Gabriel Bell at Slate rounds up scientific opinion on the dangers of radio frequency radiation. The Federal Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, the Mayo Clinic, the American Cancer Society, the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks and other scientists say that high levels of electromagnetic frequencies may not be good for humans, but there is no evidence that the EMF frequencies from cell phones pose any sort of physical risk. Still, with all those scientists on one side of the issue, last week the California Department of Public Health took the other side and issued a series of guidelines on "reduc[ing] exposure to radio frequency energy from cell phones." California's health department now says, "research suggests long-term, high use" of the cell phones "may impact human health." California did not mention anything about humans being bombarded by FM radio signals, baby monitors, Wi-Fi routers, or any of the hundreds of other radio frequencies that humans encounter every day. Of course, most people don't keep transistor radios in their pockets anymore. But many people do carry car door openers in a pocket in their pants that beam electronic signals. Those are weak signals, but most cell phones also emit less than a watt of power. Many AM radio stations send out 50,000-watt signals. Microwaves, can clearly do damage to human tissue, but are a different part of the radio spectrum. So far, the International Agency for Research on Cancer is about the only respected scientific organization saying that the radio waves produced by cell phone use are "possibly carcinogenic to humans."

Ars Technica reports that now that the Federal Communications Commission has killed off net neutrality, Republicans in Congress are readying a replacement. And while the "Open Internet Preservation Act" might sound benign, the bill would not stop Internet service providers from charging websites or online services for prioritization. So Netflix or YouTube or Spotify may get charged more, and those costs will eventually get passed onto consumers. Blackburn's bill would define broadband Internet access as an "information service." Under net neutrality, the internet was considered a utility. This allows Republicans to further deregulate the Internet. And states won't be allowed to pass their own version of net neutrality, if the bill passes. "Blackburn's bill would explicitly allow Internet providers to demand new fees from small businesses and Internet users, carving up the Web into fast lanes and slow lanes," Fight for the Future Campaign Director Evan Greer said.

The "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show announced Dec. 16 that it changed its name to "Live From Here" after former host Garrison Keillor was forced off Minnesota Public Radio after a sexual misconduct accusation or two. Keillor retired as host of the radio show in 2016, after starting it in 1974. He was dismissed from MPR completely Nov. 29 after the radio network announced a single accusation; Keillor said later in the day, that he has to respect the privacy "of the two employees who made the allegations." No more allegations have surfaced since then. Chris Thile, who took over hosting the show after Keillor’s retirement, announced the name change during a live performance of the show from New York City.

As of Dec. 13, the Federal Communications Commission reports that 17.6 percent of cell phone service is still out in Puerto Rico, since Hurricane Maria hit the island in late September. In the Virgin Islands, 21.4 percent of cell phone service is still out. So a fifth of the island, roughly, is still without personal communication. The public communication situation is worse. Just five television stations are working, according to the FCC, while two stations "are suspected to be out of service," and "70 TV stations have been issued Special Temporary Authority to be offline" and "30 TV stations have unconfirmed status." In the U.S. Virgin Islands, no television stations are broadcasting. On the radio just "42 AM radio stations are confirmed operational," in Puerto Rico while 32 AM stations are not broadcasting. On FM, 55 stations are working, while 56 are off the air or have an unknown status to the FCC. The ones that are on the air are struggling, Radio World reports. Because of constant electrical outages, many stations are running on backup generators, and are spending a lot of money on fuel. And since the entire island is devastated, there aren't a lot of advertising dollars coming in to pay for that fuel, and other costs. “There’s no business for radio stations, and when there’s no business there’s no money,” said Jose Ribas Dominicci, executive director of the Puerto Rico Radio Broadcasters Association. The National Association of Broadcasters has sent 10,000 portable radios for listeners on the island, but they might be getting a lot of static.

The Communications Law blog reports that it is official. AM, FM, and broadcast television stations no longer have to have a studio in the area where they broadcast, as of Jan. 8, 2018. In October the Federal Communications Commission voted to eliminate the Main Studio Rule, saying listeners and viewers could now contact broadcasters through the internet. The FCC did not address the fact that, without studios, there might be no programming originating from the area. So beginning Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, expect less local programming and fewer broadcasting jobs around the country, as more content is beamed in from elsewhere.

