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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  September  10,  2004  Lauren  Patrich  at  (202)  418-  7944 
 E-  mail:  lauren.  patrich@  fcc.  gov 


 FCC  ADOPTS  NATIONWIDE  PROGRAMMATIC  AGREEMENT  TO  STREAMLINE  REVIEW  PROCESS  FOR  COMMUNICATIONS  TOWERS 
 Commission  Poised  To  Sign  Agreement  With  Historic  Preservation  Agencies 
 Washington,  D.  C  –  The  Federal  Communications  Commission  today  announced  that  it  has  adopted  measures  to  streamline  and  tailor  the  review  process  for  communications  towers  and 
 other  Commission-  licensed  facilities  under  the  National  Historic  Preservation  Act  (“  NHPA”).  The  Commission’s  action  adopts  the  provisions  of  a  Nationwide  Programmatic  Agreement  that, 
 if  approved  also  by  the  Advisory  Council  on  Historic  Preservation  (“  Advisory  Council”)  and  the  National  Conference  of  State  Historic  Preservation  Officers  (“  Conference”),  would  be  signed  by 
 the  three  agencies. 
 The  Commission’s  streamlined  process  will  provide  certainty  and  ease  burdens  on  everyone  involved  in  the  review  process  while  continuing  to  protect  historic  properties,  including 
 those  properties  to  which  federally  recognized  Indian  tribes  and  Native  Hawaiian  Organizations  attach  religious  or  cultural  significance.  The  Commission  recognized  that,  as  the  number  of 
 tower  constructions  around  the  country  has  dramatically  increased  since  the  late  1990s,  it  has  a  responsibility  to  manage  the  expansion  of  communications  infrastructure  in  a  way  that  best 
 preserves  our  nation’s  historical  resources.  Increased  tower  construction  has  also  resulted  in  an  exponential  increase  in  the  number  of  environmental  and  historic  preservation  reviews  conducted 
 by  tower  constructors,  State  Historic  Preservation  Officers  (“  SHPOs”),  and  FCC  staff,  creating  case  backlogs,  additional  paperwork,  and  delays  in  the  deployment  of  necessary  wireless,  public 
 safety,  broadcast  and  other  communications  infrastructure. 
 Under  Section  106  of  the  NHPA,  federal  agencies  are  required  to  consider  effects  of  federal  undertakings  on  historic  properties.  Unless  a  federal  agency  has  entered  into  a 
 Programmatic  Agreement  with  specific  procedures,  it  is  required  to  follow  the  rules  of  the  Advisory  Council  in  performing  this  review.  Because  the  process  in  the  Advisory  Council’s 
 rules  for  communications  towers  and  antennas  is  highly  complex,  a  working  group  of  representatives  of  the  Commission,  Advisory  Council,  Conference,  American  Indian  tribes,  the 
 communications  industry,  and  historic  preservation  consultants  was  formed  to  consider  solutions. 
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