Wireless opponent Arthur Firstenberg wants a new round of public hearings on last month's upgrades of AT&T's cellular-phone system in Santa Fe.

Firstenberg, who says he is hypersensitive to electromagnetic signals from wireless devices, drew headlines last year by suing his neighbor over her use of an iPhone and a Wi-Fi system. A judge has thrown out the iPhone claim, but the Wi-Fi claim is set for trial on March 21.

Now, Firstenberg is asking for a judge to require AT&T to apply for a special exception from the city to increase the intensity of its signals. Otherwise, he contends, AT&T should be forced to shut off its new system in 30 days.

An AT&T spokeswoman declined to comment on the charges and referred a reporter to an industry group, whose spokesman was not available for comment this week.

On Nov. 15, AT&T turned on its third generation — 3G — network for the first time in Santa Fe, allowing faster connections and new options on iPhones. Verizon Wireless, which provides service for the BlackBerry and other smart phones, has offered 3G service here since 2006. It plans to begin 4G service in some cities next year and by 2013 in Santa Fe. Verizon reportedly will begin offering service for iPhones early next year.

AT&T's implementation of 3G service "vastly increased the bandwidth of their radio emissions," constituting "a change in the intensity of use," according to Firstenberg's pro-se petition for a writ of mandamus filed Wednesday in state District Court in Santa Fe.

The city land-use code, it says, requires AT&T to seek a special exception "for each of its existing base stations before it is permitted to increase the intensity of use" — a process that requires new public hearings.

The city already had one hearing on the subject on Nov. 17, when the Board of Adjustment approved changes in several AT&T cell towers to accommodate 3G service. Firstenberg and others at that meeting claimed that under the land-use code, AT&T should seek a special exception for those changes, but city attorneys maintained that was not required, Firstenberg said.

Attached to Firstenberg's petition are letters from more than a dozen people asking the Board of Adjustment to reject the changes because they are concerned that their health, or that of others, is being damaged by the proliferation of electromagnetic signals.

Angela Werneke of Santa Fe wrote that she has immune deficiency, chronic fatigue and chronic migraines. Although she has not been diagnosed with electromagnetic sensitivity, she wrote, she is "deeply concerned, not only for my own personal health and well being, but also for all those who are being marginalized from our community by the pervasive and rapidly increasing levels of electromagnetic radiation."

Felicia Noelle Trujillo, a Feldenkrais practitioner in Santa Fe, wrote that she has patients who are undeniably sensitive to electromagnetic radiation and will suffer from "this brutal and instant rise in the levels of EMR in their environment, when they are already in a weakened state."

Jeraldine Peterson-Mark, a Santa Fe massage therapist, said she tries to avoid the "disturbances caused by living in a wired society," but believes "there is nowhere left to run or hide as large companies' interests are being prioritized over my rights as an individual to choose my good health and well being over bloated modern conveniences."

Contact Tom Sharpe at 986-3080 or tsharpe@sfnewmexican.com.