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5G wireless data could spur the growth of new wireless devices and applications. (Daniel Acker / Bloomberg News)
Brian Fung
Journalist specializing in telecommunications, media, cryptocurrency and competition
Mobile operators such as AT & T and Verizon are creating new data networks capable of delivering super-fast downloads and supporting a new generation of smart devices connected to the Internet.
But there is a battle over how much businesses should pay to access utility poles and other rights of way, as federal regulators prepare to vote on this issue this week.
The Federal Communications Commission's proposal will set new limits on user charges that cities and municipalities can charge wireless carriers as companies implement their new data networks. 5G. And local officials should make decisions faster on carrier license applications.
As a successor to 4G LTE, 5G should offer download speeds that are equivalent to, or better than, those that many consumers receive over their home Internet connections. And, according to his supporters, this could help open the door to other technologies that current data networks can not support, such as autonomous cars.
The installation of the necessary equipment on public poles requires the authorization of towns and villages. And unlike traditional wireless cells, 5G cells will have a smaller footprint, which means that many of them – perhaps hundreds of thousands – will need to be installed in the coming years.
According to FCC President Ajit Pai, high local charges could increase costs and slow down the spread of these new generation networks.
"By updating our rules to facilitate the installation of wireless infrastructure, the Commission is taking another critical step to promote US leadership in 5G wireless services," Pai wrote in a post this month. The FCC proposal would prevent cities and villages from charging more than $ 270 a year per cell site.
According to a study by the agency, carriers pay on average more than $ 500 per pole each year.
A number of cities, particularly in rural areas, said they support the proposal as reducing carrier costs in larger cities could mean more money for building advanced networks in smaller cities. On Monday, FCC Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr issued statements from more than a dozen state and local leaders who approved the proposal.
"I think reducing the high costs of regulation in urban areas would leave more dollars for development in rural areas," said Duane Ankney, a Republican senator from Montana, in the statement. The proposal is also supported by CTIA, a high-level wireless industry association, said on Monday that the new policies "would allow the wireless industry to build 5G faster to more communities" .
But the proposed requirements for local officials are opposed by critics who argue that the FCC impedes the autonomy of cities and prevents them from performing basic supervisory tasks. Limiting fees could also be lower than other local programs, they say.
"We are concerned that the proposed wording significantly impedes the local government's ability to play the role of trustee of public property, security and welfare," wrote J. Brent Fedors, director of the government. Gloucester County, Virginia. FCC Fedors stated that the proposal, if approved, would severely impede the ability of local governments to fulfill our public health and safety responsibilities when constructing and modifying cell sites.
Some cities have entered into separate private agreements with wireless operators for the construction of 5G cell sites. For example, in June, San Jose officials signed a $ 500 million deal with AT & T, Verizon and private infrastructure company Mobilitie to build a mobile network. The investment includes US $ 24 million in contributions to the city's "Digital Inclusion Fund", which aims to bridge the gap between the Internet's affluent.
The FCC's proposal could have the unintended effect of slowing the deployment of 5G by disrupting the types of existing agreements negotiated in a free market environment without federal intervention, San Jose officials wrote to the agency the week before. last.
"By limiting the amount of fees, the FCC unfairly transfers the financial burden to the cities," wrote Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose. "Cities will be forced to absorb the actual cost of examining small cell facilities by withdrawing funds from essential services and programs to cover the costs associated with conducting small cell deployment reviews."
The FCC is expected to vote on the proposal on Wednesday.
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