Twenty-two years after stepping down as Crown Castle’s leader, co-founder Ted Miller wanted back one of his old jobs. Still, after the company reviewed his resume as an applicant for Chairmanship and his plans to turn around the company’s lagging stock price, they rejected his employment on Tuesday. Crown Castle said it had confirmed that Boots Capital Management, LLC, which …
Award recipients honored at annual NATE UNITE for their untiring dedication to the industry
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association honored a distinguished group of leaders for their contributions to the organization and industry on Wednesday. The following honorees were presented their awards at the NATE UNITE 2024 Awards Recognition Luncheon sponsored by DISH Wireless in Memphis, Tennessee: Bill Carlson Lifetime Service Award Gordon Lyman (eSystem Training Solutions) Gordon Lyman has over 55 years …
Co-founder launches Crown Castle proxy fight after being rebuffed by Elliott, to reshape its ‘ridiculed’ image
Ted Miller, the co-founder of Crown Castle, stated today that the U.S. telecom infrastructure firm could sell its fiber assets for up to $15 billion if he and his partners were added to the board of directors. In a conversation with Reuters, Miller expressed confidence that his team is ideally suited to secure buyers for the fiber division and to assist …
Murphy Tower Services and FieldSync Technologies’ strategic merger ushers in a new era for telecom
After a year of collaboration and proven innovation, Murphy Tower Service, a leading provider of construction and maintenance services, and FieldSync, a next-generation tower analytics provider, announced at NATE UNITE 2024 this morning a strategic merger that heralds a significant opportunity to provide services to their clients in the industry. However, both companies will maintain their well-established separate brand identities. “By joining …
Drouin, Scott and Dougherty will again serve as NATE’s executives to guide the organization’s continued success
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that Board of Directors members Victor Drouin, Randy Scott, and Kevin Dougherty were selected by their peers to continue serving on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The Association announced on the first day of the NATE UNITE 2024 Conference and Trade Show in Memphis, Tennessee. Victor Drouin, President of …
Newly minted NATE UNITE customer diversification workshops will help its members thrive in today’s uncertain telecom landscape
With severe carrier capex cuts resulting in depressed earnings for many industry companies because they are too reliant on just a few customers, diversification becomes a critical strategy for sustainability and growth. NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, aware that many of its members are dependent on a limited client base, wants to assist them by presenting the organization’s 1st …
Stolen Alabama AM tower sparks a broader conversation about the station’s ‘bizarre’ operational history, and video debunked claims
Other than local, state, and industry media covering a communications tower collapse, unless it involves a fatality, failure incidents seldom get national legs. However, when an AM station general manager in Jasper, Alabama, reported earlier this month that vandals in the night had walked off with his 200-foot tower, forcing him off the air, it had all the right visuals, …
MSA Latchways fixed ladder fall arrest units require inspection for missing locking pin
MSA is calling for an inspection notice regarding the locking pin on certain MSA Latchways® Guided Type Fall Arresters (GTFAs) that were manufactured between February 16, 2021 and January 30, 2024. Additional information is available here. In addition to other fixed ladder systems, workers might find the system installed on fixed ladders where the top rung of the ladder extends …
Able to issue steep fines, the FCC says, ‘Hasta la vista, baby!’ to AI-generated voice robocalls
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken significant action to combat AI voice-cloned robocalls by declaring them illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991. This decision, effective immediately, is part of the FCC’s efforts to curb AI-aided scam and misinformation campaigns, especially ahead of the 2024 election season. The ruling was motivated by the use of AI-generated voices …
Unanticipated stop work order issued by concrete truck driver after he topples a 199-foot tower
While a contractor’s crew was attempting to finish a slab pour on Sunday for a foundation being installed for WNIX’s new transmitter building in Greenville, MS, a concrete truck driver backed into a guy wire, causing the station’s 199-foot tower to collapse. Larry Fuss, President and CEO of Delta Radio, the owner of the news-talk AM radio station, made the announcement …
