A Father’s Plea: The Fight to Protect Melanie Coates and Every Child From Unregulated Wireless Radiation
In 1996, three critical actions took place that have led to one of the greatest public health cover-ups in American history. First, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which included Section 704, made it illegal for any local or state government to reject a cell tower based on health or environmental concerns—even when clear evidence of harm exists. Second, the FCC set its radiofrequency (RF) safety guidelines that same year, but they were never based on health science—only on engineering assumptions to allow for rapid industry expansion. Third, Congress defunded the EPA’s RF research efforts, ensuring that no government agency could study or regulate wireless radiation. These three actions—the unconstitutional law, fraudulent safety standards, and elimination of independent oversight—formed a Trifecta of Deception that stole our rights, silenced science, and put millions of lives at risk.
Today, my seven-year-old daughter, Melanie Coates, sits just 465 feet from a high-power cell tower, when the BioInitiative Report and international health experts say that cell towers should be no closer than 1,500 feet from schools. Yet, because of Section 704, I have no legal right to challenge this hazard. I cannot cite health data in an appeal. I cannot demand protective action. The law—crafted by telecom lobbyists and rubber-stamped by the government—has stolen my ability as a father to protect my child from this radiation exposure.
The fact that Public Law 90-602, passed in 1968, legally requires the government to research and regulate radiation exposure—including non-ionizing RF radiation—only makes this betrayal worse. The government is violating its own law, abandoning its duty to protect Americans, and pretending that real safety guidelines exist when they do not. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) was eventually restarted and conducted the largest rat study ever done to evaluate the risks of wireless radiation. The findings were damning: clear evidence, the highest level of scientific confidence, confirmed that RF radiation causes cancer. But rather than acting on this data, the government defunded the NTP’s research, halting further investigations into wireless radiation. As of now, the NTP’s research into wireless radiation has completely stopped. This is not a failure of oversight—it is deliberate suppression.
The 1996 Trifecta of Deception
1. The Telecommunications Act & Section 704: An Unconstitutional Gag Order
- This unconstitutional law stripped local governments of the ability to regulate cell towers based on health concerns, effectively silencing communities.
- For the first time in U.S. history, corporate rights overrode public health protections in federal law.
2. The FCC’s 1996 RF Safety Guidelines: A Fraudulent Industry-Driven Scheme
- These fraudulent, engineer-driven limits were designed for industry expansion, not public health.
- They were based only on thermal effects, completely ignoring the non-thermal biological effects that had already been documented in research.
- Even worse, these limits have never been updated despite overwhelming scientific evidence of harm.
3. The Defunding of the EPA: Silencing the Only Independent Regulator
- In the early 1990s, the EPA was actively working on RF safety standards that would have been far stricter than the FCC’s.
- But in 1996, Congress—under industry pressure—slashed the EPA’s budget for RF radiation research, effectively killing its ability to regulate wireless radiation.
- This meant that, by design, no federal agency had jurisdiction over RF safety—except for the FCC, a captured agency controlled by industry.
The Evidence of Harm is Overwhelming
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) Study, funded by the U.S. government, found clear evidence of:
- DNA damage in rats and mice from RF radiation—undeniable proof that this radiation is not biologically inert.
- Cancerous tumors in the heart and brain of exposed rats, proving a direct link between RF exposure and tumor formation.
- Non-linear dose responses, meaning even low levels of exposure can be more dangerous than previously assumed.
The Ramazzini Institute Study, conducted in Italy, confirmed the NTP’s findings at exposure levels 60 times lower than the FCC’s limits—levels millions of Americans experience daily from cell towers, routers, and mobile devices.
The BioInitiative Report, compiled by 29 independent scientists and health experts from 10 countries, analyzed over 1,800 peer-reviewed studies and concluded that:
- RF radiation causes oxidative stress, a key mechanism linked to cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and reproductive harm.
- Children are uniquely vulnerable, as their developing brains and bodies absorb more radiation than adults.
- Current exposure levels are vastly unsafe and must be dramatically lowered.
Yet, instead of acting to protect public health, the government has done the opposite:
- The NTP’s research was defunded and terminated after its damning findings.
- The EPA’s funding for RF radiation research was cut in 1996, the same year the FCC set its fraudulent exposure limits.
- Congress refuses to act, despite growing evidence of harm, because the wireless industry pours millions into lobbying and campaign contributions.
The Path Forward: What Must Be Done
- REPEAL SECTION 704 OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT
- ENFORCE PUBLIC LAW 90-602
- UPDATE FCC SAFETY GUIDELINES TO REFLECT MODERN SCIENCE
- REMOVE CELL TOWERS FROM SCHOOLS AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS
- PROTECT CHILDREN LIKE MELANIE COATES FROM RADIATION EXPOSURE
A Call to Action: #Repeal704 #EnforcePublicLaw90602
This is not a partisan issue. This is about the right of every American to protect their health and their children. The telecom industry and the federal government have worked together to suppress the truth, but we are not powerless. We must demand action.
📢 Share this article. Contact your representatives. Demand that Section 704 be repealed. Insist that real health-based RF guidelines be implemented. Support research and education on safer alternatives.
The fight for our children’s health is just beginning. We will not be silenced.