Pushback of the Week, August 17, 2025

Safe Tech Hawaii Paves the Way

An ordinance (Bill 24) unanimously passed in mid-June by the nine members of the Hawai’i County Council on the Big Island has set a new precedent in the state, imposing stringent requirements for the safe siting of cell towers and antennas.

Together with citizens who provided oral and written testimony at multiple planning commission and council meetings, Dr. Debra Greene (founder of Safe Tech Hawaii) and Big Island resident Naomi Melamed were able to shepherd the ordinance to the finish line despite opposition from AT&T and Verizon. Greene emphasizes that a successful outcome such as theirs depends on having at least “one or two committed people [who are willing] to see the process through completely.”

The Big Island’s groundbreaking ordinance requires tower/antenna installation setbacks of at least 600 feet from residential properties and schools, as well as proof of structural viability in winds over 100mph, compliance with fire codes, historic preservation reviews, visual impact analyses, and verification that notification letters have been sent to land owners and tenants within a certain perimeter of proposed new telecom sites.

Greene launched the ordinance process back in 2021. When the initially proposed setback distance of 1200 feet got voted out at the last minute and nearly scuttled the bill, she fought for and obtained the inclusion of 600-feet setbacks. A compromise provision of the final bill allows the Planning Director to approve new towers in all zoning districts without going through the public hearing process.

In an interview on the Tech Safe podcast, Greene described some of the challenges that face advocates of safe technology in Hawaii and other states:

• Bill 24 was not able to cover the siting of small cell antennas because small cells’ “densification” requirements are not considered amenable to 600-feet setbacks. Unfortunately, over 30 state legislatures, including Hawaii’s, have enacted legislation that “streamlines regulations to facilitate the deployment of 5G small cells.”
• Backed up by heavy in-person lobbying, AT&T has been successfully persuading many local jurisdictions that, in the interests of “public safety,” they should use the telecom giant’s FirstNet wireless communications network for first responders, providing localities with a palatable rationale “to put towers and antennas everywhere.”
• Many police and fire chiefs remain oblivious to the risks of wireless radiation. Although Section 704 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act prohibits municipalities from blocking towers on the basis of health or environmental concerns, Greene suggests that behind the scenes, it can be fruitful to educate the first responders targeted by telecom’s lobbyists. To that end, it helps to point to the International Association of Fire Fighters’ 2004 position statement about locating cell towers on fire department facilities.

In January, Hawaiian Telecom announced a $1.7 billion initiative to make Hawaii the first fully fiber-enabled U.S. state by 2026, a target that the state is already 60% of the way toward achieving. As safety advocates point out, this would provide a viable “counterpoint” to wireless proliferation.

Until then, the 600-feet setbacks are a step in the right direction. As Greene reminds the public, “Distance is our friend when it comes to wireless radiation protection.”