Three top towerco execs, Cavanagh, Kavanagh and Noel, join Wireless Infrastructure Association’s Board
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced the following industry leaders have joined its Board of Directors: Brendan Cavanagh, President and Chief Executive Officer, SBA Communications Mike Kavanagh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer-Towers, Crown Castle Bud Noel, Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Tower Division, American Tower Brendan Cavanagh succeeds former SBA President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Stoops …
If you’re a tough tower tech, you have four months to get ready for some serious competition
North Jackson, Ohio is set to host the adrenaline-pumping 2nd Annual Tough Tower Competition on June 8 and 9, promising a record turnout and an electrifying showcase of prowess and agility. This year, the competition intensifies with eight dynamic teams of two tower technicians each, hailing from across the United States, ready to face off in a thrilling display …
Stealth steal: Vandals walk off with a 200-foot AM broadcast tower
On Friday, Brett Elmore, general manager of WJLX radio, a nondirectional AM radio station, went on Facebook and announced that someone had made off with his 200-foot-tall guyed tower from a site in Jasper, Alabama, that is located at a dead end near the sprawling Mar-Jac poultry plant. “This morning, my bush hog crew went down to a tower site we …
Was $25K okay for tower tech foreman who claims he was terminated because of his union advocacy?
The Tower Climbers United/C.W.A. union (TCU/CWA) has recently issued a press release celebrating a significant triumph following the successful resolution of a dispute with Swartley Tower Services Communications, Inc. (S.T.S. Communications) on behalf of Roland Bachelder, a tower climber who faced discrimination and termination due to his active support of the union movement. The press release highlights that a settlement …
GRILLION ALERT: Check your rope adjuster, it might have an incorrect installation
Petzl is requesting that all workers inspect certain GRILLON products following the detection of ropes mounted incorrectly in the rope adjuster of recently produced GRILLON products. In such a case, the product does not perform its blocking function, which can result in a risk of injury. The company is requesting that you immediately stop using the GRILLON products manufactured between …
North Carolina copper theft suspect’s spree against AT&T ended in December but charges keep coming in
A 36-year-old Balsam Grove, North Carolina man facing 47 charges in Henderson County, North Carolina, also faces eight more charges in Buncombe County as investigators look into incidents of coaxial cable theft from cell towers. The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office announced last week that Vincent DePaul was accused of stealing transmission lines from cell phone towers. After a month-long investigation, …
Tower Family Foundation expands scholarship program to assist eligible students with education expenses
The Tower Family Foundation announced today the official expansion of the non-profit organization’s scholarship program, which includes enhanced eligibility criteria and a new application form that supports more students on a merit basis. The Tower Family Foundation is opening the program to the broader NATE community by offering a limited number of merit-based scholarships that will be available annually to …
Gun-toting Texas arsonist sentenced to 78 months for allegedly torching 22 cell towers
A 30-year-old San Antonio, Texas man was sentenced Wednesday in a federal court to six and a half years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and setting fire to approximately 22 cell towers, according to court records. In a statement, prosecutors said Sean Aaron Smith “maliciously attempted to damage and destroy, using fire, multiple cellular …
AT&T’s sudden move to oust maintenance contractors could threaten FirstNet’s resilience
For the past decade and more, AT&T has cultivated strong relationships with some of the nation’s most skilled contractors. In return, these contractors have provided AT&T with on-call maintenance crews capable of handling nearly every aspect of their network needs, often with an almost intuitive understanding. They know that troubleshooting a sector is quite distinct from building one and America’s …
Goodman Network’s bankruptcy trustee is trying to claw back $10s of millions in fraudulent transactions
FedEx sues Goodman for $81 million in what trustee says was a minority business product laundering scam A FedEx subsidiary, FedEx Supply Chain Logistics & Electronics, Inc. (FSCLE), is suing executives and directors of Goodman Networks as well as Goodman-associated companies, a Texas bank, and business associates for a multi-faceted scheme to defraud FSCLE of more than $80 million. The …
