More than a dozen cities sue FCC over small cell order

More than a dozen municipalities in California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona are going to court to challenge the new FCC rules that limit the ability of local governments to establish aesthetic standards and set access fees for wireless providers deployment of small cell equipment in public rights of way.
 

San Jose, Los Angeles, Portland, OR, and Las Vegas are among the cities suing the FCC. The Commission claims that the small cell order is intended to facilitate wireless infrastructure deployment. But the draft order sets requirements that will make it difficult for local governments to protect their residents’ safety, health, and welfare in leasing access to public facilities and rights-of-way.

In September, CWA senta letterto the FCC criticising the Commission’s draft small cell order as an example of federal overreach, going far beyond recommendations of the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC).

Links:

More than a dozen cities are challenging the FCC over how to deploy 5G cell sites (Washington Post, Oct. 25, 2018)

CWA to FCC on draft small cell order (FCC, Sept. 18, 2018)

FCC overreach on deployment of next-generation wireless prevents cities from protecting public interest(Speed Matters, Sept. 28, 2018)