FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski Friday
announced several new actions in the FCC's Broadband Acceleration Initiative.
They include streamlining deployment of mobile infrastructures -- towers, small
cells and distributed antenna systems.
A
release from the chairman's office said that the commission and "defined
and clarified" a technical provision regarding local review of tower
modifications, launched a proceeding to speed the placement of temporary cells
on wheels (COWs) and cells on light trucks (COLTS), which are used at flash
mobs of potential cell congestion, like the Super Bowl.
The
chairman also plans to streamline the deployment of small cell technology, look
at whether the FCC's tower citing shot clock offers sufficient clarity to
industry and municipalities." (FCC moves to speed tower citing via shot
clocks on local reviews are currently the subject of a Supreme Court case about
the limits of FCC authority)"
"Just
as is the case for our nation's roads and bridges, we must continue to invest
in improvements to cell towers and transmission equipment, in order to ensure
ubiquitous, high-speed Internet for all Americans," the chairman said in a
statement.
Commissioner
Jessica Rosenworcel was particularly pleased with the tower citing portion,
suggesting it had a familiar ring.
"I
am particularly grateful that the Commission will be moving forward with my
earlier proposal to craft model rules for broadband and wireless facility siting
for state and local governments," she said, referring to a speech last
November at a Silicon Flatirons conference where she made the proposal.
"These off-the-rack model ordinances should help harmonize President
Obama's Executive Order 13616 for facility siting on federal land and property,
wireless facility policies in Section 6409 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and
Job Creation Act, and the Commission's existing shot clock rules for tower
siting. By streamlining this process with model rules we can provide a way
forward for state and local governments looking to oversee deployments within
their borders. But more than that-we can make progress by promoting a more
predictable set of laws all across the country."
