by Katherine | 27 Jan, 2018 | Latest News
Website editor’s note: The copper lines that are used for landline phones (and the safe hardwired internet access that these line also facilitate) are under threat in NZ. Please see this LINK for an introduction.
if you would like to make a submission on the issue there is information on how to do this and where to send it that you can read by clicking https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/save-nzs-landline-phones-action-needed-now/.
Below is a template submission that you can use. Please note that the text in bold italics is designed to edited out when you add your own details to personalise the submission.
Template submission
Your name here
“Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill”
I oppose any change to telecommunications legislation or regulations that could make copper landline phones and/or internet access via the copper landline system unavailable to New Zealanders.
The copper landline system is a proven and safe technology that is better for people’s health than wireless systems.
[Please add a personal comment here]
For example:
* Is it important to you to keep access to a landline home phone in case of a medical emergency?
* Do you have a friend or relative whose life was saved by being able to make a 111 call from their home phone?
* Are you on a low income and could not afford to replace perfectly good corded home phones and install fibre optic cabling in your home in order to have a corded VOIP phone if the copper landline service were no longer available in your area?
* Are you planning to start a family and want to ensure that you maintain access to a reliable copper landline service so that you can have a safe corded landline phone in your home for use in pregnancy
* Do you have children and want to ensure that you maintain access to a reliable copper landline service so that you can have a safe corded landline phone in your home for their use?
* Are you a business owner who wants to help meet your obligations to workers to provide a safe working environment by having safe copper corded phones available for their use on your premises?
The government needs to ensure that regulations are in place to protect access to copper landline phones in New Zealand and ensure that the infrastructure for this service remains well maintained and available at an affordable price.
There should be a thirty year moratorium on the removal of copper landline infrastructure.
Contractors installing fibre optic cabling in existing homes or buildings should be prohibited from removing internal copper phone wiring so that a dual system remains available for the use of the current (or future) house/building owner or tenant(s).
Installation of the copper landline system should be mandated for new housing areas and new commercial and industrial developments.
To reduce the burden of illness on individuals, families and taxpayers, the use of copper landline based corded phones and safe hard wired internet should be encouraged by the government to minimise the avoidable health risks from unnecessary use of cellular phones. Likewise, the government should encourage the use of hardwired computers for internet access.
I would/would not (please delete one of these options depending upon your preference) like to speak to this submission.
Yours sincerely,
Your name
Send your submission (ideally as an attachment) to: edsi@parliament.govt.nz
Include your name, address and contact details in the body of the email.
If you are emailing your submission, please send an email through the Stop Smart Meters NZ contact form to let us know that you have sent a submission.
NB: If you would prefer to write a submission from scratch rather than using a template, please see this link for a “how to” guide https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/save-nzs-landline-phones-action-needed-now/
Thank you for reading this post and for helping retain access to safe landline technology!
Now, please help share this information with others.
You can get updates on the landline phone issue by following the Facebook page below:
https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/
Please share this post widely such as through social media and with friends and family and ask others to make a submission.
A more comprehensive guide to making a submission may be found at this LINK:
Save NZ’s landline phones – action needed NOW
Please also share the links below so that people understand the reasons why maintaining the copper based landline phone system is important: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/new-zealands-emr-regulations-sufficient-protect-public-health/
Reasons to oppose legislation that could reduce access to the copper landline phone system
NB: If you are on Facebook, please consider “liking” and “following” the following pages so that you can get updates on the landline phone issue and smart meter issues.
https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/
https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Smart-Meters-NZ-1211462805538548/
Interested in the smart meter issue?
Please note that if you would like to receive email updates on the smart meter issue for NZ, you can sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
Thank you for visiting www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz!
by Katherine | 27 Jan, 2018 | Latest News
IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM WEBSITE EDITOR: If you are a Grey Power member there is still time to make a submission on this bill as members of this organisation have been given a extension until March 30. Please click HERE to learn more.
Introduction:
1 1 1
It’s the number you dial in an emergency and for most New Zealanders it has been a reliable home phone that they have used if they have ever faced a medical emergency or needed to call the Fire Service or the police.
Most New Zealanders cannot remember ever having lived without a basic home phone, thanks to the reliable copper-based infrastructure that has been installed all around New Zealand over the course of many, many decades.
Now, a new bill threatens continuing access to a copper-based landline home phone and safe, low cost wired internet access for people living in many parts of New Zealand.
The “Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill” could result in copper landline services being phased out in areas of New Zealand where fibre optic cables have been installed. If the bill is passed in its current form this bill it would deprive people of the basic home phone service and safe wired internet connection.
