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The Berkshire Edge
Policy
Activism
🇺🇸 Massachusetts Supreme Court to Decide: Can Local Health Boards Override Federal Smart Meter Rules?
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is weighing whether local boards of health can override federal telecom regulations regarding radiofrequency emissions from telecommunications infrastructure (in a case involving a cell tower) due to health and safety concerns, which could have implications for similar issues with smart meters. House Bill 3551, which would clarify opt-out rights without added fees, sits with the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, with a reporting deadline of March 18, 2026.
"The state's high court decision now hinges on whether a ruling by a local jurisdiction—in this case a board of health—can preempt or have authority over federal regulations covering the telecommunications industry given reported related health and safety issues."
— The Berkshire Edge
"While RF exposure might not cause cancer directly, concern has been voiced that cells in the body that have been damaged by exposure to some other substance might somehow be more likely to become cancerous when exposed to RF waves."
— American Cancer Society
