In a vote split along party lines, the Federal Communications Commission continued its press to minimize local barriers to network deployment by allowing excavation and deployment of equipment up to 30 feet beyond a site boundary without triggering additional review.
Republican commission members framed the change as an administrative one that provides consistency across various federal review types and “balances” local review with the desire for speedier, more streamlined network deployment and co-location, particularly for 5G networks. The two Democratic commissioners noted the outcry from cities and counties at the preemption of local control over cell sites and land use and said that the change doesn’t stand up to scrutiny and harms federal and local relationships.