The entire bill may be read at this link:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/bills-and-laws/bills-proposed-laws/document/BILL_74818/telecommunications-new-regulatory-framework-amendment
The clause of the bill that proposes to deregulate the copper phone line infrastructure in parts of NZ where fibre optic infrastructure has been installed and could result in copper based infrastructure being phased out is below:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2017/0293/latest/DLM7393574.html
The parliamentary website link that details how to make a submission is below:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/52SCED_SCF_BILL_74818/telecommunications-new-regulatory-framework-amendment
Here is a brief guide to how to make a submission on the bill:
Please take five minutes to make a submission.
If you are a Grey Power member you have an extension on the time you have to make a submission until March 30. Please click HERE for details
It is extremely important that as many people as possible express their opinions on the importance of maintaining landline phones.
- Open a new document on your computer, or get some writing paper. Start your document with your name, “Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill”, and “I oppose any change to NZ’s telecommunications regulations that could mean that people who live in areas where fibre optic infrastructure has been installed would lose access to a safe and reliable copper cable based landline phone line and internet access service” or similar words to this effect.
- You can then write as little or as much as you want, sharing your views about why it is important for people to be able to have access to a copper phone line.
If you would support 30 year moratorium on the removal of copper landline infrastructure, please state this, in your submission.
- If you need ideas for your submission many reasons why reasons why copper based phone lines are important for a safe home phone line and inexpensive internet access are listed at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/reasons-oppose-legislation-reduce-access-copper-landline-phone-system/
NB: It is best to write a unique submission (even a short one) as a unique submission will carry more weight with the select committee.
However, if you are really pressed for time there is a template submission that you can download and personalise from this LINK of the Stop Smart Meters NZ website.
If you do use the template submission, please make it as individual as possible as that it does not appear to be a template submission.
If you wish to appear before the Committee to speak to your submission, then state that also. (NB: Speaking before the committee is optional).
- If you’re emailing your submission, ATTACH your submission document (step 1) to the email, and in the email itself, put the heading: Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill” and your details: Name of Individual / Family / Organisation, Address, Phone, Signature. Don’t put your personal details in the attached submission document as your submission is posted on the government website.
Send your submission to: edsi@parliament.govt.nz
If you are emailing your submission, please send an email through the Stop Smart Meters NZ contact form to let us know tat you have sent a submission.
- If you’re posting your submission, once you have completed step 1, do a covering letter (separate piece of paper) with the heading “Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill”, and your details: Name of Individual / Family / Organisation, Address, Phone, Signature. Don’t put your personal details on your actual submission (step 1) as your submission is posted on the government website (but not the covering letter)
- Post to: Matt Lamb, Committee Secretariat, Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160.
Thank you in advance for making a submission!
The closing date for submissions was February 2 but Grey Power members have an extension until March 30. Please click HERE for details.
Thank you for reading this post; please share it with others:
Please share this post widely such as through social media and with friends and family and ask others to make a submission.
NB: If you are on Facebook, please consider “liking” and “following” the following page so that you can get updates on the landline phone issue.
https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/
Please also share the links below so that people understand the reasons why maintaining the copper based landline phone system is important:
Are New Zealand’s EMR regulations sufficient to protect public health?
Reasons to oppose legislation that could reduce access to the copper landline phone system
NB: If you are on Facebook, please consider “liking” and “following” the following pages so that you can get updates on the landline phone issue and smart meter issues.
https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/
https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Smart-Meters-NZ-1211462805538548/
Interested in the smart meter issue?
Please note that if you would like to receive email updates on the smart meter issue for NZ, you can sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
by Katherine | 27 Jan, 2018 | Latest News
Ongoing access to a safe copper landline phone and safe wired internet (using the copper landline system) in NZ is currently threatened by new legislation. (Please see this LINK for details,)
There is now an extension period for submissions are due on the bill until March 30 2018 for Grey Power members. (Please see this ttp://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/save-nzs-landline-phones-action-needed-now/ for details including information on how to make a submission – it can take as little as five minutes.)
There are many reasons to oppose any legislation that could reduce New Zealander’s access to the safe home phone and internet services provided via the copper landline phone system. These are listed below.
Maintaining New Zealanders’ access to copper based phone lines is important for two main reasons:
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Public Health
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Equity and Fairness
These are detailed below:
The copper based landline phone infrastructure allows almost everyone in New Zealand to have access to a safe home phone that will work even in a power outage.
The copper based infrastructure allows most people in New Zealand to choose to have an inexpensive corded phone.
Such a phone does not expose the user to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) in the microwave range as do cellular phones (or any other sort of wireless phone.)
