WASHINGTON-The wireless industry, already facing stiff resistance to antenna siting from local
zoning boards and federal land managers, has come under fire from the Federal Communications Commission for
erecting transmission facilities without proper clearances.
The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau last
week adopted a “no-tolerance” policy on unregistered antenna structures, threatening to impose fines and
other sanctions against violators.
The policy was prompted by results of a recent FCC Compliance and Information
Bureau audit, which found 28 percent of towers surveyed were not registered. The agency said the finding is consistent
with the percentage of license applications the wireless bureau is returning for inadequate and invalid antenna structure
registration data.
Commission siting rules, among other things, require registration of towers taller than 200 feet and
those located near airports. Such towers must have special painting and lighting for aircraft safety.
In August 1996,
the FCC levied a $2 million fine on Centel Cellular Co. of North Carolina for constructing a 187-foot-tall tower without
permission and for not equipping it with proper lighting. At the time of the infraction, Centel was owned by Sprint
Corp.
In 1990, Centel agreed to pay $1 million to the federal government after being cited by the FCC for
transmitter marking and lighting violations in connection with a helicopter crash in Coinjock, N.C., that killed two
medics.
The FCC said the wireless bureau is working with the compliance bureau to begin identifying unregistered
towers (along with their owners and licensees) in advance of enforcement action.
