As the FCC works to loosen the reigns municipalities have on siting broadband infrastructure, the National League of Cities asks the agency to hold off on any big changes until the work of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee is done. In a recent meeting with Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and members of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and their staffs, NLC representatives from Georgia and Arizona also discussed what they see as a lack of representation of local governments on BDAC.
“The National League of Cities continued to urge the Commission to increase the number and diversity of local officials on the BDAC to a level comparable with the number and diversity of industry officials,” writes NLC in a filing describing the meeting.
The NLC opposes further restrictions on local wireless infrastructure siting authority like “deemed granted remedies to missing shot clock deadlines. If the Commission wishes to eliminate barriers to broadband, it must include barriers to local governments’ efforts to expand broadband,” writes the organization.
On a positive note, the NLC highlighted what local governments are doing to work with the industry to ensure infrastructure is deployed in a timely way. Infrastructure providers in Georgia, for example, are conducting ride-alongs with municipal staff and engineers to examine requested sites and tackle potential issues such as co-location or interference with existing equipment.
NLC opposes further guidance regarding local aesthetic requirements, noting such visual characteristics can vary greatly in areas with historic neighborhoods or multiple ecosystems, and are important to retain local character and property values. “For example, the City of Mesa, Arizona has both lush tree groves and desert neighborhoods, and the appropriate aesthetic requirements for wireless infrastructure in these neighborhoods differ greatly. Each community has its own unique concerns that may not be adequately addressed by federal guidance,” according to NLC.
May 26, 2017
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