FCC's Wireless and Wireline Infrastructure Notices Change Little From Drafts
An FCC NPRM looking at ways to speed up wireless deployments saw few changes from the draft version, while a wireline notice of inquiry had no notable changes. Both were approved by commissioners 3-0 on Tuesday (see 2509300063).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
The final NPRM slightly waters down a section on regulatory impediments. “We continue to have concerns that state and local authorities are adopting regulations that impede the deployment of new and high quality services, and thereby could be in violation of the Telecommunications Act and Commission rules,” it says. The draft said the regulations violate the law and agency rules.
The NPRM also asks questions not in the draft. “Could state and local limits on densification inhibit or slow progress in building wireless networks capable of supporting advanced technologies beyond 5G?” Are there “limitations on wireless network deployment that otherwise could inhibit U.S. leadership in evolving technologies like artificial intelligence or future technologies like 6G? And how might those inhibitions affect the functionality of telecommunications and personal wireless services?”
The final version also adds to its examples of local government practices imposing gross revenue fees that could hamper wireless deployments.