NATCHEZ — Beginning Thursday, the clock will be ticking on the City of Natchez as it considers requests for new wireless phone and data tower sites.

The change comes as the Federal Communications Commission — the national agency that regulates wireless companies — mandated a change to speed up the process.

Under the new regulations, municipalities must provide faster answers to companies seeking to either collocate their equipment on an existing and approved tower location or on applications for new tower approvals.

New guidelines require a decision on collocation sites within 60 days of the application or the site will be automatically approved.

Collocation sites are cell phone towers — or in some cases, water towers — that are capable of housing more than one carrier’s equipment.

City Planner Frankie Legaux said if a request for a new tower isn’t answered within 90 days, approval will automatically be approved.

For Natchez, Legaux said the biggest concern is making sure the new regulations adhere with the city’s historic aesthetic.

“What we’ve done in the past is have a ‘balloon test’ to make sure a new tower isn’t too close to a historic property,” Legaux said. “We release a balloon at the site of where the tower will be and see if it’s in eyesight of the property.”

However, Legaux was quick to say she doesn’t see the new regulations causing too many cracks in the city’s curb appeal.

“They’ve been tossing these new regulations around for a while, so we saw it coming,” she said.

Most wireless providers are currently stationed on water towers, which are regularly inspected.

To date, Legaux said the city hasn’t had too many conflicts with answering requests in a timely manner.