NATOA, NLC to Release Alternative Municipal Model Code Amid BDAC Concerns
NATOA and the National League of Cities plan to release a model municipal code as an alternative to what’s released by the FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, said NLC Principal Associate-Technology and Communications Angelina Panettieri, on an NATOA webinar Monday.…
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NLC this summer plans to publish a municipal action guide about small-cells deployment, Panettieri said. All BDAC members, including local representatives, supported a municipal model code at the committee’s April meeting, and the committee plans to harmonize the code with a state model code and other proposals that municipalities oppose (see 1804300058 and 1804250064). That harmonization, expected to occur at a June meeting, may be “problematic” for local governments, Panettieri said. NLC concerns about BDAC membership continue, with only three of 30 members representing local government, but cities will stay, she said: “If you aren’t at the table, you are on the menu.” BDAC is basing recommendations on flawed premises, including that 5G is imminent, removing local process will speed 5G deployment or spur rural broadband and that localities are a problem, not a solution, said Coalition for Local Internet Choice CEO Joanne Hovis. 5G still has major technical limitations, including that it can’t pass through trees, and Wall Street analysts don’t say it’s coming soon, she said.