Investors in telecoms companies, beware…

All companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange are required to detail all known business risks for their investors; these documents need to be lodged withthe US Securities and Exchange Commission and can be viewed by anyone who can plough their way through the many thousands of pages filed.

The author of the Wirelesswatch blog, ‘someone who has worked on a business newswire for years’ so is skilled at reading the meaning concealed behind the words, has been trawling though these documents and discovering, often tucked away right at the end, the admission that they are all only too aware that damaging litigation over the health effects of mobile phone use may not be that far away.

For example, from the ‘Form 10-K’ submitted by Verizon:
….Our wireless business faces personal injury and consumer class action lawsuits relating to alleged health effects of wireless phones or radio frequency transmitters, and class action lawsuits that challenge marketing practices and disclosures relating to alleged adverse health effects of handheld wireless phones. We may incur significant expenses in defending these lawsuits. In addition, we may be required to pay significant awards or settlements.

Or, from Nokia’s Form 10-K:
Allegations of possible health risks from the electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile devices, and the lawsuits and publicity relating to this matter, regardless of merit, could have a material adverse effect on our sales, results of operations, share price, reputation and brand value…………We cannot be certain that future studies, irrespective of their scientific basis, will not suggest a link between electromagnetic fields and adverse health effects…..
Over the past ten years Nokia has been involved in several class action matters alleging that … cellular service providers failed to properly warn consumers of alleged potential adverse health effects and failed to include headsets with every handset to reduce the potential for alleged adverse health effects….. etc etc etc

Or from Motorola:
Allegations of health risks associated with using Motorola Mobility products, and the lawsuits and publicity relating to them, regardless of merit, could negatively impact our business, operating cash flows and financial condition…. etc etc etc

Shades of cigarettes and asbestos….

And while on the subject of  mobile phones, radiation, wifi and smart meters…….

Radiation levels from wireless industry operated antenna from Maine to California  have been tested by the Electro Magnetic Policy Insitute (EMRPI) and found to be in gross violation – up to and in excess of 600% – of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s public exposure limits. These sites include rooftops as well as locations where the general public, including children, can gain access, and where workers are on the job. Read more here. 

French to ban wifi from schools.
Failing to succeed with adoption of their draft legislation on electromagnetic waves in January, French ecologist deputies have obtained approval of draft school reform legislation for precautionary measures in schools.
The National Assembly has now voted in an amendment of the law stipulates that the public service establishment of the digital educational program foreseen by the text favors “wired” connections, that is, Ethernet, rather than Wi-Fi.  Read more here.

Canadians rebel against Smart Meters. Trailer for film detailing the many downsides to smart meters. See here.