Access to a safe corded phone is important because use of any type of wireless phone (such as cordless home phone or cellular phone) is associated with increased risk of brain tumours, particularly if wireless phone use begins prior to the age of 20. (http://www.pathophysiologyjournal.com/article/S0928-4680%2814%2900064-9/pdf)
RFR microwave radiation has been classified by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a possible carcinogen (Class 2B) on the basis of increased brain tumour rates in longer term users of wireless phones. http://microwavenews.com/short-takes-archive/iarc-publishes-rf-cancer-reviewhttp://microwavenews.com/short-takes-archive/iarc-publishes-rf-cancer-review
(Babies and children absorb more of the RFR microwave radiation into their brains compared to adults as their skulls are smaller and the bones of their skulls thinner.)
The benefits of a safe corded home phone are many and include the following:
- Allowing people to call emergency services if needed. (Cellular phone services cannot be relied upon in a power blackout as the local cellular infrastructure may lose its power source.)
- Allowing people who are home bound due to illness or disability to maintain more frequent contact with friends and relatives thus reducing the social isolation that helps to cause many health issues, including depression.
- A corded landline phone may be safely used by almost everyone including most individuals who are electrosensitive who cannot tolerate the microwave radiation from cordless or cellular phones. (Some people who are electrosensitive may not be able to tolerate electromagnetic fields produced by computers or computer screens so having a safe corded phone is particularly important to the community of people who are electrosensitive.)
Such an inexpensive safe hardwired system provide a safe alternative to wireless based internet options such as wi-fi or cellular phone based systems as the wireless systems expose the user, other household members and neighbours to RFR microwave radiation that has been classified as a possible human carcinogen. (http://microwavenews.com/short-takes-archive/iarc-publishes-rf-cancer-review)
Accessing the internet via a hardwired computer (rather than a cellular phone) is better for people who have visual impairments as the larger screen size of the computer allows people to increase the font size to help to compensate for low vision.
Much of New Zealand’s telephone infrastructure was installed at taxpayers’ expense beginning with the formation of The New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department in the 19 century. The New Zealand Post Office was responsible for phone lines until telecommunications services were privatised in NZ in 1987. http://www.wordworx.co.nz/Telecommhist.html
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A copper based corded landline phone is the safest type of phone (because this type of phone does not emit potentially carcinogenic RFR microwave radiation as do cordless or mobile phones).
It would be unfair to deny people who live in areas where fibre optic cabling has been laid to be deprived of the opportunity to continue to use safe copper based corded landline phones give that they are a proven and safe technology.
VOIP phones with corded headset could be considered to be an alternative to corded landline phones and VOIP phones will work with a fibre basd system, They may be an acceptable option for some people. However the VOIP option can have lower voice quality and they may not good for hearing impaired or for people who have to talk on the phone in a language that is not their mother tongue.
Corded VOIP phones are also considerably more expensive (at least four times the price) than corded home phones and unlike traditional corded home phones, VOIP phones are dependent on electricity so will not work in a power blackout (unless the fibre system has a special component to to provide backup power in an emergency.
VOIP phones contain a lot more electronics than a basic corded home phone and may not be a usable option for people who are electrosensitive.
-
Homes and businesses that have a copper based landline infrastructure can use that copper landline to access inexpensive safe hardwired internet services.
It is unfair to expect people for whom copper phone line based internet works well for their home or business needs to have to pay extra cost to have fibre optic cabling installed in their home or business (as would be the case if a reliable copper landline service were no longer available in their area.)
(This link shows how easy and inexpensive it is to set up a safe hardwired internet system in a house or other property with copper phone line access: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/an-inexpensive-way-to-hard-wire-an-internet-connection/)
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Making any changes to telecommunications regulations that would be likely to increase the cost of and/or reduce access to safe copper based landline corded phones and safe copper phone line based internet could increase people’s use of wireless phones and wireless internet access devices. if this were to happem it would likely to increase the numbers of people who are suffering from a diverse range of illnesses caused (at least in part) by exposure to RFR microwave radiation.
These health problems can include brain tumours, salivary gland cancers and other cancers at sites of the body exposed to high levels of RFR microwave radiation. Other problems that have been linked to exposure to RFR microwave radiation include autism and other developmental problems and dementia.
https://www.spandidos-publications.com/ijo/46/5/1865
https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/167/4/457/233171
http://stopsmartmeters.org.uk/dr-andrew-goldsworthy-the-biological-effects-of-weak-electromagnetic-fields/
Making any decisions about telecommunications infrastructure that could increase the numbers of people who become ill as a result of exposure to RFR microwave radiation (because they assume that the technology would not be on the market if it were not safe and they are unaware of the health risks of their devices) is not fair to the potential victims of this technology. It is not fair to their families.
