Byline: HENRY M. LOPEZ
Committee, councilors approve studies over group's objections over potential health risks
Access: Library hopes to improve service
The city could be moving closer to installing wireless Internet access into city libraries and other facilities after the Public Works Committee voted Monday to develop a plan to do just that.
City Councilors Ronald Trujillo, Chris Calvert and Carmichael Dominguez approved a proposal to study wireless Internet access over the objections of a group of people concerned about health issues that wireless technology might pose.
The Finance Committee will discuss the proposal Monday, but Councilor Karen Heldmeyer, who chairs the committee, does not plan a public hearing on the proposal.
Arthur Firstenburg said he's been living out of his car despite having the funds to buy a home because he is unable to find a home where his health is unaffected by wireless technology. Firstenburg said he suffers from a condition often referred to as electromagnetic sensitivity.
The condition manifests itself through a variety of symptoms, including insomnia, nausea and headaches, he said. Sufferers attribute their symptoms to electromagnetic fields generated by wireless devices like cellular telephones and wireless Internet, he said.
"This is a matter of life and death," said Firstenburg, among a half-dozen opponents who attended the meeting.
Scientific research on electromagnetic sensitivity has been mixed with some studies claiming sufferers of the condition are no more sensitive to electromagnetic fields than the general public. Firstenburg, who has published a book and articles on the issue, says the large corporations are hiding the health risks of wireless technology.
Thomas Williams, the city's technology director, said the city would use equipment available at retail stores to furnish access at the city's libraries if a program to install the technology were funded.
City library services director Pat Hodapp said local residents and tourists visit library branches and are shocked to find a lack of wireless Internet access. Library staffers give patrons lists of free wireless Internet access points in Santa Fe.
But, she said, the main goal of installing the new technology was to provide better service to residents. Adding wireless access, she said, would allow people with their own laptops to use the Internet without occupying the limited number of desktop machines.
"It's about providing better service," Hodapp said.
Contact Henry M. Lopez at 995-3815 or hlopez@sfnewmexican.com.
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