Commissioner Rosenworcel Announces Availability of Small Cell Model Agreements

Right now, policymakers across the country are focused on strengthening American infrastructure. That effort includes roads, bridges, and broadband networks that support 5G wireless services. That’s vital—because to be first to a 5G future, we need to focus as much on the ground as on the skies. But figuring out how to deploy 5G infrastructure—which puts a premium on small cells—is a big task. It means acknowledging that we have a legal tradition of local control in this country but also recognizing that more streamlined and uniform practices can help speed deployment. Our cities are important partners in this effort. That’s why today I am making available model agreements for small cell and 5G deployment negotiated by the City of San Jose and approved ... by the San Jose City Council. Through these agreements, carriers will benefit from streamlined access to thousands of city-owned poles for their small cell deployments. In turn, carriers will fund a decade long effort to help close the digital divide in San Jose, where more than 95,000 residents still lack access to broadband Internet service at home. I thank Mayor Sam Liccardo for his leadership, and I share his hope that these agreements can inform the work of cities and towns nationwide to support universal broadband deployment and expand the civic and commercial opportunities of the digital age.