[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 115 (Monday, June 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32611-32615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15724]
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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
[GSA Bulletin FPMR D-242]
Placement of Commercial Antennas on Federal Property
AGENCY: Office of Governmentwide Policy, GSA.
ACTION: Notice of bulletin.
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SUMMARY: The attached bulletin provides all Federal agencies with the
general guidelines and processes for implementation of President
Clinton's memorandum of August 10, 1995, entitled ``Facilitating Access
to Federal Property for the Siting of Mobile Services,'' and section
704(c) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Public Law 104-104.
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 11, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stanley C. Langfeld, Director, Real
Property Policy, 202-1737.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
GSA Bulletin FPMR D-242; Public Buildings and Space
To: Heads of Federal agencies
Subject: Placement of commercial antennas on Federal property
1. Purpose. This bulletin provides all Federal agencies with the
general guidelines and processes for implementation of President
Clinton's memorandum of August 10, 1995, entitled ``Facilitating Access
to Federal Property for the Siting of Mobile Services Antennas'', and
section 704(c) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Public Law 104-
104 (47 U.S.C. Sec. 332 note).
2. Expiration. This bulletin expires June 30, 1999, unless sooner
canceled or revised.
3. Background.
a. On August 10, 1995, President Clinton signed a memorandum
directing the Administrator of General Services, in consultation with
the heads of other Federal agencies, to develop procedures necessary to
facilitate access to Federal property for the siting of ``mobile
services antennas'' (telecommunications service provider equipment).
b. On February 8, 1996, the President approved the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, which included a provision for making
Federal property available for placement of telecommunications
equipment by duly authorized providers.
c. On March 29, 1996, GSA published a Notice in the Federal
Register outlining the guiding principles and actions necessary for
Federal agencies to implement the antenna siting program promulgated by
the Presidential memorandum and the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
d. In response to inquiries from the wireless telecommunications
industry regarding the Federal Government's progress in this program,
GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy (OGP) held three Antenna Siting
Forums: March 5, 1997, for Federal agencies; March 19, 1997, for the
wireless telecommunications industry; and a joint forum on April 15,
1997.
e. A fact-finding working group comprised of industry and Federal
agency representatives was established and met to discuss the issues
raised during the initial two forums. These issues are:
(1) Development of a uniform evaluation process, including timely
response and an appeals process, to facilitate and explain the basic
application process;
(2) Site pricing to enable Federal agencies to retain flexibility
in establishing the antenna rates;
(3) Site competition to provide timely response to requests and,
where feasible, encourage industry collocation;
(4) Fee reimbursement to provide payment to the Federal Government
for services and resources provided as part of the siting request
review process;
(5) Site security, access, and rights-of-way to identify roles and
responsibilities of both the Federal Government and the wireless
telecommunications service provider; and
(6) Site request denial tracking to enable GSA and the wireless
telecommunications industry to track antenna requests and denials.
f. GSA subsequently identified environmental and historic resource
implications as issues to be considered by the working group and these
issues are addressed in this document.
g. This collaborative effort, along with further meetings and
discussions, has
[[Page 32612]]
resulted in a better understanding of processes and procedures between
the wireless telecommunications industry and the Federal agencies.
h. The development of the following enhanced guidelines and
procedures will further efforts for a more cooperative partnership
between the Federal Government and the wireless telecommunications
industry and continue to facilitate the implementation of the
requirements of section 704(c) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
4. Action. The following guidelines and procedures should be
followed by all Executive departments and agencies. In addition, all
independent regulatory commissions and agencies are also requested to
comply with the following:
a. Determining impact to controlled property. Each Executive
department and agency which controls and operates real property,
rights-of-way or easements to property under specific statutory
authority is responsible individually for determining the extent and
programmatic impact of placing commercially owned antennas on their
properties.
b. Review of internal agency rules. Each Executive department and
agency should review their rules, policies and procedures for allowing
commercial use of their properties and modify them as necessary to
assure they fully support the siting of commercial telecommunications
service antennas as provided in these procedures.
