The Year America’s Health and Constitution Were Sold to the Wireless Industry
The Fight for Truth, Accountability, and Protection for the Next Generation
In 1996, the United States made a fateful choice—one that has silently shaped the nation’s health and freedoms ever since. Under the banner of technological progress, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was signed into law. Buried in its many pages, Section 704 dealt a lethal blow to public health safeguards and local autonomy, effectively silencing communities and granting the wireless industry near-absolute power. That same year, thermal-only RF radiation guidelines were set in stone by the FCC—outdated standards that ignore decades of science on non-thermal biological effects.
The result? An entire generation increasingly affected by chronic illnesses, neurological disorders, and developmental challenges—while the public is largely left powerless to respond.
For John Coates, founder of RF-SAFE, this battle is personal. He lost his firstborn daughter to a birth defect mirroring known EMF exposure outcomes, and now his seven-year-old sits in a classroom just 465 feet from a cell tower—far less than the 1,640 feet (500 meters) many independent scientists recommend. Today, he poses a question we all must answer: How much longer will we allow illegitimate laws and fake safety standards to jeopardize our children’s future?
A Silent Coup in 1996
The Telecommunications Act & Section 704
- Signed into law in February 1996, the Act promised a new era of digital connectivity.
- Section 704 specifically prohibited local governments from considering health or environmental concerns when approving wireless infrastructure.
- Silenced Health Concerns: Even credible scientific evidence of harm is inadmissible.
- First Amendment Violation: Citizens are effectively gagged—unable to petition their local government regarding health risks.
- Tenth Amendment Overreach: Power over local zoning was usurped by the federal government.
This single paragraph gave the wireless industry carte blanche to build towers wherever they saw fit, without local communities having any real say.
Thermal-Only Guidelines: A Fake Standard
Simultaneously, the FCC adopted thermal-only safety guidelines, which assume that if RF radiation doesn’t heat tissue, it must be safe. This dismisses decades of research showing non-thermal effects such as DNA damage, oxidative stress, and neurological disruptions.
- Outdated Research: Based on limited 1980s-era animal studies focused solely on heating effects.
- Real-World Exposure Ignored: Devices are tested at unnatural distances (5–15 mm from the body), not how people actually use them.
- Non-Thermal Effects Dismissed: Despite strong evidence, these impacts remain unacknowledged in official guidelines.
The Science They Chose to Ignore
Early Warnings & Unheeded Evidence
- Arthur Guy’s 1984 Air Force Report: Showed sub-thermal microwave radiation could cause neurological changes and DNA damage—but the findings were ignored.
- Robert O. Becker’s Research: Proved that electromagnetic fields can disrupt the body’s bioelectric healing processes.
- FDA Memos (1993): Acknowledged DNA damage, oxidative stress, and non-thermal risks—yet these memos were sidelined when thermal-only standards were solidified.
Post-1996 Studies: Still Overlooked
- National Toxicology Program (NTP), 2018: A 16-year, $30 million study found “clear evidence” of cancer in rats at exposure levels considered “safe” by the FCC.
- Ramazzini Institute: Mirrored the NTP’s findings, showing tumor risks from chronic, low-level RF exposure.
- Oxidative Stress—The Smoking Gun: Repeatedly linked to DNA strand breaks, inflammation, and neurological disruptions at exposure levels that do not cause heating.
Despite the mounting evidence, federal guidelines remain unchanged—the public is left unprotected.
Constitutional Violations and Corporate Capture
Public Law 90-602: A Broken Mandate
Enacted in 1968, it required the FDA to:
- Conduct ongoing research into electronic radiation hazards.
- Develop safety standards based on up-to-date science.
- Inform the public about potential risks.
By halting or minimizing critical research and deferring to the FCC’s fake thermal guidelines, the FDA has failed to meet its legal obligations.
Constitutional Crisis
- First Amendment: Section 704 effectively censors health-related discussions in local permitting processes.
- Tenth Amendment: Federal overreach strips states and localities of their right to protect public health.
Fighting for Our Children’s Future
A Personal Story: 465 Feet from Danger
John Coates’s seven-year-old daughter attends a school only 465 feet from a cell tower—well below the 500-meter recommendation from the BioInitiative Report.
“This is my daughter’s life. And the law says I can’t even raise these concerns to protect her. That’s not just wrong—it’s unconstitutional.”
Concrete Solutions & Demands
- Repeal Section 704: Restore local power to regulate wireless infrastructure for health and safety.
- Enforce Public Law 90-602: Restart the NTP’s research and update safety standards to include non-thermal effects.
- Modernize FCC Guidelines: Abandon thermal-only models in favor of evidence-based, real-world exposure limits.
- Raise Public Awareness: National campaigns to inform families about RF risks and how to minimize exposure.
Conclusion: Reclaiming Health, Freedom, and Accountability
1996 changed America’s trajectory. Section 704 and thermal-only guidelines were never about true safety or local empowerment; they were about cementing the wireless industry’s influence. As studies continue to reveal harm from non-thermal RF radiation, the gap between real science and official policy becomes dangerously wide.
For the sake of our children—and all future generations—we must:
- Repeal unconstitutional laws.
- Demand accountability from federal agencies.
- Adopt modern, science-backed safety standards.
This is not merely a policy debate; it is a moral imperative. We owe it to our children to dismantle these fake standards and reclaim the constitutional rights that were lost in 1996. The time to act is now.
“How much longer will we allow illegitimate laws and fake safety standards to jeopardize our children’s future?”
It’s time to repeal Section 704, restore scientific integrity, and protect the health of our nation—once and for all.