Dell Cameron and Rhett Jones report at Gizmodo a week before the head of the Federal Communications Commission votes to eliminate net neutrality, Ajit Pai joked about being a shill of the telecommunications industry. Pai spoke Dec. 7 at the Federal Communications Bar Association, what is known as the telecom prom. Gizmodo got leaked video of Pai ending his "monologue" with a video skit about how he got to be FCC chief that works as wonderful radio theatre. It takes place at “Verizon’s DC Office” in 2003, where Pai was as an attorney. Kathy Grillo, Verizon senior vice president and deputy general counsel, tells him: “As you know, the FCC is captured by the industry, but we think it’s not captured enough, so we have a plan.” “What plan?” Pai asks. “We want to brainwash and groom a Verizon puppet to install as FCC chairman,” the executive says. “Think ‘Manchurian Candidate.’” “That sounds awesome,” Pai responds. Click here to hear a short excerpt of Ajit Pai Radio Theatre.

A Stuff.NewZealand report indicates that Radio New Zealand may soon stop AM radio broadcasting. "RNZ considers it is now time to work with stakeholders to develop plans to, either partially or completely, exit AM broadcasting over time," the company said in a report last week. The company thinks some of the stations are worth more for the real estate they sit on then the airwaves they use. RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson said it would take more than a decade to sell of its transmission sites, and noted that the company recently invested "millions" on a new AM tower in Titahi Bay, Wellington. Currently, some of Radio New Zealand tower sites also broadcast other signals. "We think we're an audience and content organisation, not an infrastructure organisation," Thompson said. The new Labour-NZ First Government may have different ideas, but there is clearly talk in New Zealand about the end of AM radio for the state broadcaster.

Sean Gallagher reports at Ars Technica about the U.S. Air Force's Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project, or CHAMP, which would shoot bursts of microwave energy to disable electronic devices such as computers, communications, and air defense radar systems. NBC News first reported about the project Dec. 4, saying it could help stop North Korean nuclear attacks. But that is not a very effective use of the weapon. It heats up semiconductors so electronics fail. It would probably be most effective in knocking down a swarm of radio-controlled drones. As a weapon, the range is not far, as the CHAMP would need to go off in relatively close proximity to heat up a semiconductor enough so that it fails. And a Faraday cage blocking the radio waves, or reflectors, would stop the heating. So far, the best result for the military was a "2012 test, [where] pulses from the CHAMP cruise missile disabled computers and even the video cameras monitoring them as the missile flew over them," according to Ars Technica. If the weapon is made more powerful and aimed at humans, it could cause burns or cataracts. Gallagher guesses the story leaked now to give North Korea another reason not to attempt a missile attack.

Beth Mole at Ars Technica reports that authorities don't know how 24 Americans were injured in mysterious attacks in Cuba recently. In August, U.S. authorities reported that American diplomats and their spouses stationed in Havana were targets of puzzling attacks for months. At first, the term “sonic attacks” was used, as some of the victims heard noises. Now, though, scientists have, "largely ruled out the possibility that sounds could cause traumatic brain damage," according to the story. Sometimes the attacks were completely imperceptible. Victims have complained of dizziness, nausea, headaches, balance problems, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), nosebleeds, difficulty concentrating and recalling words, permanent hearing loss, and speech and vision problems. Doctors have identified mild brain injuries, including swelling and concussion. Cuba says they have nothing to do with the attacks. U.S. officials now have the Cuban embassy operating with just emergency staff. On Dec. 6 the Associated Press quoted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying, "What we’ve said to the Cubans is: small island. You’ve got a sophisticated intelligence apparatus. You probably know who’s doing it. You can stop it. It’s as simple as that."

John Anderson at DIYmedia.net reports that the Workers Independent News radio segments are no more. The segments, often heard on the evening "All Together Now!" show on WGXC and many other stations, began in 2001 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by Anderson, professor Frank Emspak, and others with daily newscasts, and feature stories for radio on over 100 stations worldwide. It was a lone voice for news from a workers perspective anywhere, not just on the radio. Emspak stepped down with health issues last year. "The new CEO had no meaningful background in labor or independent media, and looked at his role in the organization as more of a mogul than a working stiff," Anderson writes. "Problems making payroll began again over the summer, and incrementally most of WIN’s staff was let go save for its two main producers, Doug Cunningham and JoAnne Powers, who soldiered on. But earlier this month they, too, received their layoff notices, and production of WIN ceased on November 17."