Neither it is not fair to the taxpayers who have to fund the public health system. It is also unfair to people who require treatment for any other conditions as they may face longer waiting lists.
NB: It is unclear if private insurance cover for conditions caused by RFR microwave radiation will continue as a policy from Lloyds of London indicates the company may no longer be prepared to cover these types of injuries. (See: https://www.andrewgeller.me/blog/2015/03/25/lloyds-wont-discuss-emf-clause/)
Given that learning and behaviour issues can be at least in part caused or exacerbated by exposure to RFR microwave radiation (see: http://www.abcd-studie.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/MGuxens-cell-phone-use-in-pregnancy-problem-behaviour-JECH-2013.pdf and http://www.clearlightventures.com/blog/2014/07/emf-reduction-for-autism.html, any decision that increases exposure to this type of radiation is likely to increase the numbers of children who have these conditions. In turn, this is likely to mean that more children will require extra support within the education system.
This is not fair to teachers (because resources within the education system are already constrained so teachers often have to manage challenging children without support from teacher aides). [Personal communications] Neither is it fair to taxpayers who fund the public education system, nor the parents of children who are adversely affected who may have to pay for extra educational help themselves.
- Any change to telecommunications policy that increases people’s use of cellular phones (for example because they no longer have access to a safe copper based landline corded phone) would increase the number of cellular phone infrastructure sites and the negative health and other impacts of these sites.
Research has shown increased cancer risk in people who live closer to cellular phone infrastructure, so regulations that are likely to increase cellular phone use are unfair to people who could develop cancer as a result of new infrastructure being installed in their area. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21741680)
Property values close to cellular phone infrastructure sites may be adversely affected so any policy that causes proliferation of these sites is not fair to property owners.
Thank you for reading this post! Now, please help share this information with others.
Please share this post widely such as through social media and with friends and family and ask others to make a submission.
A guide to making a submission may be found at the link below:
Save NZ’s landline phones – action needed NOW
Please also share the links below so that people understand the reasons why maintaining the copper based landline phone system is important: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/new-zealands-emr-regulations-sufficient-protect-public-health/
NB: If you are on Facebook, please consider “liking” and “following” the following pages so that you can get updates on the landline phone issue and smart meter issues.
https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/
https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Smart-Meters-NZ-1211462805538548/
Interested in the smart meter issue?
Please note that if you would like to receive email updates on the smart meter (and landline phone) issue for NZ, you can sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
by Katherine | 27 Jan, 2018 | Latest News, Science
Are New Zealand’s EMR regulations sufficient to protect public health?
A one word answer to this question is, sadly, no,
To give one example, the legally allowable electromagnetic fields (such as are present around power lines and household wiring in home connection to the national electricity grid) is 2000 milligauss.
Research has shown the risk of childhood leukaemia is increases when children live in homes with higher electromagnetic fields from household wiring or too close to high voltage powerlines.
In terms of exposure levels, at as little as 3-4 milligauss for a home the risk of ALL (the most common form of leukaemia in children) is approximately doubled. (See: http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/facts/fs322/en/)
Yes, that is not a typo, the risk of this form of childhood leukaemia doubles at 1/500th of the maximum legal exposure limit.
Does it seem to you like the standard is adequate to protect health?
Here’s another example:
The standard* for radiofrequency radiation (RFR) in the microwave range (let’s just call it microwave radiation for short) varies according to exact frequency produced by the many different devices that are designed to produce microwave radiation.
Devices that produce microwave radiation include microwave ovens, cordless phones, cell phones, cellular phone infrastructure, “smart” or “advanced” electricity meters, wi-fi routers, wireless baby monitors etc. etc.
*For example, for devices that produce microwave radiation at the frequency of 900MHz, the allowable limit is as high as 4,500,000 microwatts per square metre when the device radiates continuously. (See this link for a discussion of one device that produces microwave radiation and how lax the safety standard can be in practice: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-meter-emissions-graph/ )
Microwave radiation is considered to be a has been classified by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a possible carcinogen (Class 2B) on the basis of increased brain tumour rates in longer term users of wireless phones. (See; http://microwavenews.com/short-takes-archive/iarc-publishes-rf-cancer-review)
In a more recently published paper, the authors called for microwave radiation to be upgraded to a probable carcinogen due to more evidence. (https://www.spandidos-publications.com/ijo/46/5/1865)
Cordless and mobile phones have to comply with regulations in order to be sold. An increased risk of cancer in their longer term users suggests that the safety standards for wireless phones are not adequate to protect public health.
