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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:  October  25,  2004  Rosemary  Kimball  (202)  418-  0511 
 e-  mail:  rosemary.  kimball@  fcc.  gov 
 FCC  AND  UNITED  SOUTH  AND  EASTERN  TRIBES,  INC.  ADOPT  VOLUNTARY  “BEST  PRACTICES”  CONCERNING  PROTECTION  OF  HISTORIC  PROPERTIES  OF  RELIGIOUS 
 AND  CULTURAL  SIGNIFICANCE  TO  TRIBES  IN  THE  TOWER  SITING  PROCESS  Action  follows  adoption  of  Nationwide  Programmatic  Agreement  on  October  5,  2004 


 Washington,  DC  –  The  FCC  and  the  United  South  and  Eastern  Tribes,  Inc.  (USET)  have  adopted  voluntary  best  practices  to  guide  FCC  applicants  and  USET  member  Tribes  in  their 
 review  of  the  impact  of  wireless  towers  and  related  communications  facilities  on  properties  of  religious  and  cultural  significance  to  USET  member  Tribes.  This  action  follows  the 
 Commission’s  October  5,  2004,  adoption  of  the  Nationwide  Programmatic  Agreement  for  review  of  effects  of  towers  on  historic  properties. 


 FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  said,  “The  voluntary  Best  Practices  are  a  win-  win-  win  for  the  Tribes,  the  applicants  and  the  FCC.  We  have  worked  hard  to  carefully  balance  the  needs 
 of  Tribes  and  the  wireless  industry.  If  everyone  works  together,  the  infrastructure  necessary  to  bring  wireless  communications  throughout  the  country  can  be  built  quickly,  without  harm  to  sites 
 of  religious  and  cultural  importance  to  the  Tribes,  and  without  unnecessary  FCC  involvement.  This  is  an  important  first  step  in  building  the  kinds  of  relationships  necessary  to  truly  advance  the 
 interests  of  the  American  public.” 
 In  February  2004,  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  and  USET  President  Keller  George  signed  a  Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MOU)  regarding  the  development  of  Best  Practices  to 
 guide  Tribes  and  FCC  applicants  as  to  the  best  means  of  satisfying  historic  preservation  review  requirements  when  siting  communications  towers.  The  MOU  was  the  first  of  its  kind  between 
 the  FCC  and  Tribes.  USET,  established  in  1968,  is  a  non-  profit  inter-  Tribal  government  organization  comprised  of  24  federally-  recognized  Indian  Tribes  from  Maine  to  Florida  to  Texas. 
 USET  is  recognized  throughout  Indian  Country  as  a  leader  in  the  area  of  Tribal  historic  and  cultural  preservation  and  its  actions  will  serve  as  a  model  for  other  federally-  recognized  Tribes  in 
 their  relationships  with  the  FCC  and  FCC  applicants. 
 The  Best  Practices  are  voluntary  guidelines,  not  mandates,  and  they  do  not  displace  other  procedures  that  Tribes  and  applicants  may  find  better  suit  their  particular  circumstances.  They 
 provide  useful  guidance,  however,  to  the  wireless  and  broadcast  industry  in  their  efforts  to  provide  for  the  construction  of  nationwide  wireless  communications  networks  that  are  vital, 
 while  preserving  properties  of  Tribal  religious  and  cultural  importance. 
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 The  Best  Practices  were  created  through  government-  to-  government  consultation  with  the  member  Tribes  of  USET  with  input  from  other  national  inter-  Tribal  organizations,  including 
 the  National  Congress  of  American  Indians  and  the  National  Association  of  Tribal  Historic  Preservation  Officers,  and  through  coordination  and  negotiations  with  representatives  of  the 
 wireless  communications,  tower  construction,  and  broadcast  industries. 
 -  FCC  - 


 For  further  information,  contact  Geoffrey  Blackwell  at  (202)  418-  8192  or  Jeffrey  Steinberg  at  (202)  418-  0896. 
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