The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Briefing.

FCC

          FCC Tribal Broadband, Telecom, and Broadcast Training and Consultation Workshop

In partnership with the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), the FCC’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy (ONAP), Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, announced the FCC Tribal Broadband, Telecom, and Broadcast Training and Consultation Workshop in Bothell, Washington, August 15-17, 2016.  The FCC said that this event is aimed at training and assisting Tribal Nations in developing more robust broadband, telecommunications, and broadcast infrastructure to serve Tribal communities.  The workshop will include sessions on a broad range of important FCC programs and policies that support the deployment of communications infrastructures in Tribal communities.  Click here for further details and registration information.

          Wireless Antennas

The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau announced it had executed an amendment to the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement For the Collocation of Wireless Antennas to address the review of deployments of small wireless antennas and associated equipment under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).  The amendment establishes new exclusions from the Section 106 review process for physically small deployments like DAS and small cells.  It is intended to reduce the cost, time, and burden associated with deploying small facilities in many settings, and provide opportunities to increase densification at low cost and with very little impact on historic properties.  Facilitating these deployments thus directly advances efforts to roll out 5G service in communities across the country.  The agreement was signed with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers. See TMI's Blog FCC Proposes Actions to Streamline Collocation of Wireless Antennas dated 6/30/16.