In 1995, my life changed forever. My first-born daughter was diagnosed with a neural tube disorder, which cut her life short. Two years later, research showed that there was a connection to microwave radiation exposure. That agonizing truth tore me apart—and it ignited a fire in my soul. In 1998, I founded RF Safe out of sheer urgency to protect families from the silent dangers I’d witnessed firsthand. Today, my seven-year-old daughter, Melanie, sits in a classroom a mere 465 feet from a cell tower—less than one-third of the 1,500 feet recommended by independent scientists for safety. Every day, I’m haunted by the question: Will history repeat itself on a grander scale?
This is not just my story. It’s America’s story, one that has been unfolding right under our noses since 1996, when a trifecta of decisions plunged us into an era of rampant wireless expansion—without the safeguards we desperately needed. The Telecommunications Act (Section 704), fraudulent FCC “safety” guidelines, and the suppression of Public Law 90-602 all collided to create one of the greatest deceptions in modern history. Together, these moves have aligned with the explosive growth of wireless technology, bringing with it a chronic disease epidemic that many can sense but can’t see, smell, or touch.
Below, I’ll share how these changes happened, why they matter, and the urgent steps we must take to prevent countless families—like mine—from suffering avoidable heartbreak.
1996’s Unconstitutional Laws: How Section 704 Gagged America
Clinton Signs Away Our Rights
When President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act into law, Section 704 effectively prohibited local governments from rejecting cell towers based on health concerns. More than a simple regulatory tweak, this was an assault on our constitutional foundations:
- First Amendment: Communities lost even the right to raise health objections.
- Tenth Amendment: States and municipalities were stripped of the power to protect their residents, handing control over to federal agencies swayed by industry interests.
To me, as a father who’s experienced profound loss, this law hits like a betrayal. Why should any parent be forbidden from challenging a cell tower that looms near a schoolyard? Yet that’s precisely the twisted reality Section 704 created. Towers sprang up across neighborhoods, often next to playgrounds, while parents could do little more than watch.
Why We Need Trump to Repeal Section 704
Decades later, the only way to reverse this gag order is for President Trump to repeal or amend Section 704, restoring our communities’ constitutional rights. My daughter, Melanie, deserves the same chance at good health that was denied to my first-born. We must reclaim the power to say, “No, we will not place a tower in our children’s backyard.”
Illegitimate FCC Guidelines: The Thermal-Only Myth
A 1996 Gift to Big Telecom
In parallel, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) introduced “safety guidelines” predicated on the thermal-only model, ignoring the non-thermal biological harm that was already well-documented. Notably:
- Ignoring Non-Thermal Risks: Even in the early ‘90s, studies by Dr. Henry Lai showed DNA breaks at exposures below thermal thresholds. Researchers like Dr. Martin Pall also explained the mechanisms that could underlie conditions such as autism and neurological disorders.
- Bypassing the EPA: Public Law 90-602 had entrusted the Environmental Protection Agency to continuously research radiation risks. But in 1996, oversight shifted to the FCC—an agency without medical or environmental expertise—giving telecom an open field for expansion.
- Branding Flawed Guidelines as “Safe”: Americans were told, “If it doesn’t heat you, it can’t hurt you.” I wish that were true. If it were, I might still have my first daughter. But the story of my family—and countless others—speaks otherwise.
Fraudulent from the Start
These guidelines were never just “obsolete.” They were fraudulent because substantial peer-reviewed evidence already contradicted the thermal-only narrative. Internal memos revealed how industry strategists tried to discredit findings—like Dr. Henry Lai’s—through “war-gaming” tactics. It’s a chilling look into how far corporate interests will go to bury the truth.
Suppression of Public Law 90-602: Collusion on a Grand Scale
A Law Congress Forgot
In 1968, Public Law 90-602 mandated ongoing federal research into all electronic product radiation—microwave ovens, cell phones, and beyond. Yet by 1996:
- The EPA was effectively sidestepped.
- The FCC took exclusive charge, with minimal interest in public health.
- Funding dried up, ensuring the public would remain largely unaware of the mounting scientific alarm bells.
Bigger Than Big Tobacco
As painful as it is for me to recount personal tragedy, I know it pales in comparison to the vast infiltration of everyday life by wireless emissions. The collusion enabling telecom to silence critics, distort research, and expand without checks dwarfs even the worst deceptions of the tobacco and chemical industries.
The Net Effect: A Public Health Crisis
Day after day, my seven-year-old daughter attends school 465 feet from a cell tower. Independent scientists say it should be no closer than 1,500 feet—yet here we are, living under the shadow of laws that prioritize profit over children’s wellbeing. It’s not just about cancer—though that alone should shake us awake.
-
Cancer: Just the Beginning
- NTP (National Toxicology Program) and Ramazzini Studies: Found “clear evidence” of carcinogenic activity at real-world exposure levels. Gliomas and schwannomas in rats parallel low-grade human tumors.
- Genetic Profiling Breakthrough (2024): Tumors in rats exhibit morphological similarities to human gliomas. My family’s story of a neural tube disorder only underscores how wide-ranging these effects may be.
-
ADHD and Autism
- Yale Mouse Study: Pregnant mice exposed to cell phone radiation had offspring with memory deficits and hyperactivity—classic ADHD signs.
- Dr. Martin Pall’s Work: Delves into voltage-gated calcium channels and how RF interference might seed or exacerbate autism spectrum disorders.
- For me, these findings resonate in a painfully personal way. We’re talking about the potential reshaping of entire generations—children whose brains might never get a chance to develop free from EMF interference.
