Facing a gathering storm of opposition from anti-radiation activists worried about the health effects of the new 5G cellular technology, the Santa Barbara City Council voted to delay authorizing a licensing agreement with Verizon that would have allowed the cell phone service giant to install up to 60 new 5G cell phone antennas on light fixtures downtown.
Opponents, many dressed in various shades of yellow and all sporting a conspicuous dearth of body fat, implored the council “to have the courage to hit the big fat pause button.” The council voted 4-3 to do just that, delaying the vote on the licensing agreement by 90 days. For the anti-5G crusaders, that marked a small but significant procedural victory; last week, the council voted 4-3 to do just the opposite.
Critics of the new generation of cellular technology charged that the shorter wave lengths of the 5G radiation posed such serious health risks that no carrier could obtain insurance against it. They claimed the radiation compromised the body’s immune response functions and that it induced anxiety, depression, insomnia, and irritability, among other things. Federal safety thresholds, they charged, had not been revised for cellular radio frequencies since 1996. Others suggested the new technology would aid and abet “corporate surveillance” on cell phone users.