Consortium advocates national standards for antenna regulation
Advocates of a uniform national policy about antenna regulation have formed the National Antenna Consortium. The organization was formed as a response to increasing difficulties that antenna and tower users face in obtaining government approvals for locating, constructing and modifying antenna systems.
Barry Umansky, a member of the group, described the current situation as “a patchwork of inconsistent and sometimes irrational local regulations that result in a slow and expensive approval process and needless regulation.”
Fred Baumgartner, another member, explained that the group wants “to bring together antenna users to develop a fair and reasonable set of guidelines for antenna regulation with the intention of advocating adoption of a national set of standards.”
Umansky and Baumgartner said that they believe an FCC license should bring with it some assurance that the licensee can actually build, modify and operate the radio facility it authorizes. They noted that digital television, cellular telephone systems and routine expansion of existing facilities are being held hostage to a growing number of antenna restrictions based largely on aesthetic concerns.
The group asserts that antenna regulations appear to be based all too often on vague aesthetic concerns that are unsupported by evidence. It supports national standards that would encourage collocation, antenna reuse, aesthetic design and other accommodations.
The National Antenna Consortium is recruiting members. It can be reached by e-mail at [email protected], and the group maintains a Web site at [email protected].