TELECOM SITE SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Many telecom sites were originally approved as “unmanned facilities,” meaning they were evaluated under the assumption that access would be restricted and that people would not be regularly present nearby.
That is no longer the reality.
Today, people are living and working directly next to — and in some cases beneath — these same sites, without restricted access, without training, and without being informed.
At the same time, the technology has changed.
These systems have been upgraded into multi-antenna, high-capacity network systems. Each upgrade increases cumulative RF output.
But the original approval assumptions were never meaningfully revisited.
Compliance is conditional.
Telecom sites are only considered compliant if certain conditions are met, including:
restricted access
controlled environments
limited occupancy
If those conditions change, the classification should change.
And when classification changes, allowable exposure limits become stricter.
The question is simple:
If a site was approved under one set of conditions, but those conditions no longer exist, has anyone verified that it is still compliant today?
Right now, there is no clear, transparent system that consistently verifies:
whether original approval assumptions are still valid
whether occupancy and access have changed
whether equipment upgrades have increased exposure levels
whether sites are still being evaluated under the correct classification
Approvals are often renewed based on past assumptions, without independent reassessment tied to current conditions.
We are calling on Contra Costa County and the State of California to:
Require reevaluation when conditions change
Ensure accurate land use classification
Require updated evaluations after equipment upgrades
Require independent or third-party verification
Enforce existing permit conditions
Require disclosure to occupants
Require action when assumptions no longer match reality
Ensure occupants are not responsible for mitigation
Under no circumstance should tenants, employees, or occupants be responsible for mitigating exposure conditions created by a permitted telecom facility.
People have the right to:
know what environment they are in
understand how it was approved
know whether those assumptions are still valid
Technology changed.
Usage changed.
The review process didn’t.
Sign the petition to require independent review of telecom sites operating under outdated assumptions.