Harper Neidig reports at The Hill that 28 Democrats in the U.S. Senate are calling for a delay on the Dec. 14 vote at the Federal Communications Commission to repeal its net neutrality rules. Saying that the agency's public comment file is poisoned with millions of fake comments, the senators, including Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, want to delay the vote. “A free and open Internet is vital to ensuring a level playing field online, and we believe that your proposed action may be based on an incomplete understanding of the public record in this proceeding,” the senators wrote in a Dec. 4 letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “In fact, there is good reason to believe that the record may be replete with fake or fraudulent comments, suggesting that your proposal is fundamentally flawed.” So far, just one Republican senator, Susan Collins from Maine, has expressed opposition to rolling back the rules that keep an even playing field on the internet, rather than allowing fast lanes for those with more money to spend. On Dec. 4 New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel held a press conference about fake net neutrality comments. Schneiderman says the FCC is refusing to turn over evidence to his investigation of the millions of fake comments in the names of people both dead and alive that have appeared in the FCC's public file on the issue.

New York Attorney General Schneiderman And FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel gave a press conference Dec. 4 about fake net neutrality comments.

Todd Shields reports at Bloomberg that 7.75 million comments were submitted to the Federal Communications Commission about net neutrality from email domains attributed to FakeMailGenerator.com. Another 444,938 of the 22 million comments came from Russian email addresses, according to a Pew Research study. There’s “clear evidence of organized campaigns to flood the comments with repeated messages," the Pew study found, saying 94 percent of comments were submitted multiple times. About 7.6 million comments used the phrase, “I am in favor of strong net neutrality under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.” A study by Emprata reported that the comments that were personalized, or those with phrases that appeared only once in the docket, favored retaining the net neutrality rules by a margin of 1.5 million versus 23,000 for repeal. Clearly, the FCC commenting system has been hijacked.

Dahlia Lithwick in Slate reports that the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Nov. 29 about a court case that focuses whether law enforcement can get access to the records of where anyone's cell phone has been without a warrant. Detroit police thought Timothy Carpenter was tied to a string of Radio Shack robberies in 2011. Without a warrant police were able to get the cell site location information that showed Carpenter's phone was at 12,898 locations over 127 days. Some of those locations were the Radio Shacks in question, and that led to 116 years in prison time for Carpenter. But shouldn't the police have faced a judge for permission to find out exactly where his phone was? Does that mean government officials have access to the records that show where you have been? Carpenter says he has the Fourth Amendment right to be free of warrantless government searches; the police say the Stored Communications Act allows them access to any personal papers and data turned over to a third party. Justice Samuel Alito says those cell phone records are just like bank records that police are allowed to access, saying everyone knows cell phones can be tracked. “Well, I mean, that’s a debatable empirical point whether people realize what’s going on. There’s reason to think maybe they do. I mean, people know, there were all these commercials, ‘Can you hear me now?,’ our company has lots of towers everywhere. What do they think that’s about?,” Alito said during arguments Nov. 29. Chief Justice John Roberts said there was a difference, in, “that you really don’t have a choice these days if you want to have a cellphone.” In the spring, expect a ruling on whether the records of the cell phones that everyone is expected to have, are accessible to law enforcement officials without a warrant.

Garrison Keillor is the most prominent radio figure to be taken down by sexual harassment accusations, with Minnesota Public Radio cutting all ties to the host Nov. 29. Retired now from hosting “A Prairie Home Companion,” there weren't many ties to cut. MPR will no longer distribute and broadcast the 75-year-old Keillor’s “The Writer’s Almanac” and “The Best of A Prairie Home Companion Hosted by Garrison Keillor” after allegations of “inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him.” MPR said it was ending the relationship because of a single accusation; Keillor said later in the day, that he has to respect the privacy "of the two employees who made the allegations." He seemed to dispute the allegation, telling The Minneapolis Star Tribune, “I put my hand on a woman’s bare back. I meant to pat her back after she told me about her unhappiness and her shirt was open and my hand went up it about six inches. She recoiled.... I sent her an email of apology later and she replied that she had forgiven me and not to think about it. We were friends. We continued to be friendly right up until her lawyer called.” But then he also said, "I’m 75 and don’t have any interest in arguing about this, and I cannot in conscience bring danger to a great organization I’ve worked hard for since 1969.” Keillor also said, “If I had a dollar for every woman who asked to take a selfie with me and who slipped an arm around me and let it drift down below the beltline, I’d have at least a hundred dollars. So this is a poetic irony of a high order.” He was in Pittsfield, MA as the allegations became public, where he canceled a scheduled performance. In 1994, on C-Span, Keillor said, "We should be careful, though, not to make the world so fine and good that you and I can't enjoy living in it. A world in which there is no sexual harassment at all is a world in which there will not be any flirtation."

