2020-03-05 Exh B New Cingular dba AT&T USE 19-081

Home

were some questions, we were at the previous hearing, and there were some questions concerning a few issues that we wanted to address as opposed to just going through the entire testimony again. But, there were concerns about public notification, and I just wanted to reiterate to the Commission that public notification was provided by mail, and that was verified by staff, in addition to concerns about the placement of the sign. We moved the sign as Jessica showed a map of the new location. In addition, I wanted to reiterate that telecommunications infrastructure build -out is a defined need in the Hawaii County Planning and Puna Community Development Plans, because there were some questions about the desirability of having a telecommunication facility in the district. So, I just wanted to point out that the general plans actually call for more development of telecom facilities. And, in terms of notification, there was some concern I heard about that renters were not notified, and pursuant to Code, we are required to notify property owners and people listed in the Real Property Tax which is what we followed, but I just wanted to clarify that for the Commission. So, in terms of there was also a question about the access road called Loop Road, and as Jessica pointed out, it was, it's owned by Richard and Yvette Umiat, who are the landlords for the proposed tower. So, that Loop Road and a portion of Kua`aina Road is owned by the proposing landlords for the, for the project, and I've included a map and additional information in my testimony. So, also in the previous hearing we had, there were many concerns about health issues brought up, and AT&T builds and maintains all sites and antennas in accordance with FCC guidelines for human health exposure to radio frequency fields. The energy from the antennas on cell sites decreases with distance. As a result, ground level exposure is much lower than if a person were very close to the antenna and the main beam. The FCC's RF exposure guidelines recommend the maximum permissible exposure level to the general public of approximately 580 microwatts per square centimeter. This is many times this is many times greater than RF levels typically found near the base of the cell sites in the vicinity of other low -powered cell site transmitters. The proposed site will operate at levels much lower than FCC limits for RF exposure. In addition, there are various independent sources that confirm this. The American Cancer Society affirms the FCC's conclusion, and I'm quoting, "At ground level near typical cellular base stations, the amount of RF energy is thousands of times less than [the] limits for safe exposure set by the [ US Federal Communication Commission] (FCC) and other regulatory authorities." The American Cancer Society also states it is very "unlikely" for an individual to be exposed to excess RF levels just by being close to a cell site. Most, according to the American Cancer Society, it confirms that most scientists believe that cell sites and antennas are unlikely to cause cancer or result in health problems, and I've provided the American Cancer Society information for your review. In addition, the World Health Organization also confirms that RF emissions diminish rapidly with distance citing studies having not, citing studies that there is no correlation between EXHIBIT B 3