City, County, Mayor Associations Urge Pai to Think Local

and wireless infrastructure rulemakings and at the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC), in an Oct. 17 letter released Thursday in docket 17-79. “Protect local authority over rights-of-way, honor our Constitutionally guaranteed protection of fair compensation on the use of public assets, and maintain our Congressionally recognized right to govern the siting of cell towers and small cells in our communities.” The groups sought “an appropriate level of local government representation” on BDAC, “if this body is to be continued, so that local governments can have more input into both the BDAC’s and the Commission’s deliberations on matters such as these two rulemakings and other proceedings related to broadband deployment in the future.” Pai should respond to “the perception that BDAC is solely interested in pursuing industry goals by making all meetings public, and sharing drafts of all BDAC working documents on the FCC’s homepage,” the associations said. The BDAC’s mission should be expanded to include deployment obstacles it’s missing, “such as broadband industry provider practices and market structure,” they said. The committee should produce interim reports, subject to public review and comment, before recommendations are finalized and the FCC acts on the infrastructure rulemakings, the groups said. The BDAC is expected to consider recommendations on local barriers and other issues when it next meets Nov. 9 (see 1710160061). The agency didn’t comment.