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FCC rules for WI-FI on all aircraft
USA Created: 17 Jan 2013
Dear Colleagues, Below is the FCC’s newly proposed rulemaking to provide for internet access on all commercial and private aircraft.

Please join us in commenting on this rulemaking at the FCC website (pertinent facts and link follow):

To date, there are NO comments submitted by any individual or organization representing health considerations.

The comments made (all in favor of) are by airline, telecom or satellite industry representatives and engineering and governmental agencies such as Homeland Security, etc.

It is imperative that your comment be submitted NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 25, 2013.

FACTS:

In the 90 page proposal, there is only 1 short mention of the requirement to submit “a radio frequency hazard analysis….via calculation, simulation or field measurements.” (pg 83: 16.(b)(8) – document attached) And, this requirement only involves the exposure from the access point/antenna (aka ESAA) transmitting to/from the satellite; there is no consideration of the significant RF exposure passengers and crew will receive from simultaneous transmissions from passengers’ numerous laptops, smartphones and tablets being used throughout the metal enclosure of the aircraft for the duration of the flight.

And, especially troubling is that the FCC’s exposure compliance limit specified for applicants is the 20 year old (IEEE 1992) 1 mW/cm2 for 30 minutes. This does not take into account non-thermal health effects from RF which have been documented by over 1,000 studies. Many of these studies document biological effects at exposure levels thousands of times lower than the FCC limit.

The FCC’s obsolete and inadequate exposure limit does not consider the obvious fact that nearly every flight providing WIFI is over 30 minutes in duration, with many being as long as 8 hours of continuous microwave radiation exposure to passengers and crew.

Another serious issue is that passengers are being involuntarily exposed to potentially harmful levels of microwave radiation which has been classified by the World Health Organization as a possible human carcinogen – in the same category as lead and DDT.

Summary:

IB Docket No. 12-376 - NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING AND REPORT AND ORDER:

“In this Report and Order, we provide for the efficient licensing of two-way in-flight broadband services, including Internet access, to passengers and flight crews aboard commercial airliners and private aircraft. These rules will enhance competition in an important sector of the mobile telecommunications market in the United States and promote the widespread availability of Internet access to aircraft passengers.” … “By means of satellite antennas mounted on the exterior of aircraft, satellites will be able to communicate with mobile devices used by passengers and crew of those aircraft. The satellite antenna will carry the signal to and from the aircraft, and mobile technologies such as Wi-Fi will provide communications within the aircraft’s hull.”

Proposed Part 25 Amendment:

§ 25.227 Blanket Licensing provisions for Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft (ESAAs) receiving in the 10.95-11.2 GHz (space-to-Earth), 11.45-11.7 GHz (space-to-Earth), and 11.7-12.2 GHz (space-to-Earth) frequency bands and transmitting in the 14.0-14.5 GHz (Earth-to-space) frequency band, operating with Geostationary Satellites in the Fixed-Satellite Service.

*** To submit a comment before Feb 25, 2013, go to: ***

http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/upload/display?z=of77k

Under “Submit a Filing” – Enter the following proceeding number: 12-376

The required fields include the proceeding number, your name, your address and the uploading of your comments from a word or pdf file from your computer. You can also upload other supporting documents and attach them.

For those of you that are outside of the United States, please send this to your contacts in the states who are concerned about this issue.

Feel free to contact us for more information; one need not be an expert to comment.

Cynthia Franklin – 360-201-3959
cwfranklin13 {-at-} gmail.com

Ellen (Ellie) Marks - 925- 285-5437
cabtasf {-at-} hotmail.com

Related news:
Mar 2011, USA: Wi-Fi interference with Honeywell avionics prompts Boeing action
Jul 2009, Scotland: Mobile-Phone causes jet to change course
Mar 2006, USA: Aircraft mobile ban ought to stay - study
Mar 2006, USA: Mobiles disturb Avionics equipment
Source: WEEP News, via email from Martin Weatherall, 17 Jan 2013

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