Charleston City Council (SC) member Carol Jackson is taking on the city’s 5G ordinance — she wants to include a “no-install zone” around school buildings, neighborhoods, and daycare facilities. The Post and Courier reported that the current ordinance protects the historic district only.
Parents lodged concerns regarding the small cell 5G infrastructure and its potential health effects on children.
Some area parents pointed to the cancer cluster in Ripon, CA, as a reason to be wary of cell phone towers near schools, reported the Post and Courier. Tests have since shown the cancer causing agent was found in the ground water around the California school as reported in a series of articles in Inside Towers.
At a recent council meeting, Councilwoman Jackson commented on the dangers of small cell 5G infrastructure and how to keep children and communities safe from possible health threats. “The potential of public health hazards is increasingly being studied by the science community. If we add a few more protective statements [to the ordinance], it’ll include neighborhoods and also school properties and daycare sites,” Jackson said. The next steps on Councilwoman Jackson’s crusade to update the 5G ordinance are not yet available.
Since the FCC ruling gives carriers access to municipal sidewalks and utility poles, last year’s ordinance established some guidelines around small cells. The ordinance laid out maximum sizes for small cells, what the towers should look like, and the distance between poles. Each applicant is also required to produce a certificate that indicates devices are emitting radio waves in compliance with levels set by the federal government, according to the Post and Courier.
December 19, 2019
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