Tom Wheeler’s “Not Waiting for Tests” Mantra: How It Unleashed a Silent Crisis for American Children
“Not waiting for tests, not waiting for standards, not waiting for governments … rule #1 is that the technology drives the policy and not the policy drives the technology.” — Tom Wheeler, 2016 National Press Club
I’m speaking to parents, teachers, and anyone who still believes government should protect children before it protects quarterly earnings. Here’s the plain truth.
What Wheeler actually said on the record
In his National Press Club remarks about 5G, Wheeler spelled out the policy: “stay out of the way of technological development,” “we do not believe that we should spend the next couple of years studying what 5G should be,” “Turning innovators loose is far preferable to expecting committees and regulators to define the future,” and “We won’t wait for the standards… or in government-led activity.” Those are his words. That’s the operating philosophy that put speed and deployment ahead of health review. press.org
What that philosophy delivered
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Children are still governed by 1996-era RF limits. The FCC reaffirmed those limits in 2019. In 2021, the D.C. Circuit ruled the FCC’s decision “arbitrary and capricious” for failing to reasonably address non-cancer biological effects and environmental impacts, and sent it back. A federal court had to tell the regulator to do its homework. FCC Docs+1
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The science the FCC must confront exists. The U.S. National Toxicology Program reports clear evidence of malignant heart schwannomas in male rats and some evidence for brain/adrenal tumors with cell-phone-type RFR. The WHO’s IARC has put RF-EMF on its high-priority list for re-evaluation in 2025–2029. Ignoring this is not “innovation”—it’s negligence. NIH Environmental Health Sciences+1
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Local communities were gagged on health from day one. Section 704 of the 1996 Act preempts cities and school boards from denying towers “on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions” if FCC limits are met. Parents can object; officials can’t act on health. That’s the law Wheeler’s industry pushed and then enforced. FCC Transition
Process problems that prove the point
During net-neutrality rulemaking, Wheeler’s FCC met repeatedly with the White House. A Senate oversight report concluded the White House “bowled over FCC independence”, laying out a timeline where the Commission paused and then pivoted after the President’s statement. Whether you liked the outcome or not, these are bad optics for an “independent” regulator—and a window into how power gets used. Homeland Security Committee
Bottom line
Wheeler said the quiet part out loud: policy should trail technology. That’s how you end up with 1990s exposure limits in a 5G/6G world and a regulator that didn’t adequately address modern biological evidence. Children don’t get a do-over. We don’t “pilot” their health.
What needs to happen—now
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Finish the court-ordered job. Re-open the RF limits with a complete, public record on non-thermal endpoints, developmental effects, and realistic cumulative exposures—not hand-waving. Justia Law
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Restore local authority. Repeal or reform Section 704 so communities can weigh health in siting near schools and homes. FCC Transition
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Fund independent research at scale. Don’t bury the NTP signal—expand it. NIH Environmental Health Sciences
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Cut indoor RF where kids live and learn. Prefer wired and optical (Li-Fi/ethernet) inside buildings. Innovation isn’t a waiver for safety.
Receipts (primary sources)
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National Press Club transcript (June 20, 2016): “stay out of the way,” “don’t spend years studying,” “Turning innovators loose…,” “We won’t wait for the standards.” press.org
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FCC 2019 order reaffirming 1996 limits (ET Docket 19-226): decision later remanded. FCC Docs
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D.C. Circuit (Aug. 13, 2021) — Environmental Health Trust v. FCC: remand for failure to reasonably address non-cancer/biological effects. Justia Law
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NTP fact sheet (Jan. 2024): clear evidence (male rat heart schwannomas); some evidence (gliomas, adrenal). NIH Environmental Health Sciences
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IARC Advisory Group (2025–2029 priorities): RF-EMF designated high priority for re-evaluation. IARC Monographs
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Telecommunications Act of 1996 — Section 704 / 47 U.S.C. § 332(c)(7)(B)(iv): preempts health-based siting denials. FCC Transition
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Senate Homeland Security majority report on net-neutrality process: “bowled over FCC independence.” Homeland Security Committee
This is about justice and health. Policy exists to shield the public—especially children—from foreseeable harm. We don’t “wait for markets” to parent our families. We demand standards that match the science and the era we actually live in.