Wireless Association: Exempt Deployments from Environmental Policy Act

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission is asking for input on a proposal from the wireless industry to exempt many wireless deployments from federal environmental reviews.

“While many collocations and site modifications are eligible for exclusions, reviews that are required can take months, particularly when site access is restricted or fieldwork is seasonal, as often occurs,” CTIA, the major 5G industry group, wrote in a Thursday petition.

The group asked the FCC to initiate a proceeding and eventually find that wireless deployments for geographic spectrum licenses, the kind mobile carriers use, are not “major federal actions” under the National Environmental Policy Act, and thus don’t require reviews under the law.