stand in their magnificent presence.
Very Sincerely,Rachma t Martin
Rachmat MartinOff. 831-476-4725Fax 866-593-3489
8Z
Alicia Murilo
From:Sent:To:Subject:
cbd bosm [email protected]
Tuesday, October 01, 20136:45 AMCBD BOSMAILAgenda Comments
Meeting Date: 10/1/201 3 Item Number: 38
Name: Jim Warner Email: warner((j)ucsc.edu-_. .. ..
Address: 215 Trescony St Phone: 8314594441
Comments:Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this report. This is important work. The Board and the staff are tobe commended for this forward thinking effort.
The report characterizes satellite service as about 1 Mbps. This was the case until the launch of ViaS at- 1 in2011 and the commencement of Exede service in 2012. This new service got a nod in the FCC's most recent"Measuring Broadband America" in February of this yea r. Exede's download speed of 12 Mb/s matches DSL.
Satellite service has a unique characteristic. Because the 'birds' fly high over the Equator to maintain a fixedposition in the sky, the round trip message time is nearly a second. This puts delay (latency) into two-way videoand audio conferencing and puts an Internet gamer at a significant competitive disadvantage. Other latencysensitive applications will be similarly affected.
Another important characteristic limits satellite data services -- the unit cost of the service. You can buystreaming rights to season 1 of Breaking Bad for $12. But you wil use $50 in air services watch it on a satellite.While not as expensive as cellular data, satellite service is fully iox the cost of wire line (cable, DSL) services.Here I am not looking at the base subscription charge but instead at the bandwidth fees if it was to be used thesame as a wireline service. Cost is an important characteristic of Internet data serv ice. As an entirely practicalmatter, at the price point of satellite (or cellular) data services, wide classes of Internet applications are simplytoo expensive. To achieve economic and employment benefit, services to subscribers must be available at ratescomparable to services in urban areas.
In conclusion, I reach what I believe is the same conclusion as the Broadband Connectivity report: that satelliteservices are not a substitute for conventional wireline broadband services. But my reasons are different.
1 3f?
Alicia Murilo
From:Sent:To:Subject:
cbdbosm [email protected], October 01, 2013 7:56 AMCBO BOSMAILAgenda Comments
Meeting Date: 10/1 /20 13 Item Number: 38
Name: Joe Foster Email: js~ejl?_~lei~(ã!sccbusinesscouncil.com
Address: Santa Cruz County Business
CouncilP.O. Box 1267Freedom, CA 95019Fre
Phone: 831-435-6361
Comments:October 1, 2013
The Santa Cruz County Business Council's (SCCBC) Executive Committee would like to express our supportfor County's initiative to address the current state of our local broadband infrastructure, while identifying stepsfor future enhancement. Based upon the information provided in the Report on Broadband Connectivity andExp ansion dated September 3, 2013, we feel the analysis and recommendations to date demonstrate a concertedeffort on the County's part to provide a blueprint for future success.
With that said, moving forward it will be important for the County to focus on the following:
- Providers & Specialists-Continued outreach to all service providers and network specialists in the area toensure that their input is incorporated into all future plans- Community Engagement-Building public understanding about the economic benefits associated with a morecomprehensive, modem broadband infrastructure build-out. This effort could be done in conjunction with localservice providers and/or interested business groups- Innovation-Constant monitoring (tied to consultation with providers) of advances in broadband technologyassociated with service and infrastructure innovations
SCCBC's mission includes the words, "...to support economic vitality in Santa Cruz County..." The furtheradvancement of the County's broadband infrastructure wil be a major economic catalyst both for our short- andlong-term futures.
Sincerely,
Joe FosterExecutive Director
?£