The wireless industry is facing many issues as roughly 2,500 representatives from industry, government and others plan to gather in Charlotte, NC next week for the Connectivity Expo. The Wireless Infrastructure Association is hosting Connect (X) May 21-24. Inside Towers asked WIA President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein about the most pressing issue facing the industry.
Ensuring 5G is rolled out in a rapid, sustainable and responsible way is of paramount concern, according to Adelstein. “With any deployment, we balance the needs of consumers for more bandwidth and the local community’s oversight. Clear rules of the road for all entities will pave the way for an efficient rollout of 5G, including properly defining small cells to avoid a public backlash,” he told Inside Towers. “Getting this right at the outset will unleash the investment in 5G so our communities will benefit as we continue to lead the world in wireless broadband networks.”
Asked what WIA, or the FCC and Congress are doing to help smooth the way, the association executive pointed to WIA’s work in Washington. He points to the FCC and Congress working, in a bipartisan way, to aggressively promote wireless broadband deployment. “WIA has worked with Congress as it successfully enacted laws encouraging co-location, the release of new spectrum and siting on federal lands, and we worked with the FCC to implement those laws effectively,” according to Adelstein.
He also tells Inside Towers: “Congress continues to work to cut the regulatory red tape and avoid new threats to broadband wireless deployment like repealing the unnecessary and ineffective tower marking requirements that were previously enacted. We continue to advocate the removal of unreasonable barriers to deployment, such as tightening shot clocks and making sure applications for wireless infrastructure are processed as quickly as possible.”
Over at the FCC, the agency “has shown extraordinary leadership in advancing wireless infrastructure, and continues to explore ways to balance the proper role of local governments with the authority of the Commission to prevent the prohibition of service,” Adelstein tells Inside Towers.
WIA is also working with state legislatures nationwide on bills to streamline infrastructure siting to remove barriers on a statewide level. “Twenty-one states have passed small cell legislation in recent sessions that carefully struck a balance between expedited review of certain projects, while retaining thoughtful zoning considerations for others,” he says. “Our work in Washington and around the country has saved companies untold millions of dollars and delivered better wireless service to communities around the country.”
The show, to be held at the Charlotte Convention Center, plans several sessions related to 5G. Register for Connect (X).
May 15, 2018
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