Research on the health effects of microwave radiation is available at the following website: http://www.bioinitiative.org/
If you read the Bioinitiative website (above) you will see that adverse health or biological effects from exposure to microwave radiation begin at levels that are very much lower than the legal limits for devices that produce microwave radiation.
In NZ, the legal limits for exposure to microwave radiation are among the highest (i.e laxest) in the world, and one reason for this appears to be that people in the telecommunications industry played a major role in setting these standards. You can read more about this by going to this link: https://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/12/14/cellphone-towers-health-and-democracy/
The health risks associated with cordless and cellular phones (and from cellular phone infrastructure see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21741680 ) are one reason why New Zealand needs to protect and enhance its traditional copper-based landline phone system.
Our copper landlines are now under threat. Please visit this LINK for more details and take action.
Thank you for visiting www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz the site that provides New Zealanders with non industry information about smart meters.
NB: If you are on Facebook, please consider “liking” and “following” the following pages so that you can get updates on the landline phone issue and smart meter issues.
https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/
https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Smart-Meters-NZ-1211462805538548/
Interested in the smart meter issue?
Please note that if you would like to receive email updates on the smart meter issue for NZ, you can sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
by Katherine | 27 May, 2017 | Latest News
The people who have produced the video below deserve a round of applause for making the subject of smart meters (which admittedly can be quite dry unless you are a technie) actually entertaining!
Even if you think you already know all about smart meters, this is a video worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N29AtA3VodU
Please note that the video “Smart Attack” was produced in North America where different varieties of smart meters are being used. In-use testing of smart meters in New Zealand shows that there are varied emission profiles ranging from as often as a pulse of microwave radiation every eight seconds to as infrequently as every eight hours. (You can click HERE to learn more about how much radiation is produced by the different types of smart meter on the market in NZ.)
However, given that if you accept a smart meter, you have no control over how often it will transmit, the easiest way to protect yourself from the potential risks to your health, privacy and finances explained in the video is to say NO to a smart meter.
Smart meters are not compulsory in NZ. (Sometimes staff working for electricity retailers will claim that smart meters are a “government requirement” or that existing meters must be replaced with smart meters by a certain date; this is NOT TRUE. (Please see this link for details: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/april-1-deadline-for-electricity-meter-certification/)
There are a variety of alternatives to smart meters on the market in NZ. They range from electronic meters that are not smart meters, to traditional Ferraris meters. A Ferraris meter is the traditional electromechanical meter that contains no electronics. (Some of the non smart meters available in NZ may be seen at the website of Legacy Metering Group which you may visit by clicking HERE.)
Interested in the smart meter issue?
Please note that if you would like to receive email updates on the smart meter issue for NZ, you can sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
by Katherine | 20 May, 2017 | Latest News
Rob Hutchins died from a medical event at his home in Oamaru on May 4, 2017.
Among his many other achievements, Rob Hutchins founded the Electrosensitivity NZ Trust (ESNZ Trust). He was in touch with literally hundreds of people around New Zealand who have electrosensitivity, offering support and advocacy to people affected by this debilitating condition. (Electrosensitivity is also known as ES, electromagnetic sensitivity (EMS), or electrohypersensitivity (EHS).)
(For some of the information about electrosensitivity on this website, please click HERE, HERE and HERE.)
Rob’s knowledge of the effects of electromagnetic radiation and health was extensive.
Rob was also a key part of the very effective community push-back against smart meters in Oamaru, where he and others helped to organise screenings of the smart meter documentary Take Back Your Power, newspaper advertisements and other local initiatives.
Rob was well-known locally – in part thanks to his having been the past chairman of the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust that looks after the town’s beautiful historic precinct. He was able to inspire many people to get informed about the smart meters and spread the word about smart meters potential negative impacts on health (including research linking smart meter emissions with the development of electrosensitivity), privacy and electricity bills. He also very effectively spread the message that smart meters are not compulsory – even though electricity company staff may claim that this is the case.
Below is an article published in the Otago Daily Times shortly after Rob’s death.
It may be read here: https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/north-otago/fire-victim-%E2%80%98tireless-campaigner%E2%80%99
by Katherine | 20 Apr, 2017 | Latest News, Science
New Zealand researcher Mary Redmayne PhD recently presented an electronic poster (an e-poster) at the 2017 World Congress on Public Health in Melbourne.
Dr. Redmayne’s research interests include the effects of electromagnetic radiation and health as well as how the use of wireless devices impacts on educational outcomes.
