World-News

By Matt Wilkinson

Jem Duckmanton, eight, leads the protest at the Chester Arms

People power has brought a halt to plans to build mobile phone masts on two pubs in Oxford.

Residents living near the Marlborough House in Grandpont and The Chester Arms in Chester Street, East Oxford, have been protesting against mast plans by mobile phone company T-Mobile.

Now the firm has put installation on hold after hundreds turned out at public meetings to oppose masts being planted on the pubs.

On Wednesday, more than 50 residents living near The Chester Arms took to the streets in a bid to get the plans rejected. continued...

Protester John Lo Breglio said: "Our protests have been the main cause as they don't want the bad publicity.

"This mast would have gone up two weeks ago if we hadn't found out about it by chance.

"This would have been a done deal and we'd be looking at a phone mast out the window now.

"But T-Mobile has only put the masts on hold and it's still the same situation until the plan is scrapped."

T-Mobile did a deal with pub owners Punch Taverns which allows them to install masts on some of its 90 pubs nationwide.

Although an estimated 80 pubs across the country will house the masts, T-Mobile has agreed to review the plans for two in Oxford.

Around 100 residents met T-Mobile executives last week to oppose the Chester Arms proposal and neighbours com- plained about similar plans at the Marlborough House last month.

Protesters armed with placards met outside the Chester Arms yesterday to keep the heat on the phone firm only hours after it decided to suspend plans.

Gordon Simmons, of T-Mobile, said: "T-Mobile has decided to place the proposals to site mobile phone base stations at the Marlborough House and Chester Arms public houses on hold while we consider other options."

The company would not comment on what other sites it was looking at or whether its plans had been scrapped or just postponed.

Nick Trueman, of Punch Taverns, said: "We've got no plans at the moment for masts on other Punch Taverns in the area."

Chester Arms landlord John Dunkley fears customers will boycott the pub if the 3G mast gets the go-ahead.

The firm has permitted development rights at the pubs and does not need planning permission.

The Marlborough House mast is also opposed by parents and governors of nearby St Ebbe's Primary School in Whitehouse Road. The rear entrance to the school grounds is opposite the pub.

9:12am today

© Copyright 2001-2006 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.796814.0.demos_delay_masts.php

Jun 15, 2006

A 50ft "monstrous" mobile phone mast near a Netherton school is being opposed.

O2 has applied to site the equipment on Cinder Bank, sparking fierce opposition.

If approved it would be next to Corbett Garage and near Hillcrest School and Community College.

Ward councillor Martin Bradney said he feared for the health of pupils at the Simms Lane school and the mast would spoil views from Saltwells Nature Reserve, which backs onto the proposed site for the telecommunications equipment.

He said: "I am no scientist and although the hazards of radiation emitted from masts have not been proved neither have they been disproved." He added that he would support any campaign by residents to block the application.

O2 said it needed a mast to increase network coverage in the area. Spokesman Jim Stevenson said: "I can say categorically that there are no health risks."

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http://www.buergerwelle.de/body_science.html

And that he did not think it would be unsightly.

© Express & Star Ltd, 1997-2006

http://www.expressandstar.com/articles/news/es/article_91237.php

THE new mayor of South Ribble has hit out at the explosion in the number of phone masts in Bamber Bridge.

Coun David Watts, who is the ward councillor for Bamber Bridge, decided to speak out after an application for another mast was submitted to South Ribble Borough Council.

If plans for the 20m mast at Old Lemon House, on Seedlee Road, were granted it would mean two phone masts situated within 400 yards of each other as one is already on Dodd Way.

Masts

A third has also been erected on Walton Summit Road on the road adjoining Seedlee Road.

Coun Watts says enough is enough, and does not want to see any more masts added to the 13 in Bamber Bridge.

He said: "It would seem that Bamber Bridge has relinquished its title of hot food capital of South Ribble, but that now seems to be replaced by the title of hot airwaves capital of South Ribble.

"I understand that many of the mobile phone networks are competing with each other to get the best possible coverage, but do we need another to add to the 49 already in the borough?"

Coun Watts has been in touch with Orange, which is applying for the mast on Seedlee Road, to get some answers, but was baffled by their response.

Mobile

He said: "Orange has said that it wants to increase the coverage to customers on the M65 and M61. This raises an important question: Should we as a council be encouraging people to use their mobile phones while driving?

"You cannot object to a mobile phone on their perceived health risks, but surely if there is a law to stop people using mobile phones while driving then it is an actual risk. Why do we really need another mast?"

Nearby residents and businesses have been notified of the application and so far, the council has received no objections.

A decision will be made by the South Ribble Council planning committee.

A spokesman for the Mobile Operators Association said: "Site and mast sharing by operators is a priority, but while it cuts down the number of mobile phone masts in the landscape, it can also have adverse environmental impacts.

"In some cases, local planning authorities and communities prefer to see several smaller masts, rather than a larger one. In others, mast sharing may not be possible because the existing site is not in the best place for the oncoming sharer's coverage needs.

"In terms of the coverage to motorways it is sometimes the case that passengers in vehicles need to use mobile phones, or indeed some drivers if they break down on the hard-shoulder and do not want to walk to the next emergency phone box. "

15 June 2006

All rights reserved © 2006 Johnston Press Digital Publishing.

http://www.leylandtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=77&ArticleID=1566743

Long-time resident says she will probably sell up due to health fears

By Debbie Leigh

RESIDENTS are furious after the Government overturned a decision by Leeds City Council to refuse planning permission for a mobile phone mast.

