Thursday, July 16, 2020

Corruption and Astroturfing ALERT Councilman Hans Riemer Promotes Industry Funded 5G Coalition

ALERT: Councilman Hans Riemer is featured in a new Maryland State Coalition to Promote 5G and most likely strip local authority! 

The MD5G Coalition is Astroturfing! They say they are a Movement"? When they are surely an industry funded campaign to promote 5G at ANY Cost. 

SHAME on any elected official supporting a cell tower in our front yard! 

We are appalled to see that a government offcial  is lending his name and time to a group filled with industry. We would like to know WHO is funding this Public relations effort? 

Please see a letter sent to the entire County Council last week below. 


Dear Councilman Hans Riemer, 

I saw an industry tied press release for 5G that quoted you. I am concerned about a Montgomery County Councilman involved in a commercial venture. 


"5G is an exciting opportunity for Montgomery County and for Maryland. We must get the right infrastructure in place to pave the way for innovative technologies,” said Montgomery County Councilman Hans Riemer. “We are all relying on our networks more than ever and we need to open the door for private sector investment to build and expand those networks. Stronger networks, for example, will improve access to distance learning and virtual healthcare, let alone make it easier for all of us to conduct business in an increasingly distanced or telecommuting environment.”

Current members of the MD5G Partnership include: Maryland Tech Council, Greater Baltimore Committee, Northeast Maryland Tech Council, Greater Washington Board of Trade, Verizon, Ports America Chesapeake, Ports America, Crown Castle, Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, T-Mobile, The Children’s Guild Alliance, TranZed Academy for Working Students, KCI Technologies, Education Networks of America, BaltiVirtual, Maryland Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Montgomery County.

I had a few questions I thought you could answer for us. 

  1. Is it ethical for an elected official to be a part of this commercial venture? 
  2. Were you approached by this group to offer a quote? 
  3. Do you receive money from any of the companies funding this PR machine? Please provide me a list of monies you have received. Please also provide a list of meetings you have held with Verizon, Crown Castle or commercial entities. 
  4. How much money does Crown Castle and Verizon put into this partnership? The website and materials look very professional so clearly deep pockets are involved. 
  5. Did Montgomery County fund any of this partnership? 
  6. Has Hans Riemer used time that could be spent on health and safety community matters in this partnership? meetings etc? If so please provide me a list of the meetings or phone calls you have had relate to this matter? 
  7. You say in the release that "Stronger networks will improve access to distance learning" . Please explain how 5G will improve access to distance learning in detail. The website insinuates that low-income families will benefit from this "modern network that can handle large amounts of data quickly" Which schools are getting a 5G upgrade? Does this mean all the devices an technology will be upgraded to 5G? Has the Council and School Board approved? What will the cost be? Which schools?  Please clarify. 
  8. You say in the release that "Stronger networks will improve access to virtual healthcare".  Please explain how 5G will improve access to  healthcare in detail. The website talks about " remote medicine solutions through wearable devices that gather and monitor a person’s vitals such as blood pressure and pulse and Extending physical therapy and remote surgery through the world of VR."  For whom, what areas how? What exactly do you mean? which  hospitals? Please provide full details. 
  9. I saw on your website it states that 5G will "Allow police body cams and security cameras to provide clearer resolutions, accurate locations, and real-time data" So is 5G planned to be in Mo Co police officers body cams? If so please provide details on that. What is the cost to taxpayers? Has it been show to impact responsiveness over the current body cams or current technology ?
  10. I have been trying to set  up a meeting with you and your staff but you never have responded. I would like to ask again. If not then why not? 

As I am a Montgomery County resident and you are one of my elected officials I think it is critical there is transparency and communication on these relationships. 
Thank you in advance for answering these questions one by one. Please respond in a numbered fashion to be clear we are clearly communicating

Signed XXX a Montgomery County resident

Details here https://md5gpartnership.com/how-5g-affects-you/Press Release here  https://i95business.com/releases/1919

“As America’s first and only nationwide 5G network, T-Mobile is proud to partner with MD5G for a better-connected Maryland. With education and planning, we can ensure everyone in the community benefits from the innovations and opportunities that 5G will bring,” said Brendan Bellotte, senior manager of engineering development at T-Mobile.

Think 5G is safe? Think again. 

The Insurance authority Swiss Re released a white paper classifying 5G as a “high” emerging risk cautioning that “potential claims for health impairments may come with a long latency.” If insurance companies won’t take the risk why should we? 

Over 500 cities in Italy have passed resolutions to halt 5G until safety research has been completed.  Entire countries like France, Switzerland, and Nigeria are having a national conversation on the safety of 5G and they are launching major investigations to research the issue of safety. (Details HERE)

Studies show property values drop up to 20% on homes near cell towers. Would you buy a home with a mini cell tower in the yard? 

Crown Castle (a company building small cell infrastructure throughout the USA) has a statement in their 2016 10-K Annual Report that says: 
“If radio frequency emissions from wireless handsets or equipment on our wireless infrastructure are demonstrated to cause negative health effects, potential future claims could adversely affect our operations, costs, or revenues… We currently do not maintain any significant insurance with respect to these matters.”