5G technology to usher in ‘internet of things’

About 120 people turned out for the first-ever Fairfield Forum on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.

The event is the first of many forums that Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer said she would like to hold, where residents have a chance to learn about and ask questions on a topic important to them.

This first forum was on 5G, a communications technology that will change the world by allowing computers to communicate with each other at speeds never before possible. 5G is short for 'fifth generation,” and refers specifically to wireless communication for cellular telephones.

Telecommunication companies that began rolling out 5G in 2019 advertised that the new technology will dramatically reduce download times and virtually eliminate lag on video chats and video games.

Two guest speakers presented slideshows on 5G, offering different perspectives. The first speaker was Troy Garrison, regional information technology site leader from CNH Industrial (Case) in Burlington. Garrison spoke about all the sectors of the economy that 5G will affect, and gave the audience advice about how to protect themselves from online security threats. The other speaker was Tim Schoechle, who holds a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Colorado and who is a senior research fellow at the National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy. Schoechle was more critical of the rollout of 5G, focused on the risks involved, argued that wireless technology does not need to be the wave of the future and that using wired communication is even preferable.

Garrison, who has 20 years of experience in the information technology field, explained in his talk that '5G” is a marketing term and not a scientific term, and some companies will advertise that their networks are 5G even when other companies would consider that same speed 4G. The next step above 4G is low-band 5G. Mid-band 5G is a step above that, and can be run by upgrading existing cell towers. The fastest form of 5G is millimeter wave, but because its frequency is so high, its signal has a short reach. This is the form of 5G that has attracted the most attention because it would require placing antennas all over town on light poles and traffic lights. Some municipal governments in the United States and Europe have put moratoriums on this version of 5G.

Kenneth R. Meyers, President and CEO of U.S. Cellular, wrote a letter to The Union published Jan. 8, 2020, in which he says the company plans to roll out low-band 5G in Fairfield but has no plans to roll out millimeter wave 5G. This appears to be what other telecom companies are doing, which is repurposing the low- and mid-band spectrum to provide 5G instead of relying on millimeter wave spectrum, which is only available in a handful of cities so far.

Impacts

Garrison said that 5G will usher in an era called the 'internet of things.” It refers to how devices such as refrigerators, thermostats, and nearly everything under the sun will be able to transmit and receive data from the web. He said some of that technology is possible now, and electronic devices will only become more connected with the development of 5G.

Garrison uses a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) to help him breathe at night. Even it's connected to the internet. It sends an alert when he stops breathing, and keeps track of how many hours of sleep he gets a night.

In the manufacturing sector, 5G will allow firms to rely on autonomous vehicles within their factories to deliver parts to the assembly line. The technology will allow much better audio and video for doctors who perform telemedicine consultations with their patients. Retail outlets will be cleaned by autonomous robots.

5G will revolutionize farming, too. Garrison showed the audience a picture of a 'headless” tractor - one with no cab - that will drive itself through the field without a human at the controls. The technology will allow animal confinement owners to feed their animals automatically without the need for workers.

Garrison said self-driving cars will be one of the most noteworthy advances under this new technology. He predicts we will see a form of trucking transport called 'platooning,” where a caravan of semis are led by a human driver, but every other semi in the group is self-driving.

Garrison sees rural residents being big winners since they will have better quality internet than they have now. People who live in cities might someday have their trash weighed by the garbage truck, and then billed according to its weight. Not only that, but garbage trucks could be outfitted with cameras so that they are creating a complete inventory of all the potholes when they drive through town.

As more devices are connected to the web, Garrison said it's even more important to be vigilant about internet security.

'You may not realize that the apps you download on your phone look at your data or use features on your phone,” Garrison.

Garrison said that some phone games will ask the user if it can use the phone's GPS service. He said there's no reason for most apps to need that information. He also recommended limiting a phone's connectivity to other devices, such as turning off the Bluetooth or hot spot when not in use. He told the audience to be cautious about using a guest Wi-Fi because they don't know who else is on that network. Lastly, Garrison suggested that downloading the latest software updates from their phone's carrier would ensure the highest security.

Schoechle's portion

During Schoechle's talk, he spoke about how the Telecommunications Act of 1996 regulated wired communication but left wireless communication unregulated. This, in turn, encouraged telecom companies to shift their resources into wireless technology.

Schoechle listed a number of problems that have been caused by this transition to wireless, namely a loss of privacy, greater surveillance, threats to public health, safety and the environment, and loss of a community's right to govern itself. Schoechle said communication corporations have morphed from selling products to selling data, and that's why it's important to keep tabs on what their customers are doing and where they are. He said this applies not just to cellular phones but to any device connected to the internet, like a 'smart” thermostat.

Schoechle addressed the issue of the health effects of 5G. He said millimeter wave radiation has a demonstrated cancer risk, and that there is evidence of it causing tumors in the brain and adrenal glands. This assertion appears to be contested within the scientific community. For instance, a paper published in 2005 by the engineering professional organization IEEE's International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety reviewing more than 1,300 peer-reviewed studies on the biological effects of radio frequencies found 'no adverse health effects that were not thermally related.” Millimeter wave radiation is non-thermal.

Schoechle said that instead of relying on wireless devices which are vulnerable to surveillance and may cause health problems, people can simply rely on wired communications, which uses less energy to boot.

Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer said she was pleased with how the forum went and pleased with the turnout. She said city governments are limited in their ability to stop or control the behavior of telecom companies rolling out 5G. The city can create rules about where the antennas are cited, and the Fairfield City Council has done that, but the telecom companies do not need a permit from the council to upgrade their existing towers.

Boyer said she initially envisaged one Fairfield Forum every month, but now thinks that's unrealistic, and expects the next one will be in either April or May. However, she hopes to hold a townhall-style meeting in March, where residents can offer ideas on how to improve Fairfield.

'We're about to finalize the city's comprehensive plan. Let's bring in more ideas to see if they can fit in the document,” Boyer said. 'I found out on the campaign trail that our residents have a lot of ideas.”

Boyer said the topic of the next Fairfield Forum has not been determined.