c. Dissemination of antenna guidelines. Each Executive department
and agency should ensure that the appropriate officials within their
national, regional, and local offices who are responsible for the
siting of commercial telecommunications service antennas comply with
the requirements and policies prescribed by the Telecommunications Act
of 1996, concerning property, rights-of-way and easements under their
agency's control, and comply with the President's memorandum on
facilitating access to Federal property.
d. Preliminary response to siting request. Each Executive
department and agency should provide at least a preliminary written
response to any antenna siting request no later than 60 days after
receipt of the request. This response should be sent after performing
an initial evaluation of the request.
e. Open communications. Each Executive department and agency should
maintain open communications with the requesting wireless
telecommunications provider. Communication is critical once a siting
request has been submitted and should be maintained throughout the term
of the working relationship.
f. Points of contact. Each Executive department and agency should,
upon request, provide firms and individuals the owner agency's point of
contact for placing commercial telecommunications service antennas on
Federal properties. Generally, Federal buildings and courthouses are
controlled by the General Services Administration; military posts and
bases, by the Department of Defense; Veterans hospitals and clinics, by
the Department of Veterans Affairs; and open land areas including
National Parks, National Forests and other public lands by the
Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture.
g. Headquarters points of contact. Attachment A is a listing of the
agency contact points in the headquarters of Federal real property
holding departments and agencies. Anyone interested in placing antennas
on specific Federally-owned properties should contact the appropriate
agency official.
h. Information required. Telecommunications services providers
should specifically identify the Federal property and provide the basic
information described in Attachment B (Uniform Review Process). Federal
agencies should advise the applicants of any specific application
procedures, and provide the name of the local site/facility manager to
coordinate determination of site suitability as well as the term and
instrument (e. g., lease, permit, license) required to complete the
siting project.
i. Assistance in determining property ownership. In instances where
the identity of the department or agency which has the custody and
control of the property is unknown, the GSA/OGP Office of Real Property
should be contacted. This office maintains a listing of all properties
owned by the Federal Government world-wide and will assist in the
identification of these properties. This office may be reached at (202)
501-0176, or by writing to the Office of Real Property (MP), Room 6233,
General Services Administration, 1800 F Street, NW, Washington, DC
20405. To assist in identifying the appropriate Federal department or
agency, inquiries should include the state, city/county, building/
property name and mailing address of the property in question.
5. Applicability. These guidelines are applicable to Executive
departments and agencies for antenna siting requests for rooftops, open
land or other requests for access under this program. These guidelines
are not intended to apply to lands held by the United States in trust
for individual or Native American tribal governments. In order to
facilitate compliance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the
following principles should be used in evaluating requests for antenna
siting access:
a. Property availability. Upon request, and to the extent permitted
by law and to the extent practicable, Executive departments and
agencies may make available Federal Government buildings and lands for
the siting of telecommunications service antennas. This should be done
in accordance with Federal, State and local laws and regulations, and
consistent with national security concerns. Care should be exercised to
avoid electromagnetic intermodulations and interferences. The
evaluation of the siting request will include consideration of
environmental and historic preservation issues including, but not
limited to:
(1) Public health and safety with respect to the antenna
installation and maintenance;
(2) Aesthetics;
(3) Effects on historic districts, sites, buildings, monuments,
structures, or other objects pursuant to the National Historic
Preservation Act and implementing regulations;
(4) Protection of natural and cultural resources (e.g., National
Parks and Wilderness areas, National Wildlife Refuge systems);
(5) Compliance with the appropriate level of review and
documentation as necessary under the National Environmental Policy Act
and implementing regulations of each Federal department and agency
responsible for the antenna siting project, and the Federal Aviation
Administration, the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, and other relevant departments and agencies; and
(6) Compliance with the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC)
guidelines for radiofrequency exposure (ET Docket No. 93-62 titled
``Guidelines for Evaluating the Environmental Effects of Radiofrequency
Radiation'', issued August 1, 1996, and any other order on
reconsideration relating to radiofrequency guidelines and their
enforcement). These are updated guidelines for meeting health concerns
that reflect the latest scientific knowledge in this area, and are
supported by Federal health and safety agencies such as the
Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.
