For the eighth year in a row, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association saw an increase in their annual convention’s attendance at their Raleigh, North Carolina show last month with an enviable surge of 18% over 2019, with a record 2,416 registrants, according to NATE UNITE Registration Manager Nikki Gronau. The 367 increase in attendance eclipsed the association’s first show’s …
Crown Castle monopole site is the latest victim of a Memphis cell tower arsonist
A 145-foot Crown Castle monopole site had equipment damaged by fire on February 17, 2020 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Memphis fire officials are stating that it appears to have been intentionally set, causing approximately $75,000 in damage at the 4087 Summer Avenue site which is surrounded by apartments and a shopping plaza. Although the fire was first reported about 11:00 …
Swiss army knife of helicopters’ antenna pick is a must see NATE Climber Connection video
Crank up the bass, sit back and enjoy an epic video ride alongside pilots of the Erickson Air-Crane, the Swiss army knife of helicopters as it lifts a repack antenna to the top of a broadcast tower in Jacksonville, Florida, courtesy of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association. The breath-taking video focused on the topic of Helicopter Lifts as the first …
Avetta takes contractors’ heat, says it will complete BROWZ integration by September, add employees
Compliance company Avetta’s representatives were on the hot seat during a NATE UNITE 2020 educational session in Raleigh, North Carolina last Tuesday as well as during a dinner the following evening. Avetta was proactive during the conference to allay rising contractor concerns over the way they charge and manage onboarding and compliance reviews for the major carriers and towercos. The …
NATE Raleigh show was alight with donations to the Tower Family Foundation
The NATE UNITE 2020 conference last week in Raleigh, North Carolina showcased numerous companies that made donations to the Tower Family Foundation, a non-profit charitable support arm for tower workers injured or killed in an accident stemming from working at heights on communications structures or other on the job related activities. During an exhibit hall presentation, SAC Wireless presented the …
Win $100 by guessing the number of attendees at NATE UNITE 2020’s record-breaking show
Step back Grapevine, Texas and make room for Raleigh, North Carolina as the host of NATE – The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association’s largest attended conference in the association’s 25-year history. The event ended today. Last year, a record was set with 2,059 registrants. However, this year, according to an early tally that will not be finalized until next week, the Tar …
NATE’s rebranding clearly captures additional wireless contracting skillsets employed today
As part of the Association’s 25th year anniversary milestone, NATE today unveiled a new logo and descriptor tag-line designed to honor the organizations proud past and capture its promising future in the rapidly evolving communications infrastructure industry. Effective immediately, the organization will be referred to as NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association. The Association made the announcement by debuting a …
Jim Miller and Ken Meador given top honors at NATE UNITE 2020 for their years of service
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today honored Jim Miller, CEO of EasTex Tower, LLC and Executive Advisor of Enertech Holdings, LLC in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Ken Meador, former President of TWR Lighting, Inc. in Houston, Texas during the Awards & Sponsor Recognition Luncheon at NATE UNITE 2020. Jim was honored as the recipient of the Bill Carlson Lifetime Service …
NATE and Tower Family Foundation award their Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and Tower Family Foundation today jointly announced that Elijah Sullivan, a junior civil engineering student from Evansville, Indiana has been named as the 2020 recipient of the Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. The official announcement was made at the NATE Awards and Sponsor Recognition Luncheon …
Miller to remain at the helm of NATE with fellow execs Jones and Dougherty
NATE announced today that Board of Directors’ members Jimmy Miller, John Paul (JP) Jones and Kevin Dougherty were re-elected by their peers to serve on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The Association made the announcement on the first day of the NATE UNITE 2020 Conference and Trade Show in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jimmy Miller, President and CEO …
Mississippi gin pole failure crushes top-hand resulting in 2020’s first industry fatality
UPDATE – February 18, 2020: Wireless Estimator has learned that the tower tech that died February 7 in Lumberton, Mississippi was Jim Tinsley, 59, of Baxter, Kentucky. February 16, 2020 — A Kentucky tower technician passed away on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 in Mississippi when a gin pole collapsed atop the tower he was working on, crushing the man and causing …
NATE’s quarter century show expected to be the best ever
Raleigh, North Carolina will host NATE UNITE 2020 beginning Monday as communications infrastructure contractors and suppliers come together to benefit from the association’s 25th conference and exposition, widely regarded as the premier wireless infrastructure show in the nation. Trying to identify the best educational or training sessions to attend is challenging because they’re all exceptional and are being presented by …
Readers question why Tennessee rescue required emergency services assistance
A Tuesday rescue of a tower tech in LaVergne, Tennessee ended successfully, but it started a slew of social media posts and emails to Wireless Estimator questioning why the individual could not have self-rescued himself or rely upon a co-worker bring him to the ground instead of waiting almost an hour-and- a-half. HIPAA compliance prevented officials from responding to requests for additional …
Long-desired pain-free certs tracking is free and can be easily administered by NATE members
With the ever-changing and ever-increasing safety compliance needs of its members, the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) announced today the launch of a new system offering free certification tracking for the association’s member companies. The ABIS Solutions’ ProSys Solutions tracking site is designed to assist members with managing their certifications to ensure that they are renewed, utilized, and provided …
Under pressure from a cemetery and a potential burial candidate, AT&T folds in New Hampshire
AT&T has asked the Vermont Public Utilities Commission to dismiss a plan for a new 140-foot cell tower in the Village of Derby Line, Vermont, a Canadian border community, even though it appears that another hearing six weeks later could have favored the carrier’s application. In correspondence with the commission, AT&T said it was backing out based upon opposition to the …
Mobile World Congress show canceled over virus concerns, reimbursements unknown
The world’s biggest wireless show, Mobile World Congress (MWC), is no longer taking place this year in Barcelona after the coronavirus threatened to throw MWC into turmoil. The GSM Association (GSMA), which organizes the show, has now canceled it. It comes after more than a week of exhibitors and companies pulling out. One of the more recent cancellations came from …
Borghei, Chase and Vink appointed to guide Tower Family Foundation’s visibility and outreach
The Tower Family Foundation announced today appointments to the non-profit organization’s leadership team. Bernard Borghei and Eric Chase have been chosen to serve on the foundation’s Board of Directors and Monica Vink has been appointed to the organization’s Endowment Committee. Borghei and Chase will help provide overall governance and stewardship to the Foundation and play a leading role enhancing the …
Judge’s T-Mobile merger okay expected to boost construction spending
A federal judge today ruled in favor of T-Mobile’s takeover of Sprint in a deal that would combine the nation’s third- and fourth-largest wireless carriers and create a new telecommunications giant to take on rivals AT&T and Verizon. United States District Court Judge Victor Marrero’s decision in Manhattan, was announced regarding the lawsuit filed in June by attorneys general from …
CommScope joins growing list of companies canceling plans to attend Mobile World Congress 2020
CommScope has announced that the safety and well-being of their employees is a top priority and with the continued global threat of the Coronavirus, the company has made the decision to cancel their appearance at Mobile World Congress 2020 (MWC) scheduled in Barcelona later this month. “This is not a decision our executive team took lightly, and although the likelihood …
DOJ says States thwarting T-Mobile deal disrupts U.S. merger policy as T-Mobile asks court to move forward
State officials will “wreak havoc” on companies’ ability to merge if they disagree with federal regulators and block deals on their own as 10 states are trying to do with the T-Mobile/Sprint marriage, the chief antitrust official of the Justice Department said during a speech to the Media Institute in Washington D.C. yesterday. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim’s surprising swipe at …
