Environmental Health Trust Urges FCC to Comply with Court Mandate on Wireless Radiation Safety

The Environmental Health Trust (EHT) has filed a petition urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to comply with a federal court mandate issued on August 13, 2021, in the case Environmental Health Trust v. FCC. The FCC had failed to address mounting evidence of adverse health effects and environmental risks from radiation exposure at levels below the agency’s current limits.

Unlike the FCC, many countries have set wireless radiation exposure limits 10 times lower than those in the U.S., and some continuously monitor exposure, providing real-time data to the public. The FCC’s RF exposure rules have not been meaningfully updated since the 1980s.

When the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in favor of EHT, it found the FCC’s actions to be “arbitrary and capricious”, and remanded the case with clear instructions for the agency to:

1. Provide a reasoned explanation for its current device-testing procedures.
2. Address the impacts of RF exposure on children.
3. Address health implications of long-term exposure.
4. Consider the ubiquity of wireless devices.
5. Account for technological developments since the last guidelines update.
6. Evaluate environmental impacts of RF radiation.

Nearly four years later, the FCC has not complied with this court mandate.

EHT’s petition calls on the FCC to act promptly and to encourage the wireless industry to begin “competing on safety.” Highlighting scientific, medical, and policy developments over the past four years, EHT emphasises the urgent need for updated protections for children, the public, and the environment. Should the FCC continue to ignore the mandate, EHT intends to pursue further legal action to enforce the court’s ruling.

📄 Find the full 77-page petition here

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