b. Site evaluation. The evaluation of any siting request will also
be subject to
[[Page 32613]]
any requirements of the Federal agency managing the facility, FCC,
Federal Aviation Administration, National Telecommunications and
Information Administration, and other relevant departments and
agencies. In addition, the National Capital Planning Commission should
be consulted for siting requests within the Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area.
c. Granting siting requests. Requests for the use of property,
rights-of-way, and easements by duly authorized telecommunications
service providers should be granted unless there are unavoidable
conflicts with the department's or agency's mission, or current or
planned use of the property or access to that property. A denial of a
siting request based on these criteria should be fully explained in
writing as noted in d. below.
d. Agency discretion for site denial. Executive departments and
agencies shall retain discretion to reject inappropriate siting
requests and assure adequate protection of public property. In cases
where the antenna siting request has been denied, Executive departments
and agencies should allow the service provider to appeal the decision
to a higher level of agency authority for review. Written denial of a
siting request should be fully explained, and should advise the service
provider of the name and mailing address of the appropriate agency
official to whom the appeal should be sent.
e. Site access. All procedures and mechanisms adopted by Executive
departments and agencies regarding access to Federal property should be
clear and simple so as to facilitate the efficient build-out of the
national wireless communications infrastructure. Obtaining rights of
access to Federal properties through non-Federal lands is the
responsibility of the telecommunications service provider.
f. Costs for services. The telecommunications service provider is
responsible for any reasonable costs to Federal agencies associated
with providing access to antenna sites, including obtaining appropriate
clearance of provider personnel for access to buildings or land deemed
to be security sensitive as is done with service contractor personnel.
OMB Circular A-25, titled ``User Charges'', revised July 8, 1993,
established guidelines for agencies to assess fees for Government
services and for the sale or use of Government property or resources.
g. Site fees. Pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996,
agencies are authorized to charge reasonable fees for antenna sites on
Federal property. In accordance with the President's memorandum,
Executive departments and agencies should charge fees based on market
value. Fee determination can be based on appraisal, use of set rate
schedules, or other reasonable means of value determination.
h. Site requests. Executive departments and agencies will make
antenna sites available on a fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory
basis. Collocation of antennas should be encouraged where there are
multiple antenna siting requests for the same location. In cases where
this is not feasible and space availability precludes accommodating all
antenna siting applicants, competitive procedures may be used.
i. Priority for siting antennas. The siting of telecommunications
service provider antennas should not be given priority over other
authorized uses of Federal buildings or land.
j. Advertising prohibition. Antenna structures on Federal property
may not contain any advertising.
k. Equipment removal. Terms and provisions of the lease, permit,
license, or other legal instrument used should assure the timely
removal or transfer of ownership of equipment and structures by the
service provider. Unless otherwise expressly provided for, removal of
such equipment and structures should be at the sole expense of the
telecommunications service providers.
l. Review process. In order to provide further guidance to those
Federal agencies which are unfamiliar with the siting request
application process, Attachment B, Uniform Review Process, provides
additional processing information to assist in the antenna siting
request review.
m. One-time reporting. In order for GSA to ascertain the
effectiveness and efficiency of these enhanced implementing guidelines
and the uniform review process, all Executive departments and agencies
receiving antenna siting requests within 6 months of publication of
this document should provide GSA with a one-time summary report to
indicate the number of siting requests received, approved, completed
and denied during that time period. For those requests which are not
approved, a narrative statement or copy of the formal written denial is
requested to support your decision. This summary information should be
received no later than 30 days after the end of the 6-month reporting
period.
n. Reporting office. Reports should be sent to the GSA, OGP, Office
of Real Property Policy (MP), 1800 F Street, NW, Room 6223, Washington,
DC 20405.
o. Information. Further information regarding this bulletin may be
obtained by contacting, Mr. Stanley C. Langfeld, Director, Real
Property Policy on (202) 501-1737.
