Wi-Fi Opposition
The drama began just more than a year ago when Arthur Firstenberg, author of Microwaving Our Planet and president of a national watchdog group called the Cellular Phone Task Force, showed up at a Santa Fe City Council meeting with a group of citizens concerned about the city’s plans to provide free wireless hotspots around Santa Fe.
Since then, Firstenberg has been outspoken not just in the local media, but also has shown up on FOX News’ Web site, the Associated Press’ wire, Wired magazine’s blog and even The Druge Report. The anti-Wi-Fi folks say signals from wireless routers causes chest pains, high blood pressure, cancer and low sperm count, and that the city, by setting up wireless access in public buildings, violates their rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act. At a June 11 Council vote on expansion of wireless access in public buildings, Firstenberg and his associates were there—one carrying a Wi-Fi detector shaped like a futuristic cell phone. Ultimately, the city approved the plan.