Battle to Bypass Wireless Permitting Continues
New CTIA study reveals efficient wireless development without environmental and historic preservation requirements.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2026 – A new study by NERA Economic Consulting and submitted to the Federal Communications Commission found that permitting requirements for federal environmental and historic preservation pose unnecessary costs and delays for wireless infrastructure development.
The study, commissioned by wireless industry trade group CTIA, found an average $15,500 environmental assessment cost per installation, an approximate six-month delay and resulting $1.3 billion consumer cost and global competition risk with countries that have faster timelines.
It’s the latest of wireless industry trade group CTIA’s pleas for a FCC rule change that would streamline the infrastructure permitting process by loosening compliance with two federal policies: the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
Established in 1970, NEPA requires federal agencies to evaluate environmental impacts of major federal actions, while NHPA, passed in 1966, requires agencies to account for the preservation of historical sites and culturally significant locations in their actions.
CTIA has argued this legislation has slowed the deployment of infrastructure such as cell towers and small cell sites, and that the process has “not kept pace with the rapid technological advancements in the telecommunications sector,” the report said.
The FCC in August adopted a rulemaking aimed at narrowing the scope of environmental reviews for certain wireless infrastructure projects.
The proposal parallels recent FCC efforts to streamline permitting requirements on a federal, state and local level to speed up wireless development timelines. This two-track strategy to speed up network construction through both the FCC and Congress could lead to state and local preemption, which may dismiss companies from complying with state siting laws, local zoning and application fees, etc.
Some state and local governments have opposed proposals to fast-track wireless towers and infrastructure, citing concerns on the restriction of local power and leaving unchecked broadband construction.
Democratic state attorneys general, historic preservation offices and tribal governments have also opposed these streamlined efforts, citing concerns about the potential harm on the environment and historic burial grounds.
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