Take Action: Montgomery County is pressing ahead to install small cell towers on residential streets.

Montgomery County is pressing ahead to install small cell towers on residential streets.

Dear Neighbors,

Pardon my intrusion with yet another email message, but the need is urgent.  It appears that Montgomery County is on the verge of approving the installation of small cell towers throughout the County, including up and down residential streets, starting with Potomac, MD and Germantown, MD.  The sites for the towers in those communities, in front of individual homes, have already been selected.  It is rumored, but we do not know for certain, that the County Executive may seek approval for the installation of the cell towers from the Montgomery County Council as soon as this coming week.

County officials seem to be discounting all arguments made by County residents against the towers, including the adverse impact on health from the radiation, the adverse impact on the aesthetics of our communities, the inevitable reduction of property values, and other concerns.

To see how the County residents feel, you can view the video of the public meeting on small cell towers, held by the County this past Monday, October 23, by clicking HERE or by copying and pasting the following URL into your web browser:

http://montgomerycountymd.gov/CCM/executive/zta-small-cell-towers-meeting-102317.html

The meeting starts with a few minutes of silence on a title screen as everyone settles down, and then proceeds with a presentation by Mitsuko Herrera on the County's plans to rezone to permit the installation of the small cell towers, and then continues with comments from many of the residents in attendance.  I am guessing that about 100 residents attended.

I believe it is fair to say that our fellow County residents who spoke at the meeting were virtually UNIVERSALLY OPPOSED to the small cell towers.  The argument raised most often against the towers was the adverse impact on health from the radiofrequency radiation that the towers will spew into our communities.  That radiation is of even greater concern now that the National Institutes of Health has confirmed a link between cellular radiofrequency radiation and both brain cancer and nerve cancer.  The former is usually fatal, and the latter can be fatal.

I have reflected the overall picture in a two-page imaginary informed-consent agreement.  It is attached.  This document was handed out at the October 23 meeting by some residents to other residents.  This document indicates what the residents would be agreeing to if their informed consent HAD to be obtained before the towers were installed in their communities.  Of course, such consent is not being requested.

If you wish to protest, I have provided below the names, positions, and email addresses of the cognizant County officials.  And below that list, I have provided just the email addresses to make it easier for you to copy and paste them into your email program.  You may send one email message to them all if you wish.  Be sure to include your full name and address, and the reasons for your opposition.  If we don't speak up, we may soon be watching the cell phone companies digging up our front yards to turn our street lights into cell towers from 19 to 45 feet tall, depending on the widths of the streets in front of our homes.

Ike Leggett - Montgomery County Executive:  ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov
Eric Coffman - Chief, Energy and Sustainability, Montgomery County:  eric.coffman@montgomerycountymd.gov
Eric Friedman - Director. Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection:  Eric.Friedman@montgomerycountymd.gov
Lisa Brennan - Associate County Attorney General, Montgomery County:  lisa.brennan@montgomerycountymd.gov
Roger Berliner - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.Berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov
Hans Riemer - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.Riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov
Marc Elrich - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov
George Leventhal - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.Leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov
Craig Rice - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.rice@montgomerycountymd.gov
Nancy Floreen - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov
Nancy Navarro - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov
Sidney Katz - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.katz@montgomerycountymd.gov
Tom Hucker - Montgomery County Councilmember:  councilmember.hucker@montgomerycountymd.gov
Mistuko Herrera, Montgomery County Department of Technology Services:  mitsuko.herrera@montgomerycountymd.gov

ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov
eric.coffman@montgomerycountymd.gov
Eric.Friedman@montgomerycountymd.gov
lisa.brennan@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.Berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.Riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.Leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.rice@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.katz@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.hucker@montgomerycountymd.gov
mitsuko.herrera@montgomerycountymd.gov

References

If you would like to read more about the County's rezoning plans to permit the installation of small cell towers, please see the County web site above and also this County web site:

http://montgomerycountymd.gov/cable/towers/zta-links.html

If you would like to read more about the impact of radiofrequency radiation on health, please see this web site:

https://ehtrust.org/

If you would like to know more about the Fifth Generation (5G) of cellular technology, which is motivating the installation of the small cell towers, please see this web site:

http://whatis5g.info/

More soon.

Regards,

Ron

--
Ronald M. Powell, Ph.D.
20316 Highland Hall Drive
Montgomery Village, MD  20886-4007
United States of America
E-mail: r.m.powell@verizon.net
Tel: (301) 926-7568