Terra Towers Corporation (Terra), TBS Management, S.A. (Terra TBS), and DT Holdings, Inc. (DTH) filed a lawsuit against American Tower International (ATI) in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court on December 12, 2022, alleging ATI breached a $794 million acquisition and development deal in Latin America known as Project Codu, referring to “Center of da Universe” because of its size and shape. …
Senators and witnesses assail the inaccuracies they have found on the FCC’s new broadband maps
Senators and witnesses assailed the inaccuracies they found in the FCC’s new draft national broadband map during yesterday’s Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband hearing. Although last month when the maps were released, the FCC said that they expected inaccuracies. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said version one was “a beginning, not an endpoint.” At Tuesday’s hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Ben …
US opposes Dish’s attempt to throw out whistleblower’s FCC multi-billion-dollar auction fraud lawsuit
The US government notified the US District Court for the District of Columbia yesterday that it opposes Dish Network Inc.’s latest attempt to end a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit alleging that the carrier used sham small businesses to win at auction FCC communications licenses that were reduced by approximately $3.3 billion. Whistleblower Vermont National Telephone Company’s lawsuit was dismissed …
Interstate, interagency effort provides an impaled American Bald Eagle the ability to fly to rescuers
Firefighters over the years have rescued tower technicians off of communications towers, but on Thursday, the City of Macclenny Fire and Rescue Department in Florida was called upon to rescue our national symbol of pride – an American Bald Eagle that was impaled on a lightning rod of a decommissioned 120-foot monopole at the St. George Elementary School in neighboring …
Financially strapped landlord sues American Tower in a hail Mary attempt to shore up lost rents and profits
A Baltimore City, Maryland building owner is suing American Tower’s Global Tower Holdings for allegedly not maintaining a cell site on the property’s rooftop and causing damages above $75,000. Olcan lll Properties, LLC states in their complaint that they had provided an easement since January 1, 2021, to Global Tower on the property located at 4437 Belair Road for “a …
Drouin and Mallon re-elected to NATE Board, Valdez and Young elected to expanded 11-member Board
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today unveiled the official results of the 2023 Board of Directors election. The Association announces that Victor Drouin, President of Green Mountain Communications, Inc. in Pembroke, New Hampshire, and Chris Mallon, President of Tower MRL, LLC in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, were re-elected and will retain their respective seats on the NATE Board of Directors. …
‘Amazing’ milestone of 10,000-plus trade certifications in a six-year time span achieved by NWSA
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced that the organization has officially surpassed 10,000 trade certifications issued to workers in the communications infrastructure industry. NWSA reached the 10,000 credentials mark in a six-year time span, having started offering trade certification programs to the industry in late 2016. “I would like to congratulate the National Wireless Safety Alliance on achieving this …
Stranded Alaskan snowmobiler’s rescue appears to be first reported use of Apple’s emergency satellite SOS app
In what might be the first reported use of Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite, a snowmobiler in Alaska was successfully rescued when he became stranded in an isolated area – a location that Apple wasn’t sure if they could provide connectivity to a satellite. Alaska State Troopers received an alert from the Apple Emergency Response Center early yesterday morning. The State …
TIF’s white paper explores how to save money on tower foundations and still achieve structural integrity
The installation of new foundations and the modification of existing foundations for telecommunication structures represent significant capital investment costs. The money invested limits the use of that capital for other telecommunications infrastructure. For the industry to support the demand for telecommunications infrastructure as effectively as possible, all analysis methods that can minimize cost should be considered. The Telecommunications Industry Foundation (TIF) …
Stacey Abrams’ spokesman denies she’s seeking FCC seat as Gigi Sohn’s chances continue to erode
Senate leadership is not expected to line up a confirmation vote for FCC nominee Democrat Gigi Sohn in this year’s lame-duck session, according to statements being made by multiple legislators. “Bills will likely get the priority” in the Senate’s December calendar, said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Cantwell, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee and has voiced support for Sohn, said …