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai wants the end to the law that makes Internet providers treat all websites equally. Under Pai's plan, which will pass by a 3-2 vote on party lines on Dec. 14, net neutrality will end, and Internet providers can charge customers, or services such as Netflix or YouTube, more or less instead of treating them all the same. That has caused millions of comments to flow into the FCC's websites, and protests at the FCC's offices, and at Pai's home. One sign protesters had outside of Pai's house over Thanksgiving weekend seemed to be too much for for the Republican. The sign read, “They will come to know the truth. Dad murdered Democracy in cold blood.” Pai reacted on "Fox & Friends" Nov. 27, “I understand that people are passionate about policy, but the one thing in America that should remain sacred is that families, wives and kids, should remain out of it. And stop harassing us at our homes.” But former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler also had protesters outside his home before he came around to support net neutrality in 2015. There have, though, been racist comments posted online about Pai during the current debate about ending net neutrality, but that's true about almost any issue these days. Craig Aaron, the president of Free Press, an advocacy group that's working to keep net neutrality, told The Washington Post, “We condemn any racist comments or harassing messages sent to the chairman of the FCC. We don't think there is any place for that in the debate.” While Pai whined about one lone sign near his house, Comcast shifted its story on what will happen after net neutrality ends. The company had promised it wouldn't violate the principles of net neutrality even when the law does not hold them to those principles, but Comcast is now saying that it won't "discriminate against lawful content" or impose "anti-competitive paid prioritization." So Comcast may offer paid fast lanes to websites or video streaming providers. That's just what the rest of those signs outside Pai's house Thanksgiving warned would happen after the Dec. 14 vote to end net neutrality. It is also what, on Nov. 27, Airbnb, Etsy, Foursquare, GitHub, Pinterest, Reddit, Shutterstock, Sonos, Square, Squarespace, Tumblr, Twitter, and Vimeo warned about in a letter denouncing the FCC's impending vote.

The Republicans on the Federal Communications Commission announced their plan to eliminate the net neutrality rules on the day before Thanksgiving. Even with a clearly pre-determined 3-2 vote in favor of the roll back scheduled for Dec. 14, activists are doing what they can to avoid the end to net neutrality. While there have already been a historic 22 million comments made to the FCC on the issue -- the majority of which were opposed to its rollback -- Congressional representatives and the FCC got more calls and comments over the holiday weekend. Ars Technica reported that more than 180,000 people had made calls through the Battle for the Net activist site on Nov. 22. The calls may be helping, as a first Republican senator, Susan Collins from Maine, announced her opposition to the rollback, with Collins’ spokesperson Annie Clark saying she opposes ending net neutrality because it would allow internet providers to “manage their system in an anti-competitive way that limits consumers’ choices.” Protests at Verizon stores across the nation are being organized for Dec. 7 by Demand Progress, Fight For The Future, and the Free Press Action Fund (including one locally in Pittsfield, MA). "The company has been spending millions on lobbying and lawsuits to kill net neutrality so they can gouge us all for more money," the protest organizers write. "We’re calling on our lawmakers to do their job overseeing the FCC and speak out against Ajit Pai’s plan to gut Title II net neutrality protections." Plus, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the main force behind efforts to end net neutrality, used to work for Verizon as associate general counsel before moving to the Federal Communications Commission. Still, the phone calls and protests are tilting at windmills, as the FCC vote Dec. 14 is preordained. When the 2015 FCC passed the net neutrality rules, groups representing AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cablevision unsuccessfully sued to stop them from being implemented. This time, activists will go to court to keep the net neutrality rules in place.

Steve Herman reports for the Voice of America, that President Donald Trump has given up recording a weekly presidential radio address, the first time a U.S. leader has not done so since 1982. Trump stopped recording the radio addresses Oct. 13, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the presidential spokesperson, didn't take a question about it until Nov. 20. "We're looking at different ways that we can revamp that and make it where it’s more beneficial and gets more information out," said Sanders, who wouldn't rule out the end of the tradition. The media was not the only group who did not notice the end of the radio address. "We haven't received any reaction about the missing addresses. Not by phone or email. That is in some contrast to feedback from listeners in prior years who feared we might not choose to carry the new president's remarks, especially when there was a change in parties," said Steve Butler, the program director at KYW in Philadelphia. Franklin D. Roosevelt famously addressed the nation through radio during the depression. Since 1982, every president recorded a weekly radio announcement, except George H.W. Bush who only occasionally recorded the messages. While Trump won't be heard on the radio on Saturdays anymore, he is known to make his most outlandish Twitter messages on weekend mornings.

Wave Farm and WGXC 90.7-FM present avant-garde holiday tradition, Phil Kline's "Unsilent Night" in Hudson, NY, December 23, 2017.

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