By John Coates
The Great Deception That’s Poisoning America
In the mid-20th century, Americans woke up to a bitter truth: the automotive industry was polluting our cities with toxic emissions. Thick smog choked the skyline, leaded gasoline afflicted children with neurological damage, and the giants of Detroit did everything in their power to stave off regulation that would cut into profits. It took a series of hard-fought measures—catalytic converters, unleaded fuel, robust emissions standards—to force the car industry to innovate for public health.
Today, we face a parallel crisis, but this time, the threat is silent and invisible.
Wireless devices—cell towers, Wi-Fi routers, 5G antennas—emit radiofrequency (RF) radiation around the clock, saturating our communities without any meaningful limits. It’s a deluge of electromagnetic signals permeating homes, schools, and city centers with zero federal oversight into non-thermal biological effects. And much like Big Auto in the era of leaded gasoline, Big Telecom is resisting the very idea of stricter safety regulations—because it would upend their business model.
Yet this time, there’s a catch: Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a little-known clause that forbids American communities from challenging the placement of cell towers on the basis of health or environmental concerns. Picture being told that you can’t protest an oil refinery’s toxic fumes so long as it follows “guidelines” written by the oil industry itself. That is the unconscionable situation we face today in wireless technology.
This is not a conspiracy theory. This is the law, and it has enabled one of the greatest public health cover-ups of our time. Unless we dismantle Section 704, the public will remain legally gagged from speaking against the invisible pollutants blanketing our streets, schoolyards, and living rooms.
Mr. President, you must repeal Section 704 and force the wireless industry to evolve—just as America once compelled the auto industry to go lead-free, adopt catalytic converters, and clean up our air.
The Problem: The Wireless Industry Has No Incentive to Innovate Without Regulation
1. The 1996 Law That Stopped Progress in Wireless Safety
When President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, few paid attention to Section 704 hidden in its pages. This clause explicitly forbids local governments from rejecting cell towers based on health or environmental concerns, effectively overriding traditional state and municipal authority to protect citizens. No matter how many scientific studies raise alarms, city councils can’t even factor health data into their decisions. It’s like telling a community they can’t regulate a chemical plant’s toxic runoff—because an industry-funded guideline says it’s “safe.”
2. Outdated “Thermal-Only” Guidelines
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), entrusted with regulating wireless safety, relies on thermal-based standards for RF exposure—meaning they only consider danger if radiation heats the body. However, modern science has shown that low-level, non-thermal radiation can cause oxidative stress, DNA strand breaks, and disruptions in cell signaling. The National Toxicology Program found “clear evidence” of tumors in rats exposed to non-thermal RF levels. Yet thanks to Section 704, communities cannot use that evidence to oppose new towers or push for safer alternatives.
“Imagine if we had stuck to the 1950s logic that if a car wasn’t on fire, its emissions posed no hazard,” says a public health expert. “That’s exactly the rationale we’re trapped in with wireless radiation.”
3. No Pressure on Big Telecom = No Innovation
When we demanded cleaner cars, the auto industry insisted catalytic converters were expensive and unnecessary—until regulations forced them to innovate. The result? Dramatically cleaner air and healthier children. By contrast, Big Telecom faces zero legal compulsion to develop safer devices or alternative communication methods (like Li-Fi or space-based networks) because Section 704 effectively shields them. Why invest in technology that reduces radiation exposure when the law says you can’t be challenged for not doing so?
Lessons From the Automotive Revolution
1. The Path from Leaded Gas to Unleaded
Mid-century America was awash in toxic lead from car exhaust. Pediatricians raised alarms about neurological damage in children. Environmentalists staged protests. Eventually, public outrage collided with regulatory mandates—leading to unleaded gas and the near-elimination of lead toxicity from auto emissions.
- Key Insight: Once forced to comply, automakers swiftly adapted. As a nation, we avoided catastrophic public health outcomes by implementing rules that protected children and adults alike.
2. Catalytic Converters and the Rise of Innovation
Car companies initially claimed catalytic converters would ruin engines and bankrupt manufacturers. Instead, the device became a global standard, spurring new efficiencies and performance gains. The lesson is clear: Government pressure can unlock the innovative genius that corporations otherwise avoid for cost reasons.
