The FCC will review the wireless industry’s petition to restrict municipal zoning rights, new Federal Communications Commission Chair Julis Genachowski told a big wireless industry gathering this morning. Glendale engaged expert legal counsel just last week, joining with several other cities, to oppose this petition before the FCC . The Wall Street Journal reported:
Mr. Genachowski had a solid bit of good news for wireless carriers. He said the FCC will soon act on a proposal to impose a “shot clock” timetable for companies seeking permission to build cellular towers in local communities.
CTIA has been urging the FCC to act on the tower-siting proposal for years, saying dragged out negotiations with local communities on cell towers harms providers’ ability to improve their networks.
Immunity from municipal zoning restrictions is a big priority for the industry. Additional spectrum (along with more towers) to meet demand for mobile broadband uses is another; Genachowski promised action on that as well.
Recent FCC-proposed internet openness rules, known as “net neutrality”, are disadvantageous to wireless providers, whose transmission is more constrained than wireline broadband. On this front, though, the wireless industry appears to have retreated, as a recent announcement by Apple indicates.