The Regulatory Authority (RA), Bermuda’s telecommunications watchdog, has announced that they may lift the moratorium on introducing 5G wireless technology to the island.
The moratorium was imposed last year and was followed by a public consultation period to gauge feedback on the 42- page report.
The final report has been approved for publication by the RA’s board of commissioners, which is posted on the RA’s website – www.ra.bm.
A final decision will be made on March 18.
Concerns raised by opponents to the plan contend the 5G technology will be harmful to people and the environment.
But that view was not supported by the advisory panel and the report found that “exposure of the community to radiation from 5G antennas is predicted to be considerably lower than the levels recommended as safe” under international guidelines.
As a result they recommended that the RA “lift the moratorium on 5G roll-out” and build “strong channels of communication” to address public concerns moving forward.
““The science underpinning the relationship between 5G and health is particularly complex, requiring detailed knowledge of a range of different scientific disciplines, including exposure assessment, biological, medical and public health science,” the report added.
It was also noted that an objective evaluation was difficult to achieve “without relying heavily on opinion-based information”.
The panel also urged the RA to “consider initiating a periodic independent assessment to review and identify any new developments in the scientific consensus” and track 5G exposure levels in the field.
