The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) executed the amendment to the 2001 Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for the Collocation of Wireless Antennas (Amendment) among the Federal Communications Commission, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) and the ACHP. The purpose of this Amendment is to streamline 5G infrastructure deployment, and to continue to reduce the need for new tower construction that could potentially affect historic properties.

On May 12, 2016, FCC requested comments from the public, SHPO, THPOs, Indian tribes, and NHOs in a Public Notice that included the specific language for the proposed Amendment. FCC received more than 100 comments in response to the Public Notice. Several comments submitted by SHPOs (Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, and Texas) recommended substantive revisions to the Amendment to ensure historic properties would not be inadvertently adversely affected by provisions in the Amendment. FCC agreed to make revisions to define what "utility structures" meant to ensure that this concept was not too broad; to clarify that the replacement of equipment would apply only when the original equipment had undergone Section 106 review; and, to place further limits on the potential exclusion for public lighting structures, including eliminating the use of this exclusion where lighting structures are considered a "compatible element" within a historic district.