States, Localities Seen Warming to Broadband and 5G Buildout, With More Work to Do

Localities now realize they must facilitate antenna siting and other steps, said Steve Traylor, outgoing (see 1709270034) executive director of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. Local views resisting streamlining "for the most part" have changed, he said. AT&T has seen "a change in attitude that is much more pro-buildout than what it was, not that it’s unanimous,” said Jonathan Norton, director-public policy. He said some localities are “very proactive” in working with AT&T on deployment, and there's a "coattail effect" in states, which have begun passing bills for model processes. "Once one passed, certainly no one wanted to be last; they didn’t want to be seen as lagging behind," he said. "The value in IoT and smart communities ... is so compelling."

The White House is focused on closing the digital divide and ensuring U.S. leadership in 5G and next-generation networks offering telemedicine, distance learning, economic opportunities and other benefits, said Kelsey Guyselman, Office of Science and Technology Policy adviser. “It will become more and more obvious what these benefits are and I think that will help drive adoption at the state and local level,” she said. “I think you’ll see a shift toward pro-deployment, network-friendly policies.”

The situation has improved, but some localities still have actual and de facto moratoriums on deployment, said Brian Hendricks, Nokia's regional policy head. "Land use policy shouldn't be a variable in terms of who gets broadband," he said. He said 5G requires network densification through distributed antenna systems and other small-cell deployments, with Nokia hoping to deploy up to 500,000 such antennas. He said some localities have no processes to facilitate industry efforts and others have extensive fee structures that hinder deployment: "Very quickly, a 100 or 200 small-cell deployment has millions and millions and millions of dollars of regulatory costs imposed upon it, and those charges don't reflect costs."

Industry can help educate officials on benefits of 5G and next-generation broadband, which can increase operational efficiencies of water, sewer, electric and other systems, Traylor said. Localities may not get as much money from pole fees, but "you're going to get three times the savings by putting that small cell on that pole." Hendricks acknowledged industry could do a better job educating officials, but said states and localities must embrace pro-siting policies. He's hopeful an FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee can establish some best practices that avoid pre-emption, also noting commission infrastructure proceedings.

The federal government can help bring stakeholders together to focus on broadband deployment, said Steve Crout, Qualcomm vice president-government affairs. He urged a light-touch regulatory framework. Former Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, now adviser at Brownstein Hyatt, said government "is always a little behind" technology, so prescriptive rules can hinder innovation. He urged industry parties to focus on targeted issues and stay away from "noise" and controversies: "Be careful about these big issues that keep popping up, because if you get into those, your group could be a casualty."

Guyselman said broadband will be included in any administration infrastructure package. In the meantime, she believes there's much the administration can do through executive action to speed and simplify federal processes.

Chief of Staff Glenn Reynolds said NTIA is seeking to help eliminate barriers to small-cell siting and the fiber deployment needed for increased backhaul. He said the federal government needs to do more to promote deployment on its vast land and property holdings. NTIA is working with other agencies to incorporate broadband-friendly practices into their policies, he said. He said the Navy made changes to reduce application processing time from an average of six years to one year.