Dated: June 11, 1997.
G. Martin Wagner,
Associate Administrator for Governmentwide Policy.
Attachment A--Agency Contact Points for the Placement of Antennas on
Federal Buildings
Bonneville Power Administration, Office of General Counsel, 905
Northeast 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232, (503) 230-5904
Federal Communications Commission, Operations Management and Service
Division (1110B), 1919 M St., NW, Room 404, Washington, DC 50554, (202)
418-1950
National Academy of Science, National Research Council, 2101
Constitution Ave., NW, Mail Stop (HA-274), Washington, DC 20418, (202)
334-3384
National Aeronautics & Space Administration, Facilities Engineering
Division, NASA Headquarters, Code JX, 300 E Street, SW, Washington, DC
20546-0001, (202) 358-1090
National Archives & Records Administration (NAFM), 8601 Adelphi Road,
Room 2320, College Park, MD 20740-6001, (301)713-6470
National Science Foundation, Property Administrator, 4201 Wilson Blvd.,
Room 295, Arlington, VA 22230, (703) 306-1123
Tennessee Valley Authority, Facilities Services--Asset Management, 1101
Market Street, Mail Stop: (WR4A-C), Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801, (423)
751-2127
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Management and Disposal Division in the
Real Estate Directorate, 20 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Room 4224,
Washington, DC 20314-1000, (202) 761-0511
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Property Management Division, AG Box
9840, Washington, DC 20250, (202) 720-5225
U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Real Estate, 14th & Constitution
Ave., NW, Room 1040, Washington, DC 20230, 202) 482-3580
U.S. Department of Defense: Commercial companies who wish to place
antennas on DOD property should first contact that property's
Installation Commander. If unknown, please contact the following
office. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
[[Page 32614]]
(Installations), Attention: Director, Installations Management, 3300
Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-3340, (703) 604-4616
U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Director for Management,
600 Independence Ave., SW, Room 2164, Washington, DC 20202, (202) 401-
0470
U.S. Department of Energy, Engineering & Space Management Branch, 1000
Independence Ave., SW, Mail Stop: HR211, Room 1F-039, Washington, DC
20585, (202) 586-1557
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Policy
Coordination, 300 Independence Ave., SW, Room 421, Washington, DC
20201, (202) 619-2018
U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street,
NW, Room 1000-LS, Washington, DC 20240-9998, (202) 452-7777
U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, Radio Frequency
Manager, Field Operations, 12795 W. Alameda Parkway, P.O. Box 25287,
Denver, CO 80225-0287, (303) 969-2084
U.S. Department of Justice, Real Property Management Services, Suite
1060, National Place Building, Washington, DC 20530, (202) 616-2266
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Facility Management, 200
Constitution Ave., NW, Room S 1521/OFM, Washington, DC 20210, (202)
219-6434
U.S. Department of State, Office of Real Property, 2201 C Street, NW,
Room 1878, Washington, DC 20520, (202) 647-2810
U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, 400 7th
Street, SW, Mail Stop: M72, Room 2318, Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366-
9724
U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Real and Personal Property
Management, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Departmental
Finance and Management, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room 6140--ANX,
Washington, DC 20220, (202) 622-0500
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Land Management Service, 811
Vermont Ave., NW, Mail Stop: 184A, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 565-5026
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Architecture, Engineering and
Real Estate Branch, Facilities Management and Services Division, 401 M
Street, SW, Room 3204, Washington, DC 20460, 202) 260-2160
U.S. General Services Administration: Commercial companies who wish to
place antennas on GSA property should first contact the appropriate
Regional Office of the Public Buildings Service. If unknown, please
contact the Public Buildings Service, 1800 F St., NW, Washington, DC
20405, (202) 501-1100
U.S. Government Printing Office, Office of Administrative Support, 710
North Capitol St., NW, Mail Stop: OA, Washington, DC 20401-0501, (202)
512-1074
U.S. Information Agency, Office of Administration--B/A, Cohen Building,
330 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20547, (202) 619-3988
U.S. Postal Service, Realty Asset Management, 475 L'Enfant Plaza West,
SW, Washington, DC 20260-6433, (202) 268-5765
Attachment B--Uniform Review Process
The following information may be used as a guide by Federal
agencies upon receipt of an antenna siting request. This uniform review
process is intended to assist those Federal agencies who are unfamiliar
with the review and evaluation of antenna siting proposals. This
guidance has been developed based on input from several Federal
agencies who have had extensive experience in working with the wireless
communications industry and antenna siting requests for both rooftop
and open land installations.
