Matt Warman, the Minister for Digital and Broadband in the UK, has said that he plans to write to all UK planning authorities to not block the country’s 5G rollout without “legitimate grounds and evidence” citing the health dangers of 5G.
Many councils have been considering blocking 5G over some health concerns that were raised by a variety of citizen health campaigns.
The UK government also plans to change the story of 5G and health myths. This comes as local authorities have stopped installing masts due to citizen campaigns.
A spokesperson from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) stated that Warman will write to planning authorities to "set out the government’s commitment to gigabit-capable networks such as 5G, the economic benefits of roll-out, the stringent safety guidelines, and also to make the key point that only objections with legitimate grounds and evidence should prevent planning permission from being granted.”
He also added, “There is no compelling evidence for any increased concern about 5G roll-out compared to Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G and there are well-established limits for radio equipment within which any new kit must operate. These limits are acknowledged by Public Health England in the UK and the World Health Organization.”
Warman held a cross-government meeting to discuss the issue. The Chief Scientific Adviser, Public Health England and Ofcom were among the attendees.
Warman stated, “Safety is always going to be paramount when we roll out new technologies and innovations, but there is currently no compelling evidence to back up concerns about 5G. We want to support work that will bust health myths over 5G and provide evidence-based reassurance to the public. The benefits of 5G are huge – both to people’s everyday lives and to the economy.”
5G health scares have taken hold in several UK cities like Glastonbury, Frome and Brighton & Hove. As for the rest of Europe, Brussels blocked the 5G rollout due to radiation concerns earlier this year, followed by Geneva in May.