How to reduce excessive permitting
fees for siting broadband infrastructure continued to be a large topic
for debate on the FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) for
a second day on Wednesday. Tensions are evident between municipal
members and those who represent wireless companies. Those who work for
companies deploying broadband want what they consider excessive siting
fees reduced, but those representing local governments say language in
various model codes being worked on do not specify how to compensate if
those fees are lowered.
Sam Liccardo, mayor of San Jose, at
one point over the two-day meeting called them “unfunded mandates.” He
said he’s willing to support a regulated rate, but one that recognizes
the actual burden on cities. “It’s more than the cost of installing
something on a pole.”
The BDAC acknowledges in draft form
that public-private partnerships may provide solutions to bridge those
divides. Charles McKee, VP Government Affairs for Sprint, said the draft
language “may not do everything everyone wants it to do, but fairly
frames up both sides. When we look at our network … there is no
redlining. We have a limited capital budget. We can only do so much.” A
cost increase, such as a high fee to deploy wireless infrastructure for
small cells for example, he and other carriers explained, lowers how
much cell service they can provide. “This recommendation simply asks the
FCC to give us a reasonable definition of a rate.” Continue Reading
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