The global race to next-generation wireless technology is on, and the current Congress and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have been taking huge steps toward making sure the United States is well-prepared to usher in the next wave of innovation and economic growth.
Newly unveiled bipartisan legislation from Sens. Thune (R-SD) and Schatz (D-HI) takes several steps in the right direction. The STREAMLINE Small Cell Deployment Act prioritizes rollout of 5G technology that will create more jobs, more investment, and better technology for Americans nationwide.
The bill addresses a key hurdle to 5G deployment by removing unreasonable barriers to rollout and siting for new internet technology. The next generation of wireless networks will rely on small cell technology, which as the name suggests, are small pizza-box sized devices. Deployment of these devices requires a lot more build out and development, and, unfortunately, there are states and localities that have developed a bad track record of holding up the review and approval rollout and siting. Many jurisdictions will treat an individual small cell, which takes merely a few hours to install, in the same way they treat last-generation cellular towers, which require months of planning and construction to complete. This legislation ensures that states and localities can no longer be “unreasonably discriminate” when reviewing siting applications for network deployment.
The STREAMLINE Act would also institute what’s called a “shot clock” provision on small cell deployment, which means that jurisdictions would have to respond to new siting applications in a reasonable timeframe, or the application would be deemed to be approved. In a bureaucratic environment where siting applications can take years to eventually get rejected, this will be a massive upgrade.
And as we’ve said before, taxpayers at the state and local levels will also reap benefits from 5G innovation as governments become more efficient with services, such as sanitation and traffic management.
Congress should pass the STREAMLINE Act and take another important step forward. The FCC has already embraced 5G rollout, with Commissioner Brendan Carr spearheading efforts in the commission to streamline next-generation wireless infrastructure. The FCC’s efforts have been applauded by innovation advocates, and Congress would be wise to continue to move in that same direction.