Today, I speak not just as an advocate, but as a father—a father who has experienced the ultimate loss. My firstborn daughter was tragically taken from us, a loss that research attributes directly to the dangers of wireless radiation exposure.
Now, my seven-year-old daughter, Melanie Coates, attends a school where her desk sits merely 465 feet from a cell phone tower. According to the independent scientific consensus outlined in the BioInitiative Report, this distance should be no less than 1,500 feet for safety. Yet, our government allows this daily exposure to continue unchecked.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently proposed banning cell phones in schools, mirroring France’s initiative. While on the surface this seems commendable, it fundamentally misses the deeper issue. Leadership is not about catching up with other countries; true leadership is about setting a global standard and addressing problems at their source.
The Real Issue: Cell Towers, Not Just Cell Phones
Restricting devices from children’s hands without addressing the dangerous proximity of cell towers is akin to removing matches from children but leaving them in a house already on fire. The critical danger comes from continuous exposure to cell towers and the pervasive presence of microwave radiation.
The Constitutional Crisis: Section 704
Section 704 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act prevents communities from safeguarding their own citizens from cell tower placements based on health risks. This law violates our First Amendment right to petition our government and our Tenth Amendment rights protecting local and state authority. It is not coincidental that in the very same year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—an agency equipped with medical and scientific expertise—was defunded, and regulatory authority was handed to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an agency without medical professionals.
Fraudulent FCC Guidelines
It’s inaccurate and insufficient to label the FCC’s guidelines as merely “outdated.” These guidelines have been fraudulent since inception, ignoring decades of well-documented non-thermal biological effects of wireless radiation. Even the wireless industry’s own $25 million CTIA study highlighted concerns. Despite this, the FCC continues to enforce thermal-only standards that neglect critical biological and health risks.
Public Law 90-602: The Ignored Mandate
Public Law 90-602 mandates ongoing research into radiation-emitting technologies and regularly updated safety standards. Yet, under the Biden administration, federally-funded research like the National Toxicology Program—which found clear evidence linking wireless radiation to cancer—was abruptly halted, putting the government itself in violation of this crucial law.
RFK Jr.’s Moment to Lead
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has the power and responsibility to enforce Public Law 90-602 fully. It is his duty to reinstate the National Toxicology Program, push for comprehensive safety standards based on medical and scientific evidence, and address the profound inadequacies of current wireless regulations.
The Cost of Corporate Negligence
Telecom corporations continue to profit immensely from wireless technology while externalizing health costs onto American families. This negligence has real-world consequences—illnesses, cancers, developmental disorders, and lost lives—burdens that families like mine carry every single day.
Leading the Way Forward
The solutions are clear and actionable:
- Repeal the unconstitutional Section 704.
- Implement new, medically informed safety guidelines to replace fraudulent FCC standards.
- Mandate safer technologies like Li-Fi, reducing reliance on harmful microwave radiation.
- Hold telecom companies accountable, ensuring they no longer profit at the expense of public health.
This isn’t just a policy issue—it’s deeply personal. Our children deserve protection, not half-measures. Americans elected RFK Jr. to lead boldly and courageously, not merely to follow in the footsteps of other nations.
A Call to Action
Mr. Kennedy, the time for incremental changes has passed. Our children need decisive, transformative leadership. Reinvigorate Public Law 90-602, confront the telecom industry’s dangerous hold on regulatory guidelines, and protect our nation’s children from preventable harm.
The science is indisputable. The laws already exist. All that remains is your courageous action.
