Growing Wireless Demand Requires State Action, Industry Says
The wireless industry is urging states to update siting and pole attachment rules to support the move to faster 5G services. In an address to communications lawyers Thursday night, Wireless Infrastructure Association CEO Jonathan Adelstein reported progress updating siting and pole attachment rules in California. Separately, the New York Public Service Commission is considering a CTIA petition to allow small-cell wireless equipment on utility poles. And a NATOA board member supported wireless deployment but urged the industry to include local governments where equipment will be installed. States and local governments are expected to play a big role in 5G deployment (see 1607120074).
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“We increasingly depend on wireless,” Adelstein said in remarks prepared for the FCBA Northern California Chapter. “It requires a lot of infrastructure to keep up with the growing demand for wireless bandwidth.”
WIA has fought for rule changes in California to ease the build, said the former FCC commissioner: “California is often a challenging state to site wireless infrastructure, but we are making progress. ... Last year, we worked with a coalition to support AB-57, which streamlines the siting process for the vital infrastructure communities need. We’re also working with the Public Utilities Commission to secure new pole attachment regulations.”
Siting is “always a hot button topic in the Golden State” because Californians have strong environmental concerns, said another former FCC commissioner, Rachelle Chong, in the WIA news release on the event. Chong, honorary co-chairwoman of the FCBA chapter in California, was a commissioner on the PUC. “We have some of the heaviest use of wireless smartphones in the nation," she said. "Plus, we are Ground Zero for the app economy, yet providing these advanced communication services requires an abundant network of wireless facilities.” Wireless infrastructure “will deliver the Internet of Things, 5G and the services and jobs that will continue to grow the U.S. economy,” said Crown Castle Associate General Counsel Robert Millar, co-chairman of the FCBA chapter, in another statement.
Meanwhile, the New York PSC is eyeing changes to pole attachment rules per an industry request. The PSC sought comments June 30 on a CTIA petition to apply existing pole attachment requirements to wireless providers. Comments are due Aug. 1; replies Aug. 15, said a notice in docket 16-M-0330. Mobile carriers must be able to deploy small cells and distributed antenna systems on existing utility poles, but New York poles “remain largely inaccessible to wireless providers," CTIA said in the May 20 petition. "Much of the radio equipment that enables advanced 4G service (and that will enable future 5G service) must be installed on infrastructure located closer to consumers, and the volume of sites will far exceed that of traditional ‘macro-sites.’”
Local governments hope to partner with the wireless industry on infrastructure efforts, attorney and NATOA board member Ken Fellman emailed Friday. “Collaboration is always preferred to legislative or regulatory battles and in fact, we’ve been more successful when we work together to address the legitimate needs of all parties.” Local governments bristled last month at a California wireless siting bill that would have reduced local siting review for small-cell wireless infrastructure to speed deployment of 5G services. Local advocates said AB-2788 would take away a community’s authority to decide what infrastructure can be installed (see 1606210058). The bill failed, with sponsor Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D) saying legislators ran out of time (see 1606220024).
In most cases, the wireless industry and localities work well together on siting, said Fellman. “Most local governments understand the need to site infrastructure to expand and increase network capacity, and recognize the importance of robust broadband networks to the future well-being of their communities. The local official’s role is to balance that important goal with all of the other needs and interests of their constituents.”