Come to the Hearing in Annapolis AND in Montgomery County on March 20, 2018

Two Bills HB 1767 and SB 1188 are in the Maryland Assembly and we must halt them! 

WE NEED YOU To Come to the Hearing in Annapolis in the MD Finance Committee: 1 p.m March 20, 2018, for Senate Bill 118 to testify on this Bill.

AND to the Montgomery County hearing on the ZTA !!! at 7 pm

The Montgomery County ZTA hearing in March 20 in Rockville!

The MD Bills: These Bills represent  a coordinated, national effort by the telecommunications industry to prevent public input and bypass local zoning regulations over the installation of 5G small cell equipment and poles in the public right of way.

Senate Bill 1188 is sponsored by Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton, Chair of the Finance Committee. Its House companion, House Bill 1767, is sponsored by Delegate Dereck Davis, Chair of the Economic Matters Committee.   

THE LEGISLATION

• Supersedes local government  ordinances and regulations.
• Allows for the installation of poles up to 50 feet in height and equipment boxes up to 28 cubic feet throughout neighborhoods, including residential neighborhoods.
• Caps rates restricting what municipalities can charge.
• Disregards health risks from radiation.

These bills are based on “model legislation” that AT&T and Verizon created with ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council.

The Maryland Municipal League representing 157 municipal governments in the State of Maryland is opposed to these Bills. The Montgomery County Civic Federation is opposed to these bills.

In California when a similar Bill was proposed, organizations wrote letters in strong opposition such as the  American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the Alliance of Nurses for Health Environments, the Sierra Club, Frank Clegg, former President of Microsoft, Canada, the Greenlining Institute and the American Planning Association.  

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Sign the petition.

Contact elected officials.

Hearing in the MD Finance Committee: 1 p.m March 20, 2018, for Senate Bill 1188.  

LEARN MORE

Maryland Coalition Website: Sign up to stay updates with the Maryland Coalition fighting this Bills.

What Is 5G  Website about the health, privacy and safety risks posed by 5G

Physicians for Safe Technology: Doctors on health risks.

Environmental Health Trust: Scientific think tank tracking Bills nationwide.

Telecom Powergrab: New York State Coalition fighting the same bills.

Hearing in the MD Finance Committee: 1 p.m March 20, 2018, for Senate Bill 1188.  

Senate Bill 1188 is sponsored by Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton, Chair of the Finance Committee. Its House companion, House Bill 1767, is sponsored by Delegate Dereck Davis, Chair of the Economic Matters Committee.   

“There is a substantial body of evidence that this technology is harmful to humans and the environment. The 5G millimeter wave is known to heat the eyes, skin and testes... Of particular concern are the most vulnerable among us — the unborn, children, the infirm, the elderly and the disabled. It is also expected that populations of bees and birds will drastically decline.” -- by Dr. Lennart Hardell, 2017

Don’t Let Antennas and Cell Poles Ruin Our Neighborhoods!: Come To The Montgomery Council Meeting March 20, 2018

Don’t Let Antennas and Cell Poles Ruin Our Neighborhoods!

Fight to keep all residents, homes and neighborhoods protected.

Your participation was so important to our success in 2016, when we said NO to the County’s last Towers & Antennas Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA 16-05).

Unfortunately, the County has returned, this time with ZTA 18-02. And just like its predecessor, this ZTA was designed with and for the wireless industry, and not with or for residents).

We need your voice to be heard LOUD and CLEAR, if we are to beat back ZTA 18-02, a bill that threatens to erode protections for our safety, neighborhood aesthetics, and property values.

Please attend the Public Hearing on Tuesday night, March 20th. Tell our Council Members that Montgomery County must put residents and our neighborhoods first.

• We DO want a ZTA, but NOT this ZTA 18-02!
• We want a ZTA that will not sacrifice our safety, neighborhood aesthetics, or property values;
• We want a ZTA that will ensure transparency, proper notice of proposed facilities, and fair and proper consideration of ourconcerns in the application review process;

We want a ZTA that protects ALL residents, regardless of:

• what part of the County they live in,
• whether their utilities are above ground or underground, and
• the type of dwelling they have;

Sure, a ZTA must accommodate the rights of the industry to provide wireless services.

But, we want a better ZTA; one that protects our rights, too – and requires wireless facilities to have the least possible adverse impacts on our neighborhoods!

Please join your neighbors and friends at 7:30pm on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 to tell the County Council that you OPPOSEZoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 18-02.

3rd Floor Hearing Room

100 Maryland Avenue

Rockville, MD 20850

Please let us know if you are attending. We need a head count. We really need folks to commit ahead of time. Please RSVP at controlcelltowers@gmail.com to let us know you WILL be there.

Free Parking is available after 6:00pm in the Council Office Building (COB) Garage. Entrance is on E. Jefferson St. (Rt. 28) on the right just before intersection at Monroe Street.

This will likely be the ONLY public hearing on ZTA 18-02, so PLEASE attend!

Be sure to alert your friends and neighbors – and pass along this email.
More details can be found on the MC4T.org website.
Contact us with any questions at controlcelltowers@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you next Tuesday night in Rockville.

A message from- Montgomery County Coalition to Control Cell Towers (MC4T.ORG)