Charter Lobbies FCC to Pre-Empt Municipal Broadband Fees; Localities Also Make Rounds
Charter Communications urged the FCC to spur broadband deployment "in a technology-neutral manner," including by pre-empting "the practice, by some municipalities, of assessing broadband licensing fees on providers who already have compensated municipalities" through cable franchise fees covering rights of…
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way. Citing the agency's wireline and wireless infrastructure proceedings, the cable company said pole-attachment "reforms" should "balance the streamlining of new deployment and the rights of existing attachers." Communications Act "Section 214 discontinuance proposals should not have the unintended effect of creating regulatory burdens on non-discontinuing providers," said a filing Monday in docket 17-84 on a meeting with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai and other agency staffers. Localities repeated arguments and said a model small-cell license agreement is "being replicated" throughout Colorado, said a filing by a counsel representing the Colorado Communications and Utility Alliance (a NATOA chapter); Ranier Communications Commission, Seattle and Tacoma, and King County, Washington; Jersey Access Group of New Jersey (another NATOA chapter); and the Colorado Municipal League. The counsel and other local representatives met with Commissioners Brendan Carr and Mike O'Rielly and various agency staffers. Countering industry comments "that all small cell sites look good and only have minimal visual/aesthetic impact," the counsel attached photos "of good siting and best practices" to "demonstrate that collaborative efforts are working and without local impact, significant negative impact to local community character will occur."