A government inspector dismissed the health fears of residents in Roundhay living near the BP Gledhow Service Station on Roundhay Road, where the 12-metre mast will be installed. They are bitterly disappointed at the decision.

Nazreen Ahmed who has lived near the site for more than 20 years said she was so horrified by the potential health risks she would probably move house.

Mrs Ahmed, who lives at Well House Drive with her husband, mother-in-law and two young children said: "I'm worried about all the radiation you hear about and it will affect us directly as we are not too far away from it.

Overrule

"If it does go up we will be strongly considering moving house. Why have a local planning department and procedures if the Government is just going to overrule the decision? If it's not right for the local authority the Government shouldn't interfere."

The application by T-Mobile was refused in September last year after local councillors raised concerns about the health threat and the impact of the mast on the appearance and character of the area.

But an inspector allowed an appeal by T-Mobile and has now approved the plan.

Coun Valerie Kendall (Con, Roundhay) said: "With the effect on public health unclear, residents are understandably concerned. However when it comes to phone masts this case shows that the Govermnent can simply push those local concerns to one side in favour of big business with the stroke of a pen."

Other residents living near the site said they were worried by the decision.
Mohammed Rashid moved to Well House Gardens three weeks ago and said he would have objected to the plan if he had known about it. He said: "My son suffered from eczema and I have heard phone masts are not very good for eczema sufferers."

Under planning rules, a mobile phone operator is entitled to appeal a decision to an Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.


Talkback

What are your specific health fears with regard to phone masts?
Call 0113 238 8152. (Lines open 24 hours.)
Or write to: Talkback,
Yorkshire Evening Post,
Wellington Street,
Leeds LS1 1RF.
E-Mail: eped@ypn.co.uk
Text: NEWSDESK then message up to 160 characters to 83070

All rights reserved © 2006 Johnston Press Digital Publishing.

http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=39&ArticleID=1561279

Fox News

06/12/06

Students are using a new ring tone to receive messages in class -- and many teachers can't even hear the ring. Some students are downloading a ring tone off the Internet that is too high-pitched to be heard by most adults. With it, high schoolers can receive text message alerts on their cell phones without the teacher knowing. As people age, many develop what's known as aging ear -- a loss of the ability to hear higher-frequency sounds. The ring tone is a spin-off of technology that was originally meant to repel teenagers -- not help them. A Welsh security company developed the tone to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected. The company called their product the 'Mosquito'...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199119,00.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

http://associationnationaleapursetap.centerblog.net/


Next-up news

Disney Phone Service Has Parents in Mind

The New York Times

By LAURA M. HOLSON

Published: April 5, 2006

LOS ANGELES, April 4 — With the help of the Walt Disney Company, parents can make sure it’s still a small world for their children, at least when it comes to their cellphone use.

On Wednesday, the company will introduce a wireless phone service that will allow parents to set limits on their children’s cellphone use as well as track them on a map using Global Positioning System technology.

Parents can determine what hours and days of the week children can use phones, blocking school hours for example, and what numbers they can dial. They will also be able to set spending limits on their phone bills.

The new service, called Disney Mobile, has not been priced yet. It will be unveiled in Las Vegas at the annual trade show for CTIA, a wireless industry trade group, and will be available in June. The service comes on the heels of Disney’s February debut of Mobile ESPN, a service for sports fans.

Disney, like many media companies, is hoping to take advantage of the proliferation of cellphones by offering services of its own, like ring tones and wallpaper.

Many consumer groups, however, have begun voicing concerns about escalating bills. Every item, from text and picture messaging to downloading of content, costs a fee, with some unwitting users racking up hundreds of dollars in charges. Parents have complained, too, that it is hard to monitor their children’s mobile use when they are out of the house.

“This is very much about putting control in the hands of the parents,” said Steve Wadsworth, president of the Walt Disney Internet Group.

As part of the mobile service, parents can set up a monthly allowance of minutes, text messages or other services for each child to use. Once a monthly allowance is reached, both the parent and the child receive an alert on their Disney Mobile phones. The parent then can decide either to increase the allowance or restrict the phone’s use.

Parents can also use an online tool to designate when phones can be used (no more interruptions at dinnertime) and what numbers can be dialed. Certain numbers, like the home number, can be programmed to always be available in case of an emergency.

The service will be available to consumers through disneymobile.com and Disney Mobile kiosks in malls. To gain access to the service, a child must own a Disney Mobile phone, which costs $59.99 with a two-year service contract. Parents will not need to buy a Disney Mobile phone for themselves, but if they do not, they will have to monitor the child’s phone use online instead of directly by phone.

The idea behind the service was to give parents flexibility, said George Grobar, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Mobile. For younger, less mature children, the service can be restricted to incoming and outgoing calls from family members. “Kids are terrified of the phone timeout,” he said. But teenagers who want to send text messages and download videos can have the freedom to do as they wish.

Perhaps the most novel feature is that parents can determine the location of a child’s phone, either from their own cellphones or by entering a code online that will show a map. In that way they will know whether their son or daughter is really at swim practice or hanging out at the mall instead.

And what about wives or husbands who want to keep track of their spouses? Can they be tracked, too?

“Only kids can be tracked,” Mr. Wadsworth said, because they have to identify themselves.

Still, Mr. Grobar added, “there could be many interesting uses.”

http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=488