To learn more about Dr. Redmayne please see this link
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mary_Redmayne2/info
Her e-poster may be accessed through this link:http://wcph2017.paperlessevents.com.au/view-poster/P064
NB: There are many other links on www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz relating to electrohypersensitivity (EHS).
A paper by an Australian physician has linked smart meters to the development of EHS. Please click HERE for more information.
Two links about EHS are below:
What is it like to live with electrohypersensitivity (EHS)? One woman’s story
A helpful paper on electromagnetic sensitivity by Dr. Mallery-Blythe
SOURCE: http://www.naturalmedicine.net.nz/news/nz-researcher-presents-e-poster-electrohypersensitivity-international-public-health-conference/
by Katherine | 24 Jan, 2017 | Latest News
Smart meters are not the only source of potentially carcinogenic microwave radiation (microwave radiation is a Class 2B possible carcinogen) in your home.
The purpose of this post is to help you choose a safe internet system if you want ultrafast broadband for your home or business or live in an area where access to the copper system is going to be phased out. (If you want a lower cost – but not as fast – safe internet system, the click HERE for a budget hardwired internet option that may be used in areas that still have the copper phone line system.)
Considering ultrafast broadband?
Be aware that some systems may have adverse health effects
With the roll-out of fibre optic cabling in many parts of NZ, a number of companies are offering new ultra-fast broadband deals.
While these may certainly be attractive if your current internet access is not reliable, there are some potential health and other disadvantages to consider prior to making a decision about this new technology. (However there are also potentially solutions, too, please read on for details.)
How ultrafast broadband works
While there may be variations, as a general rule, the basic set up to access ultrafast broadband via the new fibre optic cabling system goes like this.
- Fibre optic cables are installed in a street. (This is a programmed roll out and you have no control over when your street gets this new infrastructure.) The fibre optic cabling in your street may be installed under your footpath or it may hang from the poles that support your local powerlines.
- Once there is fibre optic cabling in place in your street, you may choose to get ultrafast broadband, should you want to do this and have the necessary permissions. (See below.) In some cases there is a charge for fibre installation. In other case it is free.
- If you want ultrafast broadband, the first step is to engage a company to install the technology for you.
- Very briefly, the major installation steps are:
1) Connecting a fibre optic cable from the fibre optic cabling in the street to the home.
(The fibre optic cable between the street and the home may be above ground – as are the power lines and phone line for most older homes in NZ – or it may be underground.)
The point where the fibre optic cabling is attached to a home is called the External Termination Point (ETP). It looks like a small box affixed to an exterior wall. (NB: If any part of the property is shared (such as a shared driveway or a property for which there is a body corporate) consent from neighbours is needed prior to the installation of the fibre optic cables. People who are renting need the consent of their landlord.)
2) As part of the ultrafast broadband system an Optic Network Terminal (ONT) is installed inside the home.
This has to be placed close to an existing power point with access to household wiring. The ONT will not function during a power outage unless it contains a battery back-up system known as a UPS. (This may not be a standard feature and it may increase the cost of the ONT.)
3) A “Residential Gateway” is installed.
The Residential Gateway can wirelessly control devices such as a smart TV and a cordless phone.
A Residential Gateway also includes ports at the back into which devices such as a corded VOIP (“Voice Over Internet Protocol”) phone or, in some cases other type of phone can be plugged in, either directly or via an adaptor.
(NB: For the link on this website that discusses the different options for a safe corded phone with a fibre system, please click HERE.)
Cable-based or wireless internet is also available via the Residential Gateway. (NB: The wireless internet (wi-fi) capacity of a Residential Gateway will probably be ON as the default mode. However, the wireless capacity can be turned OFF so please ask your internet provider or technician how to do this so that your Residential Gateway does not radiate potentially carcinogenic microwave radiation into your home.)
Also: Some Residential Gateways have a cellular (3G, 4G) backup link option. If they are fitted with a SIM card, this type of Residential Gateway can use the cellular system when the ethernet cable feed from the ONT fails. A user may need to check with an EMF meter or the manufacturer’s documentation that the Residential Gateway doesn’t send cellular queries or heartbeats even without a SIM card installed.
4) Fibre optic cabling may be installed in some of the walls of the home.
(NB: If you want this option you are likely to have to pay extra for it.)
5) In some systems, the existing copper phone line and phone jacks may be disconnected/removed.
Potential drawbacks and health impacts of an ultrafast broadband system of this type include:
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If the existing copper phone line and phone jacks inside your home are removed or disconnected, this could leave you without a landline phone in event of a power failure.
