20 years ago. March 25, 2003. That was the last time the County updated its rules for reviewing cell tower applications. And the process is notoriously opaque and residents are largely excluded from participating. Thankfully, the County Executive is now proposing to revise these outdated regulations. Click here BEFORE the deadline this Friday, March 31, to urge the County Executive to propose meaningful reform in how the County reviews applications — and bring greater transparency […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Action Alert
FCC’s recent big loss in court proves what residents warned all along: Montgomery County Council can’t trust the FCC’s safety standards from 1996 for wireless radiation to protect our families.
Council will be rushing a ZTA 22–01 zoning vote on Oct. 25th to outrun a Nov. 1st zoning deadline in this year of an election. Use the 1-minute email tool to quickly send emails to the entire Council to oppose cell towers near homes–ZTA 22-01.
Continue readingMark your calendar! Oct 11 (New date) Rally to Stop Cell Towers 30 Feet From Homes Meet at 11:30 am, Tuesday, Oct. 11th
UPDATED MEDIA ADVISORY: NEW DATE DUE TO WEATHER “No Cell Towers 30 Feet from Homes!” – Residents to Rally At Montgomery County Council Building Oct. 11th at 11:30 am Mark your calendar! Oct. 11th (new date) Rally to Stop Cell Towers 30 Feet From Homes ***RALLY RESCHEDULED DUE TO WEATHER*** Check back on this webpage (https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-zta-22-01) for updates to our Rally plans to stop the proposed ZTA 22-01! Meet at 11:30 am, Tuesday, Oct. 11th […]
Continue readingThrive Montgomery 2050 accelerates deployment of 5G –– Tell the Council to Hit Pause –– and Add Equity
We are sharing this August 16th article and Action Alert by Montgomery Countryside Alliance (mocoalliance.org) Thrive 2050: What it Says, What it Will Do, and Why We Have to Hit Pause OF NOTE related to the proliferation of close-proximity small cells from that article, please find this linked PDF: Thrive’s Sweeping Changes (PDF) “Thrive’s Proposed Policies Would Bring Sweeping Changes to Montgomery County Thrive’s proposed policies and those in its companion documents including Attainable Housing […]
Continue readingElection Alert: Electronic touchscreen ballots divide candidate choices up via second screens not available unless clicked
A problem has already been reported with voting on the touchscreen for (some) races with multiple candidates in that the voter has to view two screens to see all of the names of candidates running for that position. When there’s a split screen, make sure to click again to see the second screen. Many of the candidates themselves are unaware of these screen issues. David Lublin of Seventh State has also alerted that the electronic ballot divides the candidates on two pages […]
Continue readingURGENT: Act Now to Give the Public a Voice in Licensing of Wireless Facilities on Poles
The County recently released a draft Pole Attachment License Agreement (PLA) that would provide authorization for companies to attach wireless facilities on or in existing or replacement County-owned streetlight poles. Because a licensee can request authorization to attach to any streetlight pole, the PLA poses significant impacts for residents and County at-large. The PLA was released on the Transmission Facilities Coordination Group (TFCG) web page with little or no public notice and only three weeks […]
Continue readingMCPS Students’ Personal Data Is Used for Race-based Profiling & Profits
Dear Parents/Guardians/Students, 5 years ago, local parents discovered something fishy about Naviance, the online college and career readiness platform MCPS kids use starting in 6th grade: Naviance profiles kids using their personal information (yours, too) and sells it. We brought this to the attention of MCPS. Repeatedly. Meeting after meeting, nothing happened. Now the nation knows, thanks to a 1/22/22 investigative report in The Markup. Schools in Europe, where privacy laws are much stricter, replaced […]
Continue readingWireless Safety Standards Should Protect People and Wildlife – Take Action – Join EHT’s Campaign
U.S. safety limits for wireless radiation have not been reviewed for over 25 years. In August, a landmark federal court ruled that the FCC did not adequately review all the evidence when the FCC refused to update its 1996 wireless radiation exposure limits. The court ruling states the FCC did not respond to research indicating numerous harmful effects from long term exposures, especially for children. Furthermore the FCC was found to have “completely failed” to […]
Continue readingAn Unsupported Rationale: The So-Called Legal Case for Montgomery County’s ZTA 19-07 Falls Apart
July 12, 2021 Peter L. Kahn, J.D., Ph.D. Montgomery County Resident Summary The County Council appears poised to adopt ZTA 19-07 in part because some members believe that doing so is legally required. That is simply not the case. Give the Community a Voice: Support A Stakeholder Advisory Group. E-MAIL THE COUNTY COUNCIL TODAY IN LESS THAN A MINUTE! One basis for believing this is the FCC’s Small Cell Orders of 2018, which proposes a […]
Continue readingBreaking News & Action Alert: County Executive Calls For Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Working Group For Cell Towers Siting in Residential Areas
“My staff and I have talked with many residents and industry representatives, and we have found them to be knowledgeable and willing to help improve the process. I would like to propose that we convene a working group comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders, including industry, residents, municipalities and homeowner/tenant associations and/or non-profit organizations. Staff support would be provided by Executive and Council staff. The group would have a limited time – perhaps 75 […]
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