To the Editor,
In 2008 when I first moved to Manchester-by-the-Sea, cellular telephone service was abysmal. This was something I thought I’d just have to accept until something was done.
After a few more years of poor cellular service, I decided to get involved to see what could be done to improve service. I was concerned because so many residents were beginning to rely more and more on mobile phones and my feeling was if service doesn’t improve, we may be confronted with a situation where someone is harmed because emergency services could not be summoned by cellphone.
My concerns were shared by a few others including members of the Select Board and some tech savvy residents. A small ad hoc group was formed to investigate this issue. This group was able to determine that cellular service was even worse than we first thought. Without going into the details, our group efforts finally resulted the town being approached by a popular cellular carrier to install equipment on the town water tank. This offer required action at Town Meeting, so a warrant was issued to address the question.
As expected, prior to the Town Meeting one or more websites opposing the proposed action sprung up. These sites were filled with a ton of misinformation allegedly exposing the hazards of cellular devices and equipment. The purpose of these sites was to scare the uninformed of the so-called hazards of cellular service, and the danger to residents if cellular devices were installed as proposed. At the Town Meeting, following a spirited discussion, a majority of residents voted to support the installation of cellular radio heads on our town water tank after having decided the scare tactics and the hazards these sites were suggesting were unfounded.
We are now being confronted with a similar circumstance over 5G cellular service. A recent letter to the editor of The Cricket raised the alarm and offered a few websites to view to obtain information regarding the so-called hazards of 5G.
I’ve looked at these sites and have concluded they are filled with misinformation and should not be considered credible resources.
For those interested in creditable information concerning the safety of 5G, please view these sites.
The World Health Organization, Radiation: 5G mobile networks and health
https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-5g-mobile-networks-and-health
Government of Canada, 5G technology, cell phones, cell phone towers, and antennas
Jim Diedrich
Manchester
