Letter to PM Harper re Standing up for Wireless Customers

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

I am writing to you today as the Chief Executive Officer of Canadians for Safe Technology (C4ST), a national, not-for-profit organization that is concerned with the health and safety risks of unsafe technology. C4ST’s grassroots coalition, led by a team of citizens, parents and experts, is working to build public and political opposition against the unsafe and unfair practices of wireless telecommunications companies. Over the past year, we have made significant strides in strengthening our coalition and raising awareness, including engaging with the Royal Society of Canada’s review of Safety Code 6.

It is heartening to see that you, too, have concerns about the telecommunications industry in Canada, and I applaud the work of your government in encouraging competition through spectrum allocation. I would also like to thank you for standing up for Canadian consumers by through the Conservative Party of Canada’s “Standing Up for Wireless Consumers” petition. No doubt Canadian wireless consumers who are fed up with being taken advantage of by telecommunications companies are strengthened by having their Prime Minister stand up for them publicly.

C4ST also believes that the major players in the wireless telecommunications industry are stifling competition and preventing Canadian consumers from getting service that is competitive, reasonable and fair. C4ST stands with you in advancing wireless telecommunications policy that is based in the values of equity, reasonability and fairness for all Canadians. As a former CEO of Microsoft Canada, I know how important these values are to Canadians and to the success of technology industries.

Like you, C4ST believes that fostering competition and the new wireless code of conduct are good first steps for Canadians who are relying on wireless technology now more than ever. However, as wireless use increases, so too does Canadians’ exposure to radiation emanating from their wireless devices. Many studies, including one conducted by the World Health Organization, have indicated that direct, long-term contact to this radiation is harmful and may have damaging health effects.

In order to ensure that Canadians are not overly exposed to the effects of wireless radiation, C4ST believes that safe technology use should be a major part of the ongoing conversation between your government and the telecommunications industry. Indeed, C4ST would welcome an opportunity to further discuss this with you so that together we are working toward a fair and safe future in technology for all Canadians.

C4ST members and I thank you on behalf of Canadian wireless users for your outspoken defence of competitive, reasonable and fair access to wireless technology. I will look forward to continuing this discussion with you in the future.

Frank Clegg
CEO
C4ST – Canadians For Safe Technology
frank@c4st.org