On New Year's Eve, NLC, NACo, USCM & NATOA filed Joint Local Government Associations’ Comments in the FCC's Wireless NPRM, Build America: Eliminating Barriers to Wireless Deployments, WC Docket No. 25-276 on behalf of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National League of Cities (NLC), the National Association of Counties (NACo), and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) reiterate positions on the Commission’s questions regarding local permitting processes, timelines, and compensation for rights-of-way access, as well as the Commission’s broad mischaracterization of local rights-of-way management.
"As we stated in our comments in WC Docket No. 25-253, local government elected leaders and officials, being the leaders closest to the people, have worked hard to collaborate creatively with federal, state, and private sector partners to bring high-speed, affordable broadband and telecommunications services to all communities. Similar to the Commission’s Wireline Notice of Inquiry, the Local Government Associations strenuously object to the Commission’s depiction of local permitting as an obstacle to the provision of wireless telecommunications services. The parties suggesting this seek to strip local governments of their ability to responsibly manage public assets in the rights-of-way, while still expecting rights-of-way that are safe, well-planned, and conducive to technology-neutral competition."
The Local Government Associations note that federal and state preemption has not sped up (wireless) deployments during the time the Commission has preempted local governments, primarily through the 2018 Small Cell Order. There is little credible evidence that deployments have increased or improved under the new rules.
Likewise, deployment in states that have moved to preempt local government authority has not moved faster than deployment in states that have retained local authority. In fact, in several states that have moved to preempt local authority, the greatest need for federal financial assistance to enable deployment exists. There is no evidence whatsoever that earlier federal preemption efforts or similar state-level preemption efforts featuring calls like shot clocks, deemed-granted remedies, and the like had any direct material impact on the build-out of wireless services or on improvements to the permitting process. The only directly observable impact has been an increase in administrative burdens for local governments, without material improvement to the state of connectivity in unserved and underserved areas.
“America’s local government leaders willingly partner with federal agencies, state governments, and broadband providers to close the digital divide in all communities, for all residents. Expanding blanket impositions of one-size-fits-all regulatory overreach into local zoning and planning decisions does not accomplish that goal. The Local Government Associations urge the Commission to consider instead mechanisms that foster and improve the collaborative, locally tailored processes shown to balance cost, safety, and responsible stewardship of finite public resources. Furthermore, we urge the Commission to consider ways to address local government concerns around the timely deployment and restoration of work sites, and hold providers accountable to the commitments made to our communities.”
You can find the NLC, NACo, USCM & NATOA comments here: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1231109325442/1
NLC, NACo, USCM & NATOA filed Joint Comments in the FCC's Wireless NPRM on New Year's Eve
On New Year's Eve, NLC, NACo, USCM & NATOA filed Joint Local Government Associations’ Comments in the FCC's Wireless NPRM, Build America: Eliminating Barriers to Wireless Deployments, WC Docket No. 25-276 on behalf of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National League of Cities (NLC), the National Association of Counties (NACo), and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) reiterate positions on the Commission’s questions regarding local permitting processes, timelines, and compensation for rights-of-way access, as well as the Commission’s broad mischaracterization of local rights-of-way management.
"As we stated in our comments in WC Docket No. 25-253, local government elected leaders and officials, being the leaders closest to the people, have worked hard to collaborate creatively with federal, state, and private sector partners to bring high-speed, affordable broadband and telecommunications services to all communities. Similar to the Commission’s Wireline Notice of Inquiry, the Local Government Associations strenuously object to the Commission’s depiction of local permitting as an obstacle to the provision of wireless telecommunications services. The parties suggesting this seek to strip local governments of their ability to responsibly manage public assets in the rights-of-way, while still expecting rights-of-way that are safe, well-planned, and conducive to technology-neutral competition."
The Local Government Associations note that federal and state preemption has not sped up (wireless) deployments during the time the Commission has preempted local governments, primarily through the 2018 Small Cell Order. There is little credible evidence that deployments have increased or improved under the new rules.
Likewise, deployment in states that have moved to preempt local government authority has not moved faster than deployment in states that have retained local authority. In fact, in several states that have moved to preempt local authority, the greatest need for federal financial assistance to enable deployment exists. There is no evidence whatsoever that earlier federal preemption efforts or similar state-level preemption efforts featuring calls like shot clocks, deemed-granted remedies, and the like had any direct material impact on the build-out of wireless services or on improvements to the permitting process. The only directly observable impact has been an increase in administrative burdens for local governments, without material improvement to the state of connectivity in unserved and underserved areas.
“America’s local government leaders willingly partner with federal agencies, state governments, and broadband providers to close the digital divide in all communities, for all residents. Expanding blanket impositions of one-size-fits-all regulatory overreach into local zoning and planning decisions does not accomplish that goal. The Local Government Associations urge the Commission to consider instead mechanisms that foster and improve the collaborative, locally tailored processes shown to balance cost, safety, and responsible stewardship of finite public resources. Furthermore, we urge the Commission to consider ways to address local government concerns around the timely deployment and restoration of work sites, and hold providers accountable to the commitments made to our communities.”
You can find the NLC, NACo, USCM & NATOA comments here: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1231109325442/1
Categories
Most Recent Posts