a. Siting request review. Federal agencies should review the siting
request and ensure that sufficient basic evaluation information is
provided. This basic information should include the following:
(1) Name, address and telephone number of applicant and authorized
or legal representative for the project;
(2) Specific building name and address, or as appropriate, latitude
and longitude or other site specific property identifier;
(3) Type and size of antenna installation and support required for
the service provider's proposed wireless site including access to site,
utility requirements, acreage of land or ft/lb capacity for rooftops,
etc.). In cases where the proposed site is to be located on an
established building or wireless facility, any special modification
requirements unique to the service provider's proposal must be clearly
identified;
(4) FCC license number (if a licensed facility), summary of antenna
specifications including frequencies;
(5) Proposed term of requirement;
(6) Terms of removal of equipment and structures or property
restoration;
(7) Description of project or larger antenna installation program,
if applicable; and
(8) As appropriate, proposed method of achieving environmental and
historic sensitivity compliance.
b. Site survey. (1) Upon agency completion of an initial review for
information sufficiency, coordination with the facility manager, and
determination that there is no obvious reason to deny the request, a
site survey with the wireless telecommunications provider should be
scheduled, in part to determine whether the site actually meets the
needs of the service provider. If feasible, from the information
available, a response should be sent to the applicant as soon as
possible, but no later than 60 days after receipt either granting or
denying the siting request.
(2) If there is insufficient information to make a decision, the
agency should send a preliminary response to the applicant as soon as
possible, but no later than 60 days after receipt of the request. This
response should inform the applicant of the need for any additional
information, unique conditions or restrictions of the property, or
other circumstances which may affect the timing or ultimate
determination for site approval. In addition, the National Capital
Planning Commission should be consulted for siting requests within the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
c. Point of contact. In all cases, the agency's response should
include the name and telephone number of the agency representative or
facility manager responsible for the project. This information will
enable the applicant to initiate planning for the potential use of the
requested site.
d. Need for additional information. If the preliminary response
indicates additional information is required, the agency should review
the applicant's response in a timely manner upon its receipt. The
applicant should be advised in writing if there are any other review
and reporting requirements necessary due to statutory, legal, or the
agency's internal requirements prior to issuing a final decision. This
may include an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact
Statement and public hearings as part of the National Environmental
Policy Act, or any other potential reviews.
e. Notification of fees. Applicants should be advised as soon as
possible of their responsibility for any charges for Government
services provided in the review process or other issues which need to
be resolved. This response should provide the applicant with an
estimated time frame for completing the
[[Page 32615]]
necessary actions and should be based on experience in dealing with
projects of similar complexity.
f. Final decisions. Final decisions should be rendered in writing
in a timely manner and after completion of all required reviews,
evaluations or assessments. Denials of requests should provide the
applicant with a written explanation of the reasons for denying the
request. In addition, the applicant should be advised of the agency's
appeal procedure and the name and mailing address of the appropriate
agency official to whom the appeal should be sent.
g. Formal documentation. After agency determination to approve the
project, a lease, permit, license or other legal instrument should be
executed to document the terms, conditions, and responsibilities of
both the Federal Government and the telecommunications service antenna
provider.
[FR Doc. 97-15724 Filed 6-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-34-P