Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are reintroducing legislation to speed up infrastructure assessments for small cell network access ahead of the planned 5G rollout. Thune’s office said in a press release published Monday that the “Streamlining the Rapid Evolution And Modernization of Leading-edge Infrastructure Necessary to Enhance Small Cell Deployment Act” revises the Communications Act of 1934 to include emerging requirements and better address challenges faced by small municipalities with less than 50,000 residents.
The STREAMLINE Small Cell Deployment Act enables applicants to receive action on their equipment collocation requests within 60 days and allows the Federal Communications Commission to issue a 30-day waiver for requests by state and local entities.
“Developing and deploying the next generation of wireless technology will provide more Americans with access to the internet while giving us the chance to continue our global leadership and create millions of new jobs,†Schatz noted.
Thune serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet. Schatz is as ranking member of the subcommittee.
