The Dilemma of Risk Communication and Citizen Participation in Mobile Phone Base Station Installation
Date Issued
2010
Date
2010
Author(s)
Wang, Ri-Chie
Abstract
Both the mobile phone penetration rate and subscribe growing rate of Taiwan have been soaring high since the initiate of free competition in telecommunications market in 1998, and the number of licenses of mobile phone base station issued by government has increased to 43 thousands by the end of 2009 accordingly. The public concerns about the effect of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted from mobile phone base station have risen simultaneously. With the growing popularity of 3G, 3.5G and 4G mobile communications, NIMBY complaint letters sent to the public sector are expected to be increased more. This study first reviews the historical and local context of the NIMBY phenomenon, and then explores the causes of the over years’ failure of government on EMF risk communications. Finally, we will analysis the feasibility of adopting the way of citizen participation over the base station set up procedure.
This study founds: On the EMF NIMBY issue, there are significant opinion gaps between the various actors toward risk perceptions and residential EMF exposure limits. Government officials used to emphasize that the measured data is in line with safety norms, rigidly responded to people with the according-to-the-law principle, which led the rights of risk withstands ignored. Local governments and nearby inhabitants were fully deprived of their right to participate the base station set up procedures. Although all parties call that the participation of stakeholders should be included, however: 1. The Constitution and upper telecommunication policy follow the old cases. 2. The paradox of NCC being the institute to develop telecommunication and the authority to deal with NIMBY. 3 The lack of citizen participation in a similar precedent to follow, make the implementation of citizen participation in base station setting up procedures quite difficult.
This study suggests: 1. Dedicated department like PR should be set up inside each EMF NIMBY related sectors to do risk communicating jobs, in order to change the old "technocratic approach" way of risk communication. 2. Urge operators to take social responsibility, such as setting up specific funds for EMF risk management. 3. The Government''s jobs on risk management should be divided: by the EPA to accept the EMF measurement requirements, by the Bureau of Health Promotion to deal with the health concerns of EMF, in order to avoid the NCC being the role of both player and referee. 4. Follow the example of the antenna mounted on the wall of foreign to lower visual impact, cross-agencies integration should be done to overcome regulatory obstacles for many years. Finally, this study points out that collegiate system of NCC is a great opportunity for implementing citizen participation, which will respond to all parties call for closer to deliberative democracy
Subjects
mobile phone base station
NIMBY
EMF
risk communication
citizen participation
SDGs
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