(NB: Don’t count on a mobile phone service being available in your area if there is a major event that causes a power blackout. In the part of Auckland where I lived which lost power after the fire at a substation in 2015, the local cellular phone network transmitters also lost power. This meant that the only people in our street who had a functioning phone were people who had corded landline phones, which do not require mains electricity to work (because the local phone exchanges currently have diesel generators to supply power to the exchange and copper phone lines in the event of a black out in their area).
NB: Please note that it is possible to have a corded phone with a fibre system but it may require a new phone that will cost more. Also, any corded phone that is part of a fibre system will require a back up power system (known as a UPS) or you will lose phone access during a power cut. UPS system are NOT standard part of the fibre systems that are being installed in NZ and will be an additional cost. The link below gives more information: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/can-corded-phone-fibre/
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If the existing copper phone line and phone jacks inside your home are removed or disconnected, you will have no other option for a landline phone other than a phone that is connected to the fibre system or a cellular phone.
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NB: Having to rely on any sort of wireless phone is highly undesirable as cordless phone use has similar brain tumour risks to mobile phones. (See here for a discussion of this issue on the website 5G.org.nz.)
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Homes where there are children should prioritise having a corded landline so that children can make calls safely because children’s thinner skulls absorb more potentially carcinogenic radiation than do the larger and thicker skulls of adults. if they use a cordless phone or cell phone. Moreover, for most models of cordless phones, the phone bases emit microwave radiation 24/7 even when the phone is not in use.
It may be possible to find a good quality compatible corded VOIP phone if you do some research but voice quality on VOIP phones can be poorer and some may not be good enough for people who have any hearing deficits or those who need to speak on the phone in a language that is not their native tongue. VOIP phones do not work without electricity so (unlike a corded landline phone connected to the copper system) it would be useless if your home loses power in an emergency unless you pay for an additional back up system. (Please see this link for details: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/can-corded-phone-fibre/ )
Are there solutions?
Theoretically, it should be possible to enjoy ultrafast broadband via fibre without the disadvantages and potential health risks of wireless phones and wireless internet.
If you are considering an ultrafast broadband system key points to check with any potential provider would include the following:
- Whether the existing copper phone line and phone jacks will be retained and be in a functional condition if you choose to have the ultrafast broadband fibre optic cabling installed. (If you can retain copper cabling and phone jacks then this gives you the option of a safe, inexpensive corded phone via the copper system for as long as the copper system is operating in your area – although possibly you may have to pay more for this.)
- What sort of line filters (if any) you may need for a corded landline phone with the system and how much they cost.
- If you use extension cords for your landline corded phone, whether these are compatible with the system.
- Whether the WANs (Wireless Area Networks) of the “Residential Gateway” can be disabled and how this can be done. (If the WANs can be disabled you can connect to the internet via a safe fibre optic cable rather than being constantly exposed to pulsed microwave radiation as you would be if the WANs cannot be disabled.)
- Whether the Residential Gateway that the company plans to install has a cellular (3G, 4G) backup link option. (If a Residential Gateway is fitted with a SIM card, this type of Residential Gateway can use cellular when the ethernet feed from the ONT fails. If you want to be sure that your Residential Gateway doesn’t send cellular queries or “heartbeat” pulses of microwave radiation even without a SIM card installed, ask the fibre installer to provide you with the manufacturer’s documentation to show that this is NOT the case (or the manufacturer’s data that advises you how to turn off this capacity of the Residential Gateway, assuming that this is an option.)
- How many Ethernet cable connections will be provided on the “Residential Gateway” supplied by the company.
- Whether the External Termination Point (ETP) and the Optic Network Terminal (ONT) that would be installed have any wireless capabilities, and if so whether or not this capacity can be disabled (and how this can be done.)
- What the system will cost.
- What provisions there are for a refund if you are not happy with the performance of the system or if any components of the system do cause adverse health impacts.
- What sort of back up system that the company recommends so that any corded phone that you may have connected to the fibre system will still function (at least for a while) even if there is a power cut. (NB: To read about the different options for safe corded phones with a fibre system and the need for a UPS (“Uninterruptible Power Supply”) system needed to keep phones that are connected to the fibre system running during a power cut, please click HERE.)
NB: There may well be other questions that you may want to ask; I am not a digital native and the above list of questions is not exhaustive.
I would suggest asking these (or any other) questions in writing (such as by email).
This would potentially provide some protection in the event of a staff member from any company providing incorrect information to you – as an email would provide proof that you were not given correct information about the system you purchased. This should potentially give you a greater chance of getting a refund or negotiating another satisfactory solution if the ultrafast broadband system did not perform as advertised and/or if there were undisclosed wireless emissions (or any other components of the system) caused symptoms necessitating removal of the system.
