FCC rules against Montana residents fighting 260-foot Swan Valley tower; RF limits cover humans only

Children's Health Defense reports: The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has ruled against residents of Swan Valley, Montana, who sought to stop a 260-foot Harmoni Towers cell tower near Condon that they say threatens nesting eagles and other wildlife. The Bureau found the tower will have no significant impact on the human environment and, according to CHD attorney Scott McCollough, explicitly acknowledged that FCC RF exposure limits pertain only to humans, not wildlife or the environment. The decision becomes final in 30 days unless residents seek review. CHD ties the case to its 704NoMore campaign against Section 704 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act and to the FCC's still-unanswered 2021 court remand.

Note: CHD is a litigant in related FCC matters (704NoMore, the 2021-remand case) and the report quotes its own attorneys; the underlying FCC decision document is linked in the article.

"This is a horrible place for a cell tower with a strobe light on it"

— Peter Guynn, Swan Valley resident, to The Defender

"We find that the tower will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment"

— FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau decision, as quoted by The Defender

"Essentially, the FCC covered both its eyes so that it couldn’t see an impact."

— Scott McCollough, lead attorney for CHD's EMR & Wireless cases

"The FCC is the poster child of a captured government agency. It serves industry alone, and people are left to fend for themselves"

— Miriam Eckenfels, director of CHD's EMR & Wireless Program

"The Commission completely failed to acknowledge, let alone respond to, comments concerning the impact of RF radiation on the environment. … The record contains substantive evidence of potential environmental harms."

— US Court of Appeals 2021 decision in CHD v. FCC, as quoted by The Defender

📡 FCC rules against Montana residents fighting 260-foot Swan Valley tower; RF limits cover humans only

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