January 25, 2013 — FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, announced plans of the Broadband Acceleration Initiative that will allow for more efficient and accelerated deployment of mobile broadband infrastructure. A technical provision in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 was clarified to enable faster reviews of requests to adapt existing wireless towers or base stations. The Commission also outlined plans for the placement of temporary cell towers during anticipated high-capacity events, such as the Super Bowl. Chairman Genachowski noted the importance of such actions, as he states “we must continue to invest in improvements to cell towers and transmission equipment, in order to ensure ubiquitous, high-speed Internet for all Americans.” This includes individuals with disabilities, as the Wireless RERC January 2013 SUNSpot reported that Smartphones, which are dependent on the wireless infrastructure, are “the most common device owned or used, [by] a majority of respondents (53%).”
