Josh Hart of SaveLandLines.org joins us for a discussion on landlines, why they are safer and more reliable and why we need to protect our right to access them.

If you live in California, you can support this cause by attending one of the hearings taking place on the telecommunications industry's efforts to eliminate landlines.

The second round of Public Utilities Commission Public Participation Hearings are taking place April 30th at SantaRosa City Council Chambers at 2 PM or 6 PM.

Remote hearings are being held on April 17, May 5, or May 13.

Go to www.SaveLandLines.org for more information.

Points to consider:

--Cell phones emit radiation and have been linked with tumor growth and some cancers:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7663653/

https://news.berkeley.edu/2021/07/01/health-risks-of-cell-phone-radiation/

--As more people become dependent upon (some would say "addicted to") smartphones, many people are losing their ability to focus, think deeply and navigate the world. Some research suggests that regular smartphone and social media use are diminishing creativity and mental health, particularly in young people who are unaware that alternatives to this technology exist:

https://www.businessinsider.com/smartphones-gen-z-creativity-attention-jonathan-haidt-anxious-generation-careers-2025-1?op=1

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35907700/

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-leads-governmental-project-to-understand-impact-of-smartphones-and-social-media-on-young

--Landline phones are more reliable during power outages, are not addictive, not emitting harmful radiation, and conversations are not as easily surveilled.

--Cell phones pose serious privacy risks. Whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden have warned of the surveillance capabilities of smartphones.

--People with disabilities and the elderly in particular often have difficulties utilizing the many functions of smartphones and are being excluded from fully participating in society when smartphone use is required.

--Some people are particularly sensitive to EMFs and find that they cannot use cell phones on a regular basis.

--Knowing this, why are smartphones being forced upon us? In some communities, people are required to use a smartphone and scan a QR code in order to park a vehicle or obtain information, for example. Is this not a form of discrimination?

Smartphones were fun when they were optional but now that they're being forced on us, it's just not fun anymore. We have to resist, people!

If you live in WNY, Spectrum offers a "home" phone. It is a VOIP phone, not a traditional landline, but it does offer a safer alternative to the smartphone for those who are concerned about these issues.

Wherever you are, PLEASE put pressure on your local politicians to require telecom companies to provide landlines to those who request them.

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