Holding local municipalities to deadlines to speed up the broadband infrastructure siting permitting process is something many providers have suggested to lawmakers; the concept is in the Mobile Now Act working its way through the Senate Commerce Committee and is also behind the recently-created Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee at the FCC, Inside Towers reported.
In Arizona, the legislature passed and the governor signed a bill to speed up the process that includes shot clocks. It ensures a uniform state policy for wireless carriers to get the necessary permits and agreements from Arizona cities and towns, Jeff Weninger, a state representative in the Arizona House, told lawmakers during Wednesday’s hearing (see story above). It also gives local towns regulatory clout to guarantee small cells meet their local codes for public safety, design standards, and concealment requirements. The language specifies that carriers pay appropriate pole attachment fees.
Getting all sides to agree on language took a while; industry was concerned about price and speed while local governments cared about aesthetics. They settled on a 75-day shot clock with a total of some $200 in penalties for missing deadlines. And within the first 20 days of receiving the paperwork, the local government must tell the provider whether the application is complete or not.
Stakeholders worked on the bill to address numerous roadblocks to siting broadband infrastructure. For example, it took Verizon three years to get agreements in a total of nine cities. Some localities have no permitting process at all for small cells or they use a process intended for large towers instead, according to Weninger.
May 4, 2017
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