Q&A with PCIA President and CEO Michael Fitch

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in RCR Wireless News’ January Special Edition Wireless Infrastructure: The Engine for Economic Recovery. Look for our March Special Edition, coming soon.
PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association is the national trade association representing the companies that make up the wireless telecommunications infrastructure industry. Its members include carriers, infrastructure providers and professional services firms. PCIA members own and manage more than 125,000 telecommunications sites.
PCIA advocates sound public policy for the industry, educates decision makers and the public about the importance of wireless communications and its requirements, and serves as a forum for the exchange of industry information and best practices. PCIA works at the federal, state and local levels to advance and protect the interests of its members.
RCR Wireless News: Does the federal shot clock on tower-siting applications go far enough? What else would PCIA like to see at the federal level?
Fitch: We were very pleased to see the Federal Communications Commission recognize the importance of reducing barriers to wireless infrastructure deployment through their recent actions. This is a good first step which should signal to local governments that their processes and actions on siting are an important part of crucial national services to users and FCC policy objectives. We will be monitoring how this does or does not change the practical results for the industry. While we hope this will produce much improvement, we believe that challenges will still remain. We particularly would like to see much more streamlining and expedition for collocation requests, which have nothing but positive impact on local interests and should require no additional zoning consideration in our view.
RCR Wireless News: The FCC is developing a national broadband policy to be delivered to Congress in February. What would PCIA like to see included in the plan?
Fitch: We are confident that the FCC will continue to promote the benefits of wireless broadband, which studies indicate is truly the future of broadband in America. Wireless broadband will be particularly effective in achieving the commission’s goals of promoting broadband availability in rural and unserved areas. Accordingly, we would like to see the commission in its plan ensure that these important infrastructure buildouts can be done in an expedient manner with minimal regulatory barriers.
RCR Wireless News: What are the industry’s top challenges going into 2010?
Fitch: PCIA works to advance industry interests at every level–federal, state and local. At the local level, there are well documented problems with the siting approval process. We work to educate decision makers about why more infrastructure is needed and in the interest of their communities and citizens.
At the state level, we have found that informed siting legislation can be an excellent solution to the right balance between industry needs and local authority. Every year we have priority states where we are working for new legislation to improve the process.
At the federal level, with a new FCC chairman and commissioners, there are many issues affecting the industry under consideration on which PCIA will be very active.
Some specific actions we have planned for 2010 include:
• Engaging lawmakers on “speed-to-market” issues, particularly cumbersome zoning practices in key markets
• Addressing the public perception regarding the safety and environmental impact of wireless facilities
• Building on the success PCIA had in 2009 where we intervened in proceedings in more than 40 local jurisdictions
RCR Wireless News: What does broadband stimulus package mean to the infrastructure industry?
Fitch: We are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the first round grants of broadband stimulus funding. Those grants can be a helpful additional source of capital funding for buildout in areas that need more service. Given that there were so many applicants proposing wireless broadband deployments, we expect that there will be a need for the rapid deployment of wireless infrastructure to implement grants to provide broadband to rural, unserved and underserved areas.
RCR Wireless News: As an organization that represents a rapidly growing and changing industry, what challenges will PCIA face in 2010?
Fitch: One challenge for PCIA is the expanding participation in the broad universe of this industry. With the increasing breadth of the wireless industry, there are new companies and more interests. The wireless ecosysytem includes all kinds of companies. Whether it is a national, regional or rural carrier, an OEM, tower company, project management firm or wide variety of professional service provider – they will all benefit from PCIA’s advocacy and initiatives. Likewise, we are more effective as a result of greater involvement. When it comes to policy impact, there truly is “strength in numbers.”