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U.S. Cellular has announced that Laurent C. Therivel (“LT”) will be appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2020. Kenneth R. Meyers will be appointed to “Senior Advisor to the CEO” until his retirement on September 4, 2020. Meyers and Therivel will work closely to ensure a smooth transition period. Therivel will also be appointed to replace Meyers …
NATE’s 5G video highlights government and industry collaboration
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today unveiled a News Bulletin video highlighting how collaboration between the wireless industry and stakeholders at the federal, state and municipal levels can expedite the 5G deployment process in communities across the United States. The video’s release is timely since the FCC is slated to vote on Commissioner Brendan Carr’s 5G Upgrade Order next …
Court will ask two to untangle why crew lead wasn’t paid overtime
A Park Hill, Oklahoma crew leader has filed a lawsuit stating that a staffing firm stiffed him because his employer refused to pay for overtime work and would not reimburse him for expenses he incurred while building 4G installations for AT&T. Michael Dobbs, who filed his lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma last Thursday, …
Rig operator dies after falling into a 35-foot drilled pier foundation for a Verizon monopole
A foundation drill rig operator died yesterday morning in South Lake Tahoe, California while in the process of completing a drilled pier foundation for a 115-foot Verizon monopole to be erected off of Al Tahoe Boulevard just south of Lake Tahoe Community College. According to authorities, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue received a call at about 9:45 a.m. and enlisted …
Access to critical infrastructure authorization expires, extension expected shortly
The National Communications Coordination Branch’s leadership is aware that their current access letter for critical communications infrastructure facilities issued March 16, 2020 is expiring today and they are working to finalize the details and distribution process of an updated access letter to support any recovery/restoration activities. However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is …
OSHA levies largest fine in its history involving a tower tech’s death: $141K
With one Willful and two Serious violations, OSHA has cited Pegasus Tower Co. for exposing employees to falls after a fatality at a Starkville, Mississippi, worksite. The tower erector faces $140,720 in penalties, the highest fine ever issued by the agency that involved an industry fatality. John Wayne Womack, 43, of Mountain View, Arkansas suffered a fatal fall from a …
Another Telus Communications cell tower is torched in Quebec
Another Quebec cell tower was the target of an arsonist on Monday. Firefighters were called to the scene on Carillon Street near Notre-Dame, in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough, at around 3:45 a.m., authorities said. The fire was brought under control, but firefighters found traces of an accelerant on the cell site compound and the investigation was transferred to the arson squad of …
Attorney’s lawsuit claims Verizon’s contractor put him at risk and a 5G pole cheapens his realty by $128K
An Atlanta attorney representing himself and 110 of his neighbors in a class action has filed a lawsuit against Verizon Wireless claiming that the carrier sent unmasked contractors to his City of Sandy Springs, Ga. home, in a “corporate invasion,” that put his family and neighbors at risk of contracting COVID-19 as well as diseases rumored to be linked to …
Top towerco execs enthusiastic about the industry’s future
Executives gave upbeat assessments of the tower industry on the “View From the Top: Tower Executive Roundtable,” moderated by Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO of the Wireless Industry Association during its virtual Connect (X) All Access conference yesterday afternoon. Panelists included Jay Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, Crown Castle; Alex Gellman, Chief Executive Officer, Vertical Bridge; Jeffrey Stoops, President …
Connect (X) All Access is a resounding success as the industry eagerly awaits familiarity
In a sampling of 16 attendees and two exhibitors at yesterday’s Connect (X) All Access virtual conference that replaced the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) COVID19-cancelled Miami Beach event that was to begin on Monday, they all gave rave reviews to Wireless Estimator. Although the still available virtual event was missing what the Florida show publicized as a huge benefit, the …
FCC Commissioner Carr announces order to upgrade wireless infrastructure, reduce bottlenecks
Yesterday at the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) free, virtual conference, Connect (X): All Access, Federal Communications Commissioner (FCC) Brendan Carr announced the FCC’s plans to clarify its rules to promote network upgrades on existing towers and other wireless sites. His comments are available here. The ruling will address state and local approval of wireless equipment modifications and clarify the definition of “substantial change”. …
AT&T has ad group recommending that Verizon should throttle its faulty 5G message
The advertising industry’s self-regulatory organization has suggested that Verizon should stop claiming that it has America’s first 5G network, but Verizon claims that its “first to 5G” commercials are not misleading and is appealing the decision. The National Advertising Division (“NAD”) determined that, in the context of two challenged television commercials touting Verizon’s rollout of 5G service in sports venues, the claim that …
Feds warn of attacks against towers and techs that maintain them
The nation’s telecommunications companies are being warned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that extremists, fueled by a conspiracy theory linking 5G cellular networks and the coronavirus, may escalate attacks against employees and infrastructure. “We assess conspiracy theories linking the spread of COVID-19 to the expansion of the 5G cellular network are inciting attacks against the communications infrastructure globally …
A fourth Crown Castle tower is torched by arsonists in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee police and the city’s fire department are investigating a cell phone tower fire that occurred Monday night that is currently being considered to have been set by vandals. The structure, a 300-foot self-supporting tower located behind 3513 Southern Ave., is owned by Crown Castle. It is the fifth cell tower fire that has reportedly been set by arsonists …
Next week’s keynote starting lineup for Connect (X): All Access outlined
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced its keynote lineup and its annual View from the Top: Tower Executive Roundtable for Connect (X): All Access – a free, global, virtual conference launching May 19 that is taking the place of WIA’s in-person, annual Connectivity Expo, or Connect (X). “We are excited for Connect (X): All Access to offer a top-notch lineup …
T-Mobile plans for 15,000 new macro sites and $60 billion in CAPEX over the next five years
Even with COVID-19 constraints, T-Mobile is upgrading 1,000 existing sites per month and will be expanding its nationwide macro base station footprint by 15,000 towers during the coming years, said Neville Ray, the carrier’s president of technology during a J.P. Morgan investor conference Tuesday. “So far, so good,” he said. “We are ramping up in this environment and not actually slowing …
If found to be “essential” workers, tower techs would get a $13 hourly pay boost under HEROES Act
Yesterday, House Democrats unveiled their coronavirus assistance bill, which will include measures to keep families online through the duration of the pandemic and possibly provide a huge pay increase to telecom field workers. It will also provide a new direct cash stimulus check for $1,200. The 1,800-plus page HEROES Act with $3 trillion in funding, will have about $5.5 billion …
Melody picks up over 500 of Uniti’s towers for $220 million
During their Q4 earnings call in early March, fiber and tower owner Uniti Group announced that it was selling 486 of its 672 towers for $190 million to an unnamed company. At yesterday’s Q1 call, CEO Kenny Gunderman announced improved terms for the deal and the identify of the acquirer, Melody Investment Advisors. Uniti’s new agreement has them selling 90% of …
Model and rapper charged with Canadian cell tower fires will get world-wide sentencing attention
A Quebec couple in their twenties, a model and a novice rapper, were arrested Thursday morning in Sainte-Adèle, a town about 50 miles outside of Montreal for allegedly setting fire to seven cell sites in Canada. Quebec provincial police arrested Justin-Philippe Pauley, 28, and Jessica Kallas, 25, after surveillance cameras were able to capture a photo of the license plate …
Terrorism Task Force investigating collapse of 382-foot ATC guyed tower in Nevada
A 382-foot American Tower Corp. guyed tower collapsed early Tuesday morning in Nye County, Nevada, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO). Authorities said the tower fell just before sunrise at approximately 5:00 a.m and the NCSO believes that vandals may have been responsible for the structure’s failure. An investigation has been launched by the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task …
