The infrastructure market appears set to benefit from a new Federal Communications Commission to hasten the deployment of broadband services.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced late last week that the government will take new action as part of its Broadband Acceleration Initiative designed to remove barriers to the deployment of mobile broadband infrastructure, including “towers, distributed antenna systems and small cells.” The action includes defining and clarifying a technical provision in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 “regarding local review of requests to modify an existing wireless tower or base station” that the FCC said will “accelerate deployment and delivery of high-speed mobile broadband to communities across the nation.”
The FCC also launched a proceeding to ease the temporary deployment of cell on wheels (COWs) and cells on light trucks (COLTs) during special events. That move comes just ahead of next weekend’s Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Small cells and DAS are expected to benefit from plans to further streamline the regulatory processes in place government the deployment of such technology; as well as plans to re-examine the current legislation surrounding the “shot clock” and the development of “model facility siting rules for localities.”
“Providing more certainty to industry and municipalities, and more flexibility to carriers to meet extraordinary, short-term service needs will accelerate private and public investment to strengthen our nation’s communications networks,” explained Genachowski in a statement. “Just as is the case for our nation’s roads and bridges, we must continue to invest in improvements to cell towers and transmission equipment, in order to ensure ubiquitous, high-speed Internet for all Americans. To keep pace with technological advances, such as the advent of small cells and to lay the groundwork for new developments, our policies must continue to adapt.”
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