The 2004 Nationwide Programmatic Agreement established a new framework for the regulation of telecommunications facility siting in the United States. Over three years in the making, the NPA is a significant milestone in the development of environmental review policies for the FCC and the entities it regulates. It also represents a significant and potentially far-reaching change to federal historic preservation law.

Regulators, applicants, licensees, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, cultural resource consultants, consulting parties, local government officials, preservation organizations and the general public are all impacted by the new Agreement. All of these affected parties must be able to clearly and precisely understand what the NPA requires, and all should have ready access to the materials necessary to convey that understanding.

This NPA User’s Manual contains the key underlying documents, the deepest expertise, and the most practical tips and guidance for navigating the new compliance regime. You’ll get quick and easy access to the many sources of law that are referenced in the NPA but not contained in its pages, and to many other sources of authoritative guidance that can help you understand the NPA's detail and scope.

Pertinent documents include:

• The Nationwide Collocation Programmatic Agreement (“NCPA” or “Collocation Agreement”);
• The list of FCC activities covered by the NPA;
• Form 620, the New Tower (“NT”) Submission Packet; and
• Form 621, the Collocation (“CO”) Submission Packet.
• The FCC's environmental regulations (47 C.F.R. Part 1, Subpart I);
• The National Historic Preservation Act (“NHPA”) (16 U.S.C. §§470 et seq.); (3) the Section 106 regulations adopted by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; and
• The Secretary of the Interior's regulations on Determinations of Eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (36 C.F.R. Part 60), and on Professional Qualification Standards (36 C.F.R. Part 63).

The Complete NPA User’s Manual also contains the documents released or cited by the FCC as official guidance to be used in interpreting the NPA as well as explanation or analysis for some of the key provisions of the NPA, analysis on the question of what constitutes an undertaking, and insights on some of the tribal consultation issues.

The Complete NPA User's Manual brings together indispensable sources of law and guidance that are needed to comply with the NPA. It is certainly true that without reference to these documents, full understanding and precise compliance with the NPA are not reasonably possible.

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• The Tower Law Sourcebook
• Communications Environmental & Land Use Law Report
• Communications Regulation
• Broadcast Regulation
• Wireless Telecommunications Regulation
• Events

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