Residents in York City and Hanover Township wanted broadband expansion in their communities, but anti-5G conspiracy theorists have delayed the wifi expansion for months.
Conspiracy theorists who believe that 5G internet access causes severe health effects derailed broadband expansion in York City and Hanover Township, according to the York Dispatch.
The York Dispatch originally reported in December that a group of conspiracy theorists were granted a 15-minute meeting with the York County Commissioners and other government and business leaders from the region.
However, that meeting may have violated that state’s Sunshine Act because the meeting wasn’t properly advertised.
“The fact that the call took place creates potential Sunshine Act liability, not the fact that the call wasn’t released,” Melissa Melewsky, a media law counselor with the Pennsylvania News Media Association, told the outlet.
“This was, apparently, a quorum discussion of agency business that took place outside a public meeting. The call is the Sunshine Act issue; releasing the call at a later date would not fix the Sunshine Act problem.”
The meeting included a short presentation made by the anti-wifi activists and following the presentation York County Commissioner Doug Hoke thanked the conspiracy theorists for this new information.
“I appreciate the information,” Hoke said. “As I said before, this isn’t my area of expertise but it’s interesting to learn about this.”
At one point, Jolie Diane, who gave the anti-5G presentation, was presented with credible evidence from Silas Chamberlain, the county’s expert that wifi from the York Economic Alliance, doesn’t cause adverse health effects. She responded by doubting the validity of science according to the York Dispatch.
“We don’t have to stand for having these outdated guidelines, we can put in something now to protect us,” she said. “Otherwise, we’re going to get more violence, we’re going to get more mental health issues. That’s what is associated with the brain.”
The anti-wifi conspiracy theorists were successful in delaying broadband expansion in York City and Hanover for the foreseeable future. The plan was to place wifi emitters in York and Hanover to reduce barriers according to Chamberlin.
“The idea of the Wi-Fi network was simply to provide base-level service in the area where people face many barriers,” Chamberlain said. “When we did our outreach to stakeholders in the city of York and Hanover and surrounding areas … they were asking for this. This wasn’t something that we came up with in a vacuum.”
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Pennsylvanians and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at The Keystone has always been to empower people across the commonwealth with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Pennsylvania families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
SEPTA riders face fare hikes of more than 20% and possible service cuts
If approved by SEPTA's board of directors, riders would pay the increase on top of a proposed separate interim average fare increase of 7.5% that...
Bob Casey and Matt Cartwright revive Scranton’s rail service to New York City
Bob Casey and Matt Cartwright announced $8.9 million in funding from the Biden-Harris’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to revive Scranton’s passenger...
Biden sets 10-year deadline for cities to replace lead pipes and make drinking water safer
A decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis raised alarms about the continuing dangers of lead in tap water, President Joe Biden is setting a...
PA gets $500 million from Biden’s infrastructure law to replace I-83 bridge
Pennsylvania received its largest federal grant ever for an individual transportation project on Tuesday. The commonwealth is set to receive $500...
Report says unsecured tanker hatch spilled out gas in crash that destroyed I-95 bridge in Philly
Gasoline spilled out from an unsecured hatch on the top of the gasoline delivery tanker that overturned and ignited beneath an Interstate 95 bridge...