Communications Litigation Today was a service of Warren Communications News.

New Tower Lighting Rules in Effect, Expected To Curb Bird Deaths

The FCC Wireless Bureau said Monday communications tower companies must comply with revised tower guidelines released Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration. New towers that use several lighting styles and are higher than 350 feet above ground level (AGL) now must deploy flashing obstruction lights. That change kicks in immediately. The notice has a similar requirement for towers between 151 and 350 feet AGL, though that requirement doesn’t begin until Sept. 15. “Under Commission rules, each new or altered antenna structure subject to the antenna structure registration requirement must conform to the painting and lighting specifications set forth in the FAA’s final determination of ‘no hazard’ and the associated FAA study for that particular structure,” the bureau said in its public notice. The changes are intended to curb deaths of migratory birds, which sometimes crash into steady-burning lights, but are less attracted to flashing lights, the bureau said.