Stop Smart Meters NZ would welcome feedback from website readers who have had good or bad experiences with providers of ultrafast broadband internet services.
It would be especially useful to know if there are providers who will ensure that people who want to enjoy ultrafast broadband can do so while retaining a corded landline phone, cable-based internet and no microwave radiation emissions from any of the ultrafast broadband system components.
Thank you for reading this post! If you have found it valuable, please share it.
NB: If you are on Facebook, please consider “liking” and “following” the following pages so that you can get updates on the landline phone issue and smart meter issues.
https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/
https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Smart-Meters-NZ-1211462805538548/
Interested in the smart meter or landline phone issue?
Please note that if you would like to receive email updates on the smart meter issue for NZ, you can sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
There is also now a dedicated website for the landline phone issue at www.saveourlandlines.nz
by Katherine | 7 Nov, 2016 | Latest News
The Bay of Plenty Times has recently reported that meter readers in the Tauranga area could lose their jobs if a trial of smart meters is successful.
Wherever you live in NZ, if you have an analogue meter at your home, if you would like your friendly local meter reader to keep his or her job you can help by refusing to have a smart meter installed at your home.
(You will also be doing yourself – and your neighbours a favour- because by refusing a smart meter you will not have the risks to your health, privacy and safety posed by these so called-smart meters. To read why many Kiwis are refusing smart meters, please see this link )
The link to the Bay of Plenty Times article is below:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11741769
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Roll outs of wireless so-called “smart” electricity meters are ongoing in many areas of NZ. (Some electricity companies may describe smart meters as “advanced” meters in their letters to customers or simply state that the company plans to install the “next generation” meter or upgrade or a replace the existing meter.)
If you live in an area where smart meters are being installed you may receive a letter stating that your meter will be upgraded or replaced, however sometimes letters get lost in the mail and do not arrive prior to a planned installation.
You can click HERE for information on how to avoid getting a so-called smart electricity meter.
Please note that while some electricity company representatives tell customers that smart meters are “compulsory” or are a “government requirement” or use other words to this effect, this is not true. The legal situation regarding electricity meters is explained at this link.
How to get updates on the NZ smart meter situation
If you have found this information interesting or useful, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
Stop Smart Meters NZ is now on Facebook and you can get updates by visiting our page at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Smart-Meters-NZ-1211462805538548
by Katherine | 4 Sep, 2016 | Latest News, Smart water meters
An email has been received by www.stopsmartmeters,org.nz relating to a large bill increase following the installation of a so-called “smart” water meter to measure water use at a home. The new “smart” meter does not appear to be measuring the household’s water usage accurately.
The water bill for the household has approximately quadrupled since the installation of the smart water meter despite no increased water consumption and no leaks able to be detected by a plumber.
Do you live in an area where smart water meters are being trialed?
If you live in Waiuku in the South Auckland area, Tairua on the Coromandel, or in a part of Tauranga or Nelson, your household may be part of a smart water meter trial. (Please see these link for details: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/urgent-smart-water-meter-alert-for-nelson-and-waiuku/ and https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/tairua-smart-water-meter-update/ and https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/smart-water-meters-in-nz-the-situation-so-far/
Have you (or a friend) had an excessively high water bill following the installation of a smart water meter?
If you email www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz through the contact form that you can access by clicking HERE you can report your smart water meter problem in confidence. (Information is posted on this website only in cases where permission has been given to do this.)
You can refuse to have a smart water meter installed or get one removed if it has been installed
A retired nurse in Waiuku has successfully had a smart water meter to removed and provides a model that you can follow at this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/retired-nurse-succeeds-in-having-smart-water-meter-removed/
Smart meters are NOT compulsory in NZ
Roll outs of wireless so-called “smart” electricity meters are ongoing in many areas of NZ. (Some electricity companies may describe smart meters as “advanced” meters in their letters to customers or simply state that the company plans to install the “next generation” meter or upgrade or a replace the existing meter.)
If you live in an area where smart meters are being installed you may receive a letter stating that your meter will be upgraded or replaced, however sometimes letters get lost in the mail and do not arrive prior to a planned installation.
You can click HERE for information on how to avoid getting a so-called smart electricity meter.
Please note that while some electricity company representatives tell customers that smart meters are “compulsory” or are a “government requirement” or use other words to this effect, this is not true. The legal situation regarding electricity meters is explained at this link.
How to get updates on the NZ smart meter situation
If you have found this information interesting or useful, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
Stop Smart Meters NZ is now on Facebook and you can get updates by visiting our page at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Smart-Meters-NZ-1211462805538548
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