3. A Parallel Moment for Wireless Technology
Today’s wireless technology is in its “leaded gasoline” phase—massively deployed, financially lucrative, and highly resistant to safety upgrades. Section 704 is the legislative barrier preventing a “catalytic converter” for cell towers, smartphones, and Wi-Fi routers. We need to remove that barrier so that safer designs, emission controls, and alternative platforms (like Li-Fi or space-based systems) can flourish.
What Safer Wireless Evolution Looks Like
1. Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) Instead of Wi-Fi
Just as unleaded gas replaced leaded fuel, Li-Fi could replace or supplement Wi-Fi for short-range data transmission. Li-Fi uses visible or infrared light, offering faster speeds and minimal biological impact because it doesn’t flood the environment with microwaves that can deeply penetrate tissues. Classrooms, offices, and homes could drastically reduce RF exposure simply by installing Li-Fi light systems instead of conventional Wi-Fi routers.
2. Space-Based Communications to Reduce Neighborhood Towers
Companies like Starlink have already shown that we can deliver high-speed broadband via satellite, keeping high-power transmitters in orbit rather than on rooftops. This model prevents local saturation of RF radiation near schools and playgrounds—just as moving factories out of city centers reduced smog exposure for urban residents.
3. Smarter Devices with Radiation “Catalytic Converters”
Phones and tablets could employ advanced antenna designs—sometimes called interferometric array antennas—to create “null zones” near a user’s head or body, significantly lowering exposure. These safety measures would be as routine as seat belts or airbags, if only the legal framework demanded it.
4. A New Era of Legitimate Safety Standards
Repealing Section 704 would allow public health data and non-thermal studies into the regulatory process. Communities could set realistic setback distances between cell towers and schools; manufacturers would be compelled to keep emissions within truly safe thresholds. This pressure is how industries evolve from harmful legacies to safer, future-proof designs.
Why Only President Trump Can Solve This
- A President Created the Problem
Bill Clinton’s signature in 1996 locked Americans into Section 704. This single clause has muzzled communities for nearly three decades. - A President Can End It
Congress has shown little interest in overturning this industry-backed provision. Agencies like the FCC remain captured by telecom influence. An executive order, or a White House–led legislative push, is the direct route to repeal Section 704 and restore Americans’ constitutional right to question and regulate RF emissions. - Presidential Legacy
Just as President Nixon’s environmental policies ushered in the EPA and the Clean Air Act, President Trump could be remembered as the leader who ended the telecom stranglehold on public health—a turning point that saved millions from chronic illness and disability in the decades to come.
Conclusion: Repeal Section 704—Unleash American Innovation and Protect Our Children
America forced the auto industry to clean up its act, giving us catalytic converters, unleaded fuel, and safer roads. We can—and must—do the same for the wireless industry. Section 704 is the last obstacle standing in the way of genuine safety standards. If it remains, we continue to be blanketed by an invisible pollutant that no one is allowed to challenge. If it’s repealed, we open the floodgates for American innovation to deliver cleaner, safer, and more efficient communication technologies.
Mr. President, tear down this law. End the great deception that places corporate profit over children’s health. Free our communities to demand safer infrastructure, and let the telecom industry—like the auto industry before it—rise to the challenge of building a healthier, more sustainable future.
We did it with smog. We did it with leaded gasoline. We can do it with RF radiation. But only if you take action to restore our constitutional right to protect ourselves from avoidable harm.
A Call to Action for Every American
- Contact the White House
Demand President Trump repeal Section 704. Urge him to champion innovation over outdated, dangerous laws. - Use the Hashtag #TrumpRepeal704
Spread awareness on social media, community forums, and town halls. Educate neighbors and parents on why local governments cannot legally fight cell towers—even near schools. - Advocate for Safer Tech
- Ask schools, workplaces, and public spaces to consider Li-Fi or wired options instead of constant Wi-Fi.
- Support research and policies that push for space-based communication networks, reducing ground-level RF burden.
- Donate and Volunteer
Support organizations like RF Safe and Environmental Health Trust, which work tirelessly to bring legitimate, non-industry-funded science to the public and policymakers.
Repealing Section 704 is our catalytic converter moment—our chance to demand accountability, spark innovation, and finally address the invisible crisis of RF radiation. When we look back, let it be said we had the courage to act, the wisdom to adapt, and the leadership that refused to sacrifice our children’s future for corporate gain.