WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - A rule prodding local governments to review applications for wireless antennas more quickly was adopted by U.S. regulators on Wednesday.
The five-member Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously agreed to give local governments 90 days to determine whether to co-locate an antenna on an existing tower and 150 days for new sites.
If there is still no decision, an applicant would have 30 days to take the case to court.
Companies such as Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc and T-Mobile, the U.S. unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, are seeking to deploy the next generation of wireless products and services to meet growing consumer demand. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said that of the 3,300 pending zoning applications for wireless facilities last year, more than 760 had been pending for more than a year and 180 had been pending for more than three years.
The wireless industry says state and local governments have in some cases resisted making decisions on adding more antennas to current towers and putting up new sites due to concerns
about how towers would affect property values.
Local governments, concerned about ceding authority to the federal government on property zoning issues, could challenge the new rules in court.
The antenna rule, backed by the wireless industry, comes as the FCC crafts a national high-speed Internet plan aimed at increasing adoption throughout the country.
At the meeting, FCC officials presented an update on the broadband plan and again looked at some of the gaps that need to be addressed in the report to be submitted to Congress in February.
One of the biggest gaps is finding more airwaves to meet the needs of the burgeoning wireless industry as more and more consumers access the Internet using laptops and smartphones.
Broadcasters are balking at suggestions that the FCC might seek some airwaves from broadcasters for broadband use. Officials cautioned that reallocating spectrum could take years.
Officials have also cited differences between actual and advertised Internet speeds. They said consumers are unable to compare actual speeds across the different providers.
One of the goals of the Obama administration is to help low-income families get online. FCC's preliminary analysis found that areas with lower income have fewer competitors and areas with fewer competitors have higher prices.
Another area officials will be focused on is the emergence of televisions used to watch online videos from Netflix Inc , Google Inc's YouTube and other sources.
FCC Media Bureau Chief William Lake said at the meeting that 'limited innovation' in set-top boxes used for cable and satellite programming is a 'significant constraint.'
'Television and the Internet have historically been different worlds, but that time is coming to and end,' FCC Media Bureau Chief William Lake said. 'TV and the Internet video are converging.'
The tower siting rule will be effective upon a formal notice from the FCC expected later on Wednesday.
Genachowski said the rule would help speed the deployment of the new 4G networks, 'while also respecting the legitimate concerns of local authorities and preserving their control over local zoning and land use policies.'
T-Mobile and AT&T praised the FCC rule for striking the right balance between the needs of the industry and local authorities.
AT&T Senior Vice President-Federal Regulatory Robert Quinn said the FCC rule provides a path to resolving zoning issues.
'Removing obstacles to the deployment of competitive broadband facilities is necessary to achieve the goal of 100 percent broadband for all Americans,' he added.
(Reporting by John Poirier; editing by Tim Dobbyn, Bernard Orr and Andre Grenon) Keywords: FCC/TOWERS (john.poirier@thomsonreuters.com; +1 202 898 8399) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The five-member Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously agreed to give local governments 90 days to determine whether to co-locate an antenna on an existing tower and 150 days for new sites.
If there is still no decision, an applicant would have 30 days to take the case to court.
Companies such as Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc and T-Mobile, the U.S. unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, are seeking to deploy the next generation of wireless products and services to meet growing consumer demand. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said that of the 3,300 pending zoning applications for wireless facilities last year, more than 760 had been pending for more than a year and 180 had been pending for more than three years.
The wireless industry says state and local governments have in some cases resisted making decisions on adding more antennas to current towers and putting up new sites due to concerns
about how towers would affect property values.
Local governments, concerned about ceding authority to the federal government on property zoning issues, could challenge the new rules in court.
The antenna rule, backed by the wireless industry, comes as the FCC crafts a national high-speed Internet plan aimed at increasing adoption throughout the country.
At the meeting, FCC officials presented an update on the broadband plan and again looked at some of the gaps that need to be addressed in the report to be submitted to Congress in February.
One of the biggest gaps is finding more airwaves to meet the needs of the burgeoning wireless industry as more and more consumers access the Internet using laptops and smartphones.
Broadcasters are balking at suggestions that the FCC might seek some airwaves from broadcasters for broadband use. Officials cautioned that reallocating spectrum could take years.
Officials have also cited differences between actual and advertised Internet speeds. They said consumers are unable to compare actual speeds across the different providers.
One of the goals of the Obama administration is to help low-income families get online. FCC's preliminary analysis found that areas with lower income have fewer competitors and areas with fewer competitors have higher prices.
Another area officials will be focused on is the emergence of televisions used to watch online videos from Netflix Inc , Google Inc's YouTube and other sources.
FCC Media Bureau Chief William Lake said at the meeting that 'limited innovation' in set-top boxes used for cable and satellite programming is a 'significant constraint.'
'Television and the Internet have historically been different worlds, but that time is coming to and end,' FCC Media Bureau Chief William Lake said. 'TV and the Internet video are converging.'
The tower siting rule will be effective upon a formal notice from the FCC expected later on Wednesday.
Genachowski said the rule would help speed the deployment of the new 4G networks, 'while also respecting the legitimate concerns of local authorities and preserving their control over local zoning and land use policies.'
T-Mobile and AT&T praised the FCC rule for striking the right balance between the needs of the industry and local authorities.
AT&T Senior Vice President-Federal Regulatory Robert Quinn said the FCC rule provides a path to resolving zoning issues.
'Removing obstacles to the deployment of competitive broadband facilities is necessary to achieve the goal of 100 percent broadband for all Americans,' he added.
(Reporting by John Poirier; editing by Tim Dobbyn, Bernard Orr and Andre Grenon) Keywords: FCC/TOWERS (john.poirier@thomsonreuters.com; +1 202 898 8399) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.