UTC filed comments in support of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s effort to address the environmental impact of towers on migratory birds and other resources. As previously reported in the UTC Industry Intelligence, the FCC invited public comments on its draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA), which responds to a 2008 federal appeals court remand of the FCC's ASR program rules, which concluded that the FCC had not adequately evaluated the potential effects that its current ASR program had on threatened and endangered species and migratory birds. The FCC had also held a workshop on the same topic in September, and the deadline for comments had been extended by a month to November 4, 2011. UTC advocated that the FCC adopt the "No Action Alternative" that was described in the PEA of the FCC's Antenna Structure Registration Program. This specific option would subject antenna structure registrations to a 30 day public notice period and there would be an interim requirement that any tower over 450 feet would need an environmental assessment (EA). This option would protect environmental resources and promote avian safety, while preventing unreasonable delays and additional costs that may arise as a result of more EA's by default and urged the FCC to adopt public notice processes to avoid situations of delay. For more information, contact the UTC Legal/Regulatory Department
