Fortunately for the Hawaiian Islands, the storm that began as Hurricane Lane and ended as a tropical depression, had next to no impact on communications, according the final report of the FCC yesterday that showed that only eight cell sites were out of a total of 1,297, representing only a 0.6% outage. Cable systems and wireline outages were 3,991, down …
Sprint’s new CEO hangs out with a Kansas tower crew to learn about the carrier’s upgrades
Receiving adequate direction from carrier supervisors, change orders in a timely manner, and closeout inspections when requested are concerns of 222 of the nation’s contractors that have taken an industry-supported survey that will close at the end of September. However, it’s likely that a Missouri-based contractor will not have a challenge with any of those problems for one Sprint 2.5 …
CTIA’s tower tech shout out leads dozens of Fast-Forward Friday articles
Fast-Forward Friday is Wireless Estimator’s latest news offering that provides an overview of relevant industry news stories presented during the week by other media that were not covered by our staff, along with a link to the article to go upstream and read it in its entirety. After all, the articles’ authors did all the heavy lifting, and capsuling their content and …
Lighting manufacturers question why a severe FAA directive letter was hidden from them
In an unrelated Google search on Aug. 6, 2018, a lighting contractor found an FAA document with a somewhat ambiguous two-paragraph directive regarding non-original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) lighting system components that was published on June 27, 2018. It quickly spread throughout the obstruction lighting community because the industry wasn’t aware of it, and tower owners were asking their obstruction lighting suppliers …
FCC chief takes off his tie to be tied off to appreciate the disciplines and exhausting work of a tower tech
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today experienced climbing a communications tower during a site visit near De Beque, Colo. The tour was facilitated by representatives from the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), SBA Communications and EasTex Tower, LLC. The visit was a part of Chairman Pai’s road trip across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado to highlight how …
Verizon’s ‘Bubba’ remark angering community is first in dozens of Fast-Forward Friday articles
Fast-Forward Friday is Wireless Estimator’s latest news offering that provides an overview of relevant industry news stories presented during the week by other media that were not covered by our staff, along with a link to the article to go upstream and read it in its entirety. After all, the articles’ authors did all the heavy lifting, and capsuling their content and …
Verizon appears to be disingenuous in stating contractors are paid within 30 days
Although Verizon’s payment term for construction contractors has been 30 days in past master service agreements (MSA), according to preliminary data obtained by Wireless Estimator in its active Terms of Payment Survey, the carrier has been pressuring contractors to accept 90 days. Most companies are pushing back, but a smaller segment of contractors said they are accepting the delayed payment terms …
Nation takes a deep dive into contractor obstacles threatening 5G with industry supported survey
Wireless contractors have recently raised the distinct possibility that due to what they identify as ‘onerous’ payment terms and other issues created by carriers and tower owners, the industry could see a shakeout, and all of the recent successful legislative moves to speed up the implementation of 5G in America could be stymied as cash flow problems keep contractors from …
Mount analysis questions is first in dozens of Fast-Forward Friday articles
Fast-Forward Friday is Wireless Estimator’s latest news offering that provides an overview of relevant industry news stories presented during the week by other media that were not covered by our staff, along with a link to the article to go upstream and read it in its entirety. After all, the articles’ authors did all the heavy lifting, and capsuling their content and …
One-touch policy will benefit broadband providers and non-union workers
The FCC voted unanimously today, with one partial dissent, to adopt a one-touch, make-ready (OTMR) policy for new broadband attachments on utility poles in order to speed up broadband deployment and competition. The policy “makes clear” that states and local governments are not to impose moratoria on broadband development. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel agreed with accelerating pole attachments, but dissented in …
Vondran given reins after Marshall’s nine-year successful reign as American Tower’s U.S. tower chief
American Tower Corp. (ATC) today announced changes to its U.S. Tower senior management team. The company said in a press release that Steven Marshall intends to step down from his position as Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Tower Division, effective August 1, 2018. Steve Vondran, who has been with ATC for approximately 18 years, will succeed Marshall in this …
Crown’s Q2 is all good news; ATC and SBA show some weaknesses
The nation’s big three publicly traded tower companies have released second quarter earnings this month and spent time with analysts on their calls, highlighting marked improvement in some areas and offering encouragement of what they believe will be increased revenues as 5G is rolled out. There were also some less than encouraging summaries within their reports, but the Street shrugged them …
AT&T and Verizon believe wireless is competitive, others strongly disagree
AT&T, in replying to the FCC’s request for comments as to the state of mobile wireless competition, informed the FCC in a filing that the answer is a slam dunk for the agency since the Commission “has the easiest call it has ever had to make…the wireless marketplace is, quite obviously, ‘effectively competitive’.” The carrier also said, “Competition has never …
‘Tower Woman’s’ standoff pales compared to ‘Tower Guy’s’ six-day televised rescue
A 29-year-old woman was arrested Thursday night after she climbed to the top of a 300-foot SBA Communications self-supporting tower in Wooster, Ohio, and refused to come down, taunting police and emergency personnel as she traversed diagonals in flip-flops. After a three-hour standoff that drew dozens of rescue workers and hundreds of spectators, Jessica Lee McCarty descended the tower on …
Terrible contractor payment terms is first in dozens of Fast-Forward Friday articles
Fast-Forward Friday is Wireless Estimator’s latest news offering that provides an overview of relevant industry news stories presented during the week by other media that were not covered by our staff, along with a link to the article to go upstream and read it in its entirety. After all, the articles’ authors did all the heavy lifting, and capsuling their content and …
Pai promises to put his boots on and get on the steel after hearing ribbing
At an FCC House oversight hearing yesterday, tower climbers took center stage when Congressman Pete Olson threw a ‘curveball’ at FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, when he jokingly suggested that Pai should climb a tower as Commissioner Brendan Carr had done recently in South Dakota, as can be viewed in the above video. That forced Pai to take advantage of Olson’s levity …
Tower workers and families are major benefactors of T-Mobile’s 5th golf tournament
The ‘uncarrier’ yesterday clearly showed that it is the caring carrier when T-Mobile donated $360,000 to two non-profit industry organizations that assist tower workers and their families. At T-Mobile’s 5th Annual National Development Golf Tournament held Wednesday in Newcastle, Wash., the carrier continued their generous track record of philanthropy by donating $180,000 to the Tower Family Foundation which provides financial assistance and scholarships to family …
T-Mobile’s A-Team seeking assurances Sprint deal won’t block spectrum bidding
T-Mobile is petitioning the FCC for confirmation that its proposed merger with Sprint won’t prevent the carrier from bidding in wireless spectrum auctions under FCC rules prohibiting joint-bidding arrangements between companies, according to an ex parte filing this week. Kathleen Ham, Senior VP, Government Affairs for T-Mobile and Steve Sharkey, the carrier’s Government Affairs, Technology and Engineering Policy chief, and …
Sinclair/Tribune deal given life support after court nixes ownership rule petition
In a two-page decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has refused to overturn the FCC’s restoration of the UHF discount on the grounds that the parties challenging it did not have standing to bring the petition. However, its impact may not be beneficial to the Sinclair/Tribune acquisition which might already be doomed. The UHF discount means …
Monopole paint job gets too up close and personal with 132 cars
Some contractors that have been painting towers for years might have painted something other than the intended structure due to an unexpected gust of wind or a wand or other spray rig malfunction, but an Iowa contractor last month tallied 132 reasons why you shouldn’t trust Mother Nature. A crew from TeleWinCom Inc. painted an SBA Communications monopole off of …
