STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL Re: Acceleration of Broadband Deployment by Improving Wireless Facilities Siting Policies, WT Docket No. 13-238; Acceleration of Broadband Deployment: Expanding the Reach and Reducing the Cost of Broadband Deployment by Improving Policies Regarding Public Rights of Way and Wireless Facilities Siting, WC Docket No. 11-59; Amendment of Parts 1 and 17 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding Public Notice Procedures for Processing Antenna Structure Registration Applications for Certain Temporary Towers, RM-11688; 2012 Biennial Review of Telecommunications Regulations, WT Docket No. 13-32 Spectrum gets all the glory. But the unsung hero of the wireless revolution is infrastructure. Because no amount of spectrum will lead to better wireless service without good infrastructure. Today, however, the Commission gives facilities siting its proper due. In this rulemaking, we consider how to streamline our tower siting rules to facilitate infrastructure deployment, particularly in those cases where new facilities have minimal or no impact on the local environment. We ask about speeding approvals as we move from macro towers to micro cells. We consider how to expedite approvals as we move from permanent structures to short-term facilities. We also ask how to better define our rules for colocations, when new antennas do not require new structures, but can be appended to already existing ones. Down the road, these infrastructure issues become even more critical. Because what lies ahead is much more than the recent explosion of wireless phones and tablet computers. The Internet of Things is around the bend. We will have 50 billion machine-to-machine devices communicating wirelessly by the end of the decade. The complexity of new machine-to-machine deployments, however, is not just some far off thing. It is already happening. Although not specifically addressed here, consider the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008. This law requires the deployment of Positive Train Control systems on major freight, passenger, and commuter rail systems by the end of 2015. Positive Train Control involves computers onboard trains that communicate wirelessly with wayside units along tracks. In turn, these units relay signals back to a central dispatch unit and provide essential data about location, speed, and safety. To meet this deadline—and improve rail safety—Positive Train Control technology requires the deployment of tens of thousands of new wireless towers. This agency can take steps now to get this infrastructure in place and on the ground. To do so, I would like us to review tower applications in batches—so we treat similar deployments similarly and we process them fast. That way, the knottiest applications do not hold up broader deployment. Furthermore, I hope we can find ways to prioritize our review of towers so that we can enable early testing. Finally, to the extent that deployments impact sites of significance to Tribal Nations, all of these efforts must proceed in a way that honors the principles of sovereignty and federal trust responsibility. In the end, Positive Train Control is only one example of the need for this agency to update its facilities siting policies to reflect the emerging reality of new wireless deployments. Back to the proceeding at hand. Though spectrum usually gets the spotlight, for the wireless show to go on, it is infrastructure that requires our rapt attention. Today’s rulemaking provides that attention, so I am pleased to offer my support.