-
Neurological Disorders
- We see spikes in everything from migraines and depression to insomnia and cognitive dysfunction. The invisibility of EMFs makes them easy to dismiss—until we consider just how intimately they can disrupt our body’s electrical signals.
-
Industry Attacks on Science
- Henry Lai, among others, faced smear campaigns after discovering DNA damage from microwave exposure. It’s the same script we’ve seen before: sow doubt, fund favorable research, push the narrative that everything is fine.
Aligning Perfectly with the Expansion of Wireless Tech
This is not a coincidence. The timeline of my own heartbreak—1995 for my daughter’s neural tube disorder—coincides eerily with the beginnings of the wireless boom. By 1996, the trifecta was in place, and a decade later, smartphones were ubiquitous. Each new wave of technology arrived with no meaningful revision of safety guidelines. The surge in illnesses aligns too neatly with the surge in wireless to be brushed off as chance.
RFK Jr.’s Role: A Beacon of Hope at HHS
A Longstanding Advocate
Now that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to head the Department of Health and Human Services, there’s a glimmer of hope. His record shows he’s willing to:
- Challenge the FCC in court, as he already has, forcing re-examination of archaic guidelines.
- Expose regulatory capture—he’s not afraid to confront big corporations and their political enablers.
- Overhaul systems that are clearly broken, valuing public health over profit.
Enter President Trump
But RFK Jr. can’t do it alone. President Trump must step in to repeal Section 704. Without direct Executive push, local governments will remain handcuffed, and families—like mine—will still have no power to defend our kids.
A Call for President Trump to Act
Step 1: Repeal Section 704
Just as Bill Clinton put his signature on that fateful law, we now need Trump to rescind it. My daughter Melanie and millions of other children deserve the constitutional protection of local governance, enabling communities to challenge or relocate towers deemed unsafe.
Step 2: Mandate Safer Wireless Tech
Like the automotive industry had to install catalytic converters, the wireless industry must find ways to reduce or eliminate harmful EMF emissions:
- Advanced Antenna Designs: Interferometric arrays, beamforming, and other innovations can drastically reduce radiation aimed at users.
- Light-Based Communication: Infrared or visible light for short-range data could sidestep many of RF’s harmful effects.
- Space-Based Solutions: If done responsibly, satellites could move towers away from dense residential areas, reducing daily exposure.
Imagine a new wave of job growth and American engineering leadership if we invest in safe tech. This isn’t about halting progress; it’s about guiding it so it doesn’t come at the cost of our children’s lives.
A Golden Age of Health and Innovation
Once we lift this veil of deception, we can create a healthier, more vibrant future:
- Healthier Families: We can reduce ADHD, autism, and other developmental harms—giving kids the safe childhoods they deserve.
- Reduced Cancer Rates: If we cut non-thermal EMF stress, we may finally see cancer trends reverse.
- Medical Breakthroughs: Acknowledging non-thermal interactions could unleash treatments like TheraBionic (FDA-approved for inoperable liver cancer) and spur entirely new ways of healing.
- Global Leadership: America could pioneer the safest, most innovative wireless technologies on Earth—supporting growth and protecting health.
Putting It All Together: The Urgent Roadmap
- Fully Repeal or Amend Section 704: Give localities back the right to protect their people.
- Overhaul FCC Guidelines: Address non-thermal risks and adopt cutting-edge, health-focused standards.
- Enforce Public Law 90-602: Restore EPA’s authority, fund robust research, and hold agencies accountable.
- Prosecute Industry Misconduct: Use RICO or similar statutes to investigate any coordinated efforts to conceal harm.
- Mandate Safe Tech: Just as we made cars safer, it’s time to make wireless safe by design.
The Time for Truth Is Now
When I look at my daughter Melanie, I’m reminded daily that we owe our children more than empty reassurances. We owe them truth, action, and a future free from the needless risks we’ve been forced to endure since 1996. The trifecta of Section 704, fake FCC guidelines, and suppressed science has led us to a crossroads where cancer, ADHD, and autism rates climb, while our government stands idly by.
- RFK Jr. at HHS offers a ray of hope.
- President Trump can restore the constitutional rights Bill Clinton signed away.
- We, the people, can demand safer tech—and the refusal to compromise children’s health for corporate gain.
It’s time to pull back this curtain of deception. It’s time to break free from the thermal-only myth. It’s time for Americans to say, in one voice, enough. We cannot allow the tragedy of losing a child—or watching her suffer—to be repeated hundreds of thousands of times across this nation.
Let us unite in insisting upon real safety standards, restored local authority, and innovations that can drive a new age of healthy, ethical technology. Our children’s lives, and the future of our society, depend on it.
Contact & Further Reading
- RF Safe – Founded in 1998, dedicated to educating the public on EMF risks and practical safety measures after losing a child to a neural tube disorder linked to microwave radiation.
- John Coates – Founder, Phone: 727-610-1188
- Public Law 90-602 – U.S. Congressional mandate from 1968 for continuous radiation research and public protection.
- Key Studies:
- NTP (National Toxicology Program) Study – Showed clear carcinogenic effects at real-life RF exposure levels.
- Ramazzini Institute – Replicated NTP’s results at lower intensities, linking RF to tumors in animals.
- Yale Mouse Study – Demonstrated that prenatal RF exposure resulted in offspring with ADHD-like symptoms.
- Henry Lai’s Work – Showed DNA strand breaks from RF radiation; subsequently targeted by industry memos.
Remember: Our children deserve better. We can achieve a healthier, safer America if we demand the truth—and reject the trifecta of deception that has held us hostage since 1996.