Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Play

Banking woes send consumers looking for safer alternatives, some Indiana communities resist a dollar chain store "invasion," and a permit to build an oil pipeline tunnel under the Great Lakes is postponed.

Play

Republicans say it is premature to consider gun legislation after the Nashville shooting, federal officials are unsure it was a hate crime, and regulators say Silicon Valley Bank was aware of its financial risks.

Play

Finding childcare is a struggle everywhere, prompting North Carolina's Transylvania County to try a new approach. Maine is slowly building-out broadband access, but disagreements remain over whether local versus national companies should get the contracts, and specialty apps like "Farmers Dating" help those in small communities connect online.

Cell Phone Ordinance Challenged in Court

Play

Thursday, August 20, 2015   

BERKELEY, Calif. - The City of Berkeley is fighting the wireless industry's trade group in federal court on Thursday. The city is defending an ordinance that would require cell phone retailers to post a sign warning people who carry a phone close to the body may exceed federal guidelines on exposure to radio frequency radiation and children are more at risk.

City council member Max Anderson says most people don't know that the manuals recommend you keep the phone as much as an inch from the body.

"It's a public-education campaign," says Anderson. "To try to stimulate some interest on the part of the public to view these instruments as potentially harmful if not used properly."

In the lawsuit, the trade group, called CTIA-The Wireless Association, quotes the Federal Communications Commission, which found "there is no scientific evidence that proves wireless phone usage can lead to cancer or a variety of other problems, including headaches, dizziness or memory loss."

CTIA also argues the signs would be a violation of retailers' First Amendment rights.

But Lloyd Morgan, a senior researcher with the Environmental Health Trust in Berkeley, says the FCC is biased when it maintains cell phones are safe.

"The FCC is controlled by the cell phone industry," says Morgan. "The very person in charge of the FCC was in fact the founding president of the CTIA. He worked for industry in his entire career as a lobbyist."

Louis Slesin, editor of Microwave News, notes the ordinance doesn't address health risks.

"We don't know how great the risk may be but there's enough data to suggest there is a risk," says Louis. "All Berkeley is doing is notifying people there is such a possibility. That's all."

Two years ago the San Francisco Board of Supervisors withdrew a similar ordinance after a lawsuit by the CTIA. However that ordinance placed more emphasis on the health risks of cell phones, whereas Berkeley's ordinance was written specifically solely to expand disclosure to consumers.

Morgan expects the current case to be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, regardless of who wins this round.


get more stories like this via email

California is home to banks of all sizes, including 36 Minority Depository Institutions and 111 Community Development Financial Institutions. (Syda Productions/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank has put a spotlight on the safety and stability of the U.S. financial system. Now…


Environment

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced an 18-month delay in permitting a controversial oil-tunnel construction project under the Great Lakes…

Social Issues

Advocacy groups said they are concerned about the lack of accountability surrounding Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's $388 million proposal to staff schools …


There are more than 7,004 certified nurse midwives currently employed in the United States, according to Zippia. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

The Iowa House has passed a measure to establish a licensing board for midwives. Iowa is one of 15 states currently without such a program, often …

Social Issues

By Jazmin Murphy for Yes! Magazine.Broadcast version by Brett Peveto for North Carolina News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-…

Black Americans are the most likely to suffer from insufficient sleep. (ChadBridwell/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

March is Sleep Awareness Month and health experts say Americans are not getting enough of it. United Health Foundation data found more than 32% of …

Social Issues

This month marks 160 years since the first Medal of Honor was awarded by President Abraham Lincoln. More than a dozen of the 65 recipients alive …

Social Issues

160 years ago, Civil War soldiers were awarded the first Medals of Honor. Now, a Medal of Honor Monument will soon be built on the National Mall in …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021