CTIA Makes Economic Case for Streamlining Siting Rules

The wireless industry’s ability to deploy 5G and help the economy depends on industry having “reasonable” access to rights of way, CTIA said in comments posted Friday in FCC docket 17-79, with an Accenture study that lowering regulatory review timelines to speed deployment by 12 months would unleash an extra $100 billion in economic growth over the next three years. “Establish clear timelines for the entire local review process, with enforceable remedies, and ensure that fees charged by state and local governments are cost-based, non-discriminatory, and transparent,” the association asked. “Address specific types of regulations or requirements that have been identified as substantially delaying or deterring service, including denials of access to municipally-owned utility poles and other structures, requirements that all facilities along rights-of-way be underground, requirements to prove a service coverage gap or other business need, and subjective, unreasonable, or unpublished aesthetic restrictions or those that discriminate against wireless deployment.”