FCC Selects Members for Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee’s Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group

Washington, DC – August 3, 2017 –  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai today announced members to serve on the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee’s (BDAC) Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group, which is chaired by Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA).

BDAC’s mission is to provide advice and recommendations to the Commission on how to accelerate the deployment of high-speed Internet access. BDAC, which was created by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in January, includes members from the wireless industry, consumer advocacy groups, and community leaders. As Congress continues to work to address the issue of broadband deployment, BDAC serves as a vital avenue to bring experts together and put forward timely suggestions for regulators and lawmakers.

The Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group is tasked with developing recommendations to improve the process of siting telecommunications facilities on federal lands and federally managed properties.

A complete list of the members of the working group can be found here.

“I’m pleased to welcome these distinguished members to the Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group,” said Adelstein. “They are an excellent cross-section that can develop solid recommendations to improve siting on federal lands. I look forward to working with all of them and Valerie Fast Horse of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, who serves as Vice Chair of this important group. Nearly a third of America’s landmass and thousands of buildings are owned or controlled by the Federal government. We need processes that ensure Federal resources are efficiently tapped to bridge the digital divide and bring broadband services to Americans living in hard-to-serve rural areas and dense urban centers. Access to dependable broadband service will spark jobs and economic growth in communities across the country.”

BDAC Working Groups are:

  • Competitive Access to Broadband Infrastructure
  • Removing State and Local Regulatory Barriers
  • Model Code for Municipalities
  • Model Code for States
  • Streamlining Federal Siting

Collectively, the working groups are tackling major issues including the need for reforms to the FCC’s pole attachment rules; identifying unreasonable regulatory barriers to broadband deployment; ways to encourage local governments to adopt deployment-friendly policies; and other reforms within the scope of the FCC’s authority. Recommendations of BDAC working groups are due to the FCC later this fall.