Virginia Wireless Association President Alex Beiro, Jr. passes, leaving a legacy of charitable giving
A memorial mass followed by a celebration of life will be held on December 2, 2022, at St. Rita Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, at 10:30 a.m. for Alexander (Alex) A. Beiro, Jr., who passed away unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack on November 19, 2022, at his home in Alexandria. He was well known for his industry advocacy, serving …
Duke Energy heads back to court to reverse FCC’s slashing of rates for AT&T on utility poles
On November 17, 2022, in a unanimous vote, the FCC stood by its 2021 decision regarding utility pole attachment rates in a dispute between AT&T and Duke Energy Progress, denying Duke Energy’s bid to revisit a ruling that slashed the rates that AT&T pays to attach equipment to its utility. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel applauded the FCC’s resolution of the joint …
ExteNet inks an exclusive T-Mobile partnership for wireless infrastructure in nation’s largest venues
ExteNet Systems, a leading privately held owner of LTE/5G wireless and fiber neutral-host communications infrastructure, today announced it had entered an exclusive agreement with T-Mobile to deploy digital wireless infrastructure in large sports, entertainment, hospitality and transportation venues, as well as to rationalize and decommission T-Mobile’s overlapping network assets inherited from its merger with Sprint. The agreement, which expands ExteNet’s …
AT&T sues Liberal, Kansas after it nixes a second siting application that appeared to be a hole in one
The former Vice Mayor of Liberal, Kansas, allegedly informed AT&T’s siting representative that the City would support an ordinance allowing a special use permit for a 150-foot monopole on the property of the Liberal Country Club after the City denied a prior church location in 2021 due to resident opposition. However, the City Commissioners denied their request, and AT&T sued …
Landlord locks horns with tower site developer and joins Georgia city in defense of monopine’s denial
Lawsuits against zoning boards that reject an applicant to construct a cell site tower are more frequently ruled in favor of the plaintiff’s reliance upon the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. Municipal Communications of Atlanta is suing Columbus, GA, and its mayor and council members for blocking its request to build a T-Mobile tower to improve coverage in the area …
This Thanksgiving, consider recognizing wireless industry volunteers’ year-round efforts
For 18 years, Wireless Estimator has been privileged to reach your computer screen or smartphone daily, providing information and advocacy to an industry we proudly serve. For that, we are thankful. More importantly, we are thankful for those men and women who don’t look for thanks – our country’s volunteers, the spirited folks that genuinely make this industry great. Unfortunately, recognizing everyone and …
FCC forces internet providers to publish ‘nutrition labels’ breaking down broadband charges
The FCC unveiled new rules that will for the first time require broadband providers to display easy-to-understand labels to allow consumers to comparison shop for broadband services. The Report and Order approved by the Commission creates rules that require broadband providers to display, at the point of sale, labels that show key information consumers want−prices, speeds, fees, data allowances, and …
Light years ahead of previously cobbled data, FCC’s new broadband maps will still require severe scrutiny
The FCC has unveiled the pre-production draft of its new broadband maps. These maps provide the best picture of where broadband is unavailable across the country. The maps will only get better from here, according to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The FCC’s older maps collected data at the census block level, meaning that the whole block would show up as served on their …
ProPublica’s ‘recycled nonsense’ is likely to reinforce the conviction of some residents that 5G causes illnesses
Award-winning investigative journalists at ProPublica have spotlighted wrongdoing since 2008, such as Ryan Knutson and Liz Day’s extensive piece in 2012 about the men and women who climb cell towers who “pay with their lives” in a joint investigation with Frontline. They broke new ground since no other major media dared to expose the high industry death count and how, …
Tower and retail store terrorist’s plea deal shortens a life sentence to 75 months in jail
A Whittemore, Michigan, resident was sentenced last week to six years and three months in jail on two separate criminal cases related to a $5 million extortion plot using shrapnel-filled pipe bombs the defendant placed outside cellphone stores in Cheboygan, and Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. He could have received 20 years in prison. John Douglas Allen, 76, was sentenced before United …
