The FCC has adopted measures to streamline and tailor the review process for communications towers and other commission-licensed facilities under the National Historic Preservation Act.
The agency said the new review process would provide certainty and ease burdens on everyone involved in the operation while continuing to protect historic properties, including lands that Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations consider religious or culturally significant.
As the number of tower constructions around the country has dramatically increased since the late 1990s, the FCC said it has a responsibility to manage the expansion of communications infrastructure in a way that preserves historical resources. Because of increased tower construction, the number of environmental and historic preservation reviews conducted by tower constructors, state historic preservation officers, and FCC staff has also increased, creating case backlogs, additional paperwork, and delays in the deployment of necessary wireless, public safety, broadcast and other communications towers.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers also need to sign the agreement.
FCC Tries to Simplify Tower Siting in Historic Areas
FCC Tries to Simplify Tower Siting in Historic Areas
