FCC Releases Report and Order for New Tower Rules

The FCC released the Report and Order for its revised Part 17 antenna structure rules late last Friday. As noted in our recent blog post, through the new rules, the FCC intends to clarify and streamline its rules regarding construction, marking and lighting of antenna structures, while generally harmonizing them with the FAA’s rules and recommendations for towers to prevent potential adverse impact to air navigation and safety.

The actions taken in the Report and Order fall into three primary areas. First, the FCC streamlined the Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) process and brought it into greater conformity with FAA recommendations on antenna structure marking and lighting specifications, construction notification, and the accuracy of data that antenna structure owners must provide. Second, the Commission updated its requirements for the maintenance of antenna structure marking and lighting and codified a process for exemptions from otherwise generally applicable quarterly inspection requirements. Finally, the Commission modified its lighting outage notification requirements and obligations regarding timeliness of repair. These updates are part of the FCC’s efforts to reform outdated and inefficient processes at the Commission.

Kelley Drye has issued a client advisory providing a detailed review of the FCC’s new tower rules. A copy of the advisory is available here.