EMF and the FCC: How to Tell The Government: No more cell towers!EMF and the FCC: How to Tell The Government: No more cell towers!
August Brice • Thriving With Technology @ Tech Wellness
Host August Brice talks with EMF specialist Theodora Scarato about outdated FCC limits, community concerns over wireless radiation and how public comments can push for safer technology. The conversation highlights children’s health, schools, data centres and practical ways to reduce exposure in everyday life.
57:41•20 Oct 2026
Safe Tech, Loud Towers and Your Right to Say "No"
Episode Overview
- Current FCC safety limits for wireless radiation date back to 1996 and have not been fully re-evaluated despite major technological changes.
- Public comments to the FCC and HHS become part of the legal record and have already played a role in a successful court case on EMF limits.
- Other countries require clearer labelling, distance advice and restrictions on Wi‑Fi and cell towers around young children, while the United States does not.
- Practical risk-reduction steps include using wired internet, keeping phones away from the body, and sharing or borrowing EMF meters within communities.
- Large data centres and high-voltage power lines raise combined concerns about EMF exposure, noise, pollution and land use, prompting calls for local moratoriums and better regulation.
“We all deserve safe technology.”
What drives someone to seek a life without ever-present wireless radiation and towering masts outside their homes and schools? This conversation between host August Brice and guest Theodora Scarato digs into exactly that question, with a sharp focus on health, safety and everyday tech.
You’ll hear Theodora, who leads the EMF and wireless programme at Environmental Health Sciences, explain why this moment matters so much: “We haven’t seen two federal agencies doing anything on this issue in decades.” With both the FCC and Health and Human Services asking for public comments on EMF and wireless radiation, she lays out how ordinary people can get their concerns about cell towers, phones and Wi‑Fi into the official record.
The chat pulls apart the “1996 limits” that still govern wireless radiation, raising basic questions like, “Would you drive in a car that had safety regulations that haven’t been looked at for 30 years?” They talk about hidden fine‑print warnings in phones, the lack of clear labelling, and why US limits can be “10 to 100 times more” permissive than other countries.
Parents and health‑conscious listeners will appreciate the sections on children, schools and day-care centres, including examples from countries that restrict Wi‑Fi for very young kids or ban towers near schools. There’s also a practical angle: wired internet as a safer option, why every neighbourhood might share one good EMF meter, and simple habits like keeping phones off the body.
Things get bigger and louder—literally—when they move to data centres and high‑voltage power lines, from diesel spills to 200‑foot towers and what that means for communities and farmland. Throughout, the tone stays grounded and occasionally wry, but the message is clear: “We all deserve safe technology.” If you’ve ever wondered whether your comment to a government agency really counts, this conversation might nudge you to speak up.
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