The FCC asked for comments on a draft nationwide agreement to str...
The FCC asked for comments on a draft nationwide agreement to streamline the review process for communication facilities under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The Commission also asked for comments on a proposed amendment to its rules to…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
incorporate the requirements set forth in the agreement. The agreement, it said, will establish further exclusions of colocations of antennas on existing structures from routine historic preservation review and prescribe standards and procedures for communications towers and for colocations that aren’t excluded under the colocation agreement. The Commission said it also intended to seek direct tribal input and consultation, including appearance at appropriate forums. FCC Chmn. Powell said the agreement was a “vital piece” of the Commission’s Environmental & Historic Preservation Action Plan, and said he was “committed to moving forward to finalize the agreement as soon as possible.” He said the agreement sought to “clarify the regulatory muddle and delay that has beset many tower-construction proposals… Our goal is to identify promptly those proposed sites that do impact historic sites and develop mitigation plans or alternative siting plans that allow services to be developed in those areas.” The agreement, he said, will also allow those sites that don’t have any potential historic impact to move forward without regulatory delay.