The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has entered into a historic Consent Decree following its investigation into whether Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) failed to comply with the FCC’s environmental and historic preservation rules, including rules implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), by constructing wireless facilities. Verizon has agreed to pay a $950,000 civil penalty.
In reaching this settlement, Verizon Wireless has admitted that it violated the FCC’s environmental and preservation rules by constructing wireless facilities before completing the necessary historical or environmental reviews and without onsite monitoring requested by tribes. To ensure that it does not violate environmental and preservation rules in the future, Verizon Wireless has agreed to implement a compliance plan that involves creating operating procedures, distributing a compliance manual, and establishing a compliance training program.
