Montgomery County Sues FCC Over Tower Siting Decision

Montgomery County (MD) has taken the Federal Communications Commission to court over its new tower citing rules, saying the move was unconstitutionally, arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion and otherwise illegal. Montgomery County has asked the court to vacate the decision and the rules and grant whatever other relief the court deems appropriate. It did not spell out its issues, but the 60-day shot clock was a sticking point with cities and counties according to their filings in the FCC docket before the October vote. The FCC voted unanimously October 2014 to make it easier to deploy wireless infrastructure, yet another step in the FCC's broader move to spur broadband deployment.