The Ups and Downs of Putting 5G on Power Poles

5G or 5th Generation Cell technology will result in a much higher performance cell network that is supposed to be up to 100 times faster than current cell data speeds.  These networks will also require mini-cell towers located around the city.  These would be either on the top of houses, power poles or light poles.  In fact, some say  that wireless companies will have to install over 300,000 new antennas or roughly the total number of cell towers built over the past three  decades to meet the demand.  

In Carmel they want to put them on top of our already ugly power poles, partly because we only have light poles directly around Sunset Center and the chances of ever having more is zero.  

Compared to 2, 3, and 4G networks it is much higher intensity and frequency microwave radiation and, with all the mini-cell stations being close to us we will have much higher exposure.  It also turns out that the 5G Wi-fi routers in your house will be exposing you to higher levels of microwaves as well.

In a way, the installation of these 5G networks  will be a vast health experiment as it will be exposing everyone to a new source of radiation for which the affects are pretty much unknown.  

As far as we are concerned, this is insanity.  At a point in time when our the citizens of Carmel are waking up again to the idea of putting power poles and lines underground, we find PG&E working in partnership with the likes of Verizon to create more obstacles to ever eliminating them while creating a potential, cancer-causing, health hazard.

Here are 5 Good Reasons why we should slow this process down: 

1. We have plenty of high speed internet solutions already and our cell phones work just fine.  In fact, we would all be better off in our Village in the Forest to throw them in the trash and go back to the good old days of just talking to people in person instead of on their Facebook or Instagram pages.

2. While there is probably no definitive evidence that 5G radiation causes health hazards like cancer, there is plenty of evidence that says it does just that based on statistic studies of people that live near cell towers.  Is it worth the risk?  Probably not.

3. The maze of power lines, cable and phone lines overhead are an absolute blight in Carmel already.  The solution is definitely not to layer on even more of this equipment right in plain site.  Not in front of two of my project houses anyway.  If you want faster internet than put it in front of YOUR house.

4. If PG&E was already slow-walking under grounding projects with very unclear processes, significant up-front fees, and, in general, giving you the run-around, can you imagine, with their bankruptcy and significant long-term money coming in from these new antenna that you will EVER be able to eliminate the morass?  The answer is a definite “No”.

5. Would you stick your head in your microwave?  Probably not.  Yet, they want to surround our houses with antenna emitting microwaves and put routers inside our house emitting microwaves 24/7.  If you really think about it how in the heck would anyone even consider doing this to get faster internet and then ram it down our throats by sticking up a notice on a power pole in your neighborhood and having a meeting with our Planning Department and Commissioners who are completely and absolutely nice people but totally  UNQUALIFIED to deal with something like this that could give us cancer and lower our property values significantly.

Let’s slow down and find a better way to do this in Carmel. 

This is a sample of the top part of the antenna, lower down on the pole would be at least two significant black boxes.  A nice addition to the Village, isn’t it?