New FCC Order Means Micro Ground Sites Are the Future of Wireless Real Estate
Although macro sites like cell towers will still be in use as the backbone of 5G , it appears as though small-scale ground sites are the way of the future thanks to the FCC’s latest order. Released September 27, the order allows the FCC to bypass certain state and local wireless siting regulations that would otherwise greatly restrict the ability to place ground sites on public property.
The order comes as a major victory for the wireless industry. However, at the 7th Annual Americas Spectrum Management Conference on October 3, the FCC Chairman’s Chief of Staff Matthew Berry was clear in stating that the organization “respects local control.” The Commission will still allow “non-discriminatory and cost-based” fees and has no plans of doing away with regulatory safety and health codes.
Even still, it’s never been a better time to be a ground site lease owner. At the Conference, a panel of wireless industry executives announced that 80,000 micro cell sites must be added to the country’s wireless network in order to enable 5G by the year 2025. According to Dennis Roberson, Chair of FCC’s Technological Advisory Council, achieving 5G latency requires moving “the base station closer to the end-user,” meaning that macro sites must be placed at street level rather than on top of buildings or towers.
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