Government Officials Ensure Flexibility in Wireless Solutions Ahead of FCC Vote on Infrastructure Order
As demand for wireless data and capacity grows, industry and government must work together to let service providers innovate and deploy infrastructure to meet that demand, said government officials and wireless executives Tuesday at an FCBA event. An order that will be taken up by the FCC at its meeting this month will be a critical step, they said.
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The forthcoming order reflects the recognition that wireless demand is exploding and the infrastructure today isn’t up to the task of carrying it all, said Chad Breckinridge, Wireless Bureau associate chief. “We have to figure out a way to meet demand as it keeps growing.” The commission also wants to encourage small cell deployment, which has lower impact on the environment and structures that the equipment is placed on, he said.
The FCC doesn’t have much authority over wireless infrastructure, Breckinridge said. Land use issues are reserved for states and localities to resolve, he said. In some cases, the FCC has to go through an historic preservation process if historic properties might be affected by something authorized by the FCC, he said. There also are processes to make sure wireless infrastructure or sitings don’t implicate environmental issues, he said.
The commission’s approach to implementing Section 6409 of the middle class tax relief provision in the 2012 Job Preservation Act is key, said David Redl, House Communications Subcommittee chief counsel. It’s being implemented “in a way that will streamline a lot of the processes that have stymied some of the more innovative buildout strategies for the wireless companies,” he said. As the House Commerce Committee looks toward updating the Communications Act, lawmakers will keep in mind that it’s unclear what the future of wireless infrastructure will look like, said Redl. “We can’t know what’s going to come next, so providing a framework that is predictable and promotes investment, but is flexible so as not to thwart innovation, is really the sweet spot we're trying to hit."
The order touches on many different statutory requirements and Section 6409 is at the heart of it, said Breckinridge. That statute, which focuses on spectrum, dovetails into other efforts the commission is trying to move forward, he said. The FCC also wants to encourage collocation, he said. It’s quicker, cheaper and “whatever kind of impact it may have on the environment or historical property has already happened,” he said. The commission needs to recognize that state, localities and tribes have an essential role in the way the process works, he added.
Neutral host providers can use distributed antenna systems (DAS) or small cell solutions to help deliver ubiquitous coverage to everyone for a multitude of purposes, said Paul Roberts, American Tower vice president-compliance. Such solutions are deployed in cities, and inside structures, like casinos, hotels, and highrises, he said. They let people living in small rural areas receive the same access to wireless services as people in easier to reach areas receive, he said.
To meet the wireless data demand, AT&T provides more spectrum and finds ways to increase coverage and capacity of the network, said Jeanine Poltronieri, assistant vice president-federal regulatory. The carrier uses tools like DAS and small cells, she said. Small cell is a “pretty quick solution,” and it’s meant to be used indoors, she said. It requires backhaul and can accommodate about three users within a radius of nine-tenths of a mile, she said. DAS can handle about 75 users over about one-third of a mile, and it’s used in stadiums and other large venues, she said. DAS lets AT&T reuse spectrum and helps with zoning issues when a large macro site can’t be deployed, she said. The cost is lower, but macro sites are still needed, Poltronieri added. “Those big towers aren’t going away, but this is a way to make more of the spectrum that we have get more coverage and more capacity where it’s needed."
DAS and small cell solutions enable multiple carriers to be put in a fairly constricted space, said Roberts. In a macro setting, an AT&T tower and a Verizon tower can be located within half a mile of each other and service their own customer bases, he said. “But when you get inside a high rise, trying to wire it for each individual carrier … makes no financial sense."
The industry also is addressing workforce training and safety, Roberts said. It’s a “high hazard area” due to employees working on elevated structures and due to electrical hazards, he said. Employees also face hazards on the road, he said. There have been nine cell tower climber deaths so far this year and there were 14 deaths last year, Roberts said. There will be an FCC workshop this month to home in on causes of problems and their solutions, he said.
Putting a focus on these issues now helps the industry, Poltronieri said, referring to the upcoming order. AT&T is looking forward to more clarity in the rules and ways to work with localities that aren’t moving quickly enough to allow industry to provide service, she said.