On September 25, TRDaily reported on FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr's remarks at the 8th Annual Americas Spectrum Management Conference. According to TRDaily reporter Paul Kirby's account, Commissioner Carr stated that FCC orders for streamlining wireless infrastructure siting have produced "dramatic results," including an increase in small cells from 13,000 in 2017 to 60,000 last year – with a total of close to 200,000. In a panel discussion that followed, CTIA's Scott Bregmann reportedly cited an estimate that over 800,000 small cells would be needed by 2026. Apparently, 28 states have adopted laws for streamlining deployment of small cells.
In 2017, FSF President Randolph May and I filed public comments urging the FCC to adopt rules to accelerate deployment of small cells needed for 5G (and for 4G network densification) by prohibiting local regulatory obstacles. There is more that the Commission can do to encourage infrastructure deployment, including clarifying the law for collocations and non-substantial modifications to existing cell towers and base stations. For more on this, see my Perspectives from FSF Scholars paper, published on September 25th, titled "FCC Should Clear Local Obstacles to Wireless Infrastructure Upgrades." The Commission can also adopt its proposal to update its Over-the-Air-Reception-Devices (OTARD) rule to remove obstacles to placement of 5G-related equipment. 
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