FAA to Reduce Maximum Height of Towers Near Airports

In an effort to establish a wider flight safety path for airplanes that might “lose power during takeoff,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently proposed that the maximum height of buildings near all U.S. airports should be reduced.   Some industries have balked at this proposal, including real estate developers and cell tower companies.  Wireless telecom players are concerned that the proposed rules would limit the ability to successfully deploy antennas on rooftops, in addition to hampering the construction of cell towers in general.  Current legislation allows buildings to be as high as 250 feet and  towers to be as high as 200 feet at a boundary that begins 10K feet from an airport.   If the new rules go into effect, the maximum height  of towers could be reduced to l60 feet, which is liable to cause a lot of spending due to equipment modifications, and might even cause some carriers to relocate. Many chambers of commerce across the nation are also concerned that the change would slow growth in local economies, especially those with dense urban centers located within ten miles of the airport, such as Tempe, Arizona.