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Feb. 21, 2008

Yesterday, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of conservationists, saying that the FCC needs to do more to reduce the impact that wireless communication towers have on migratory birds along the Gulf Coast region.

Filed by the American Bird Conservancy and the Forest Conservation Council, the suit alleged that the FCC illegally licensed 6,000 towers in the Gulf Coast region without evaluating the potential threats to the migratory birds’ safety.

The court also said that the FCC failed to explain why it didn't use federal wildlife experts to assess the environmental threat of the approved towers, and that the commission needs to be more effective at providing public notice about pending applications of any tower construction.

For about ten years, environmental groups have been lobbying the FCC over the safety of wireless communications towers in the region.

The FCC claims that environmental groups have failed to make specific allegations about individual towers, and said that it was still examining the effects of towers on birds.

However, the court’s decision wasn't unanimous. One judge out of the 3-judge panel strongly voted against the suit, saying that the FCC was still evaluating the environmental impact of towers and therefore it isn't appropriate for the court to intervene this early in the case.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that as much as 4 million to 50 million birds die every year as they cross the Gulf of Mexico due to collisions with wireless communications towers.

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Source: The U.S. Court of Appeals.

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