Group Wants State to Have Better Oversight of Tech

Image courtesy of LastTreeLaws.com

This August the ballot committee ‘Safer Tech at LastTreeLaws.com’ filed
a comprehensive initiative petition with the attorney general in Boston
to establish the advisory Office of Research and Technology
Optimization (ORTO). The proposed independent office will establish an
"As Safe As Reasonable and Achievable" (ASARAA) guideline for consumer
and state technology, bridging a massive gap in independent public
safety research.

While Massachusetts requires the petition to
focus on a single subject—non-ionizing radiation like wireless,
electricity, and artificial light—the office is intentionally designed
to be advisory. This structure is a direct response to the Massachusetts
Supreme Judicial Court's ruling in Gilardi v. Board of Health of Pittsfield,
which held that the federal Supremacy Clause preempts local boards from
directly regulating or shutting down cell towers over non-ionizing
radiation emissions. Because federal law blocks local bans, ORTO is
built to investigate broader, overlapping societal impacts and provide
the independent, expert advice that local communities currently lack.
Its research will address urgent public questions such as wireless grid
energy demands, cybersecurity, real-time data surveillance, autonomous
robotics, electromagnetic weapons, public and environmental health.

“Across
the Commonwealth, the public is constantly negotiating to allow guard
rails on new technologies, often without access to expertise. In
contrast, state legislators are accelerating advanced technologies
without any independent, industry-free watchdog to ensure they are
safe," said ballot committee chair Kirstin Beatty.
"The state’s massive economic development package authorizes hundreds
of millions in long-term technology bonds—including $75 million for AI,
$100 million for autonomous defense systems, and $25 million for
robotics. We are funding the accelerator, but we completely forgot to
fund the brakes.

“Clearly, new AI infrastructure increases energy
demands and installation of residential 5G cell towers lowers property
values, but these are just the visible problems. ORTO will serve as a
common-sense expert resource for everyday citizens and the legislature,
evaluating technologies and recommending guard rails to protect the
public."

The Attorney General’s office is currently reviewing the
initiative for certification under state law, with a formal decision
expected in early September to clear the petition for public signature
gathering.

The ballot committee is actively seeking support from
Massachusetts residents, businesses, and local organizations to help
gather signatures and fund the initiative. A volunteer and donation
sign-up form is available online at LastTreeLaws.com, as well as the full text of the petition initiative.