Commentary – Craig Lekutis, Editor After an overview was published last week, of how the COVID-19 virus was affecting wireless infrastructure work conditions, dozens of updates were received by Wireless Estimator by the nation’s contractors with a key concern being their inability to obtain N95 masks, hand sanitizers and other PPE supplies. Also, the subjective slowdown in work averaged around 30% …
Residents bite the hand that feeds them; judge doesn’t swallow test track tower denial wisdom
A U.S. District Court Judge has ruled that the Township of Brighton, Michigan overstepped their authority in denying a Verizon application for two cell towers on General Motors’ 2,000-acre Milford Proving Ground complex that accounts for approximately 10% of the Township’s property. The facility, built in 1924, has approximately 4,000 employees, many of them Brighton residents whose 2010 census identified a …
Two bills presented, one for California backup power, another for power to Florida for siting
Two bills are being introduced, one in California for a mandatory backup power requirement and another in Florida that would allow for the state to bypass local governments for siting if public safety is at risk. After reviewing data from the FCC that identified 874 cellphone towers were offline during an Oct. 27 power shutoff during wildfires that affected millions …
FCC data assails Chicago Tribune’s cell phone RF concerns, possibly collapsing lawsuits
In August, the Chicago Tribune published test results indicating that several popular cell phones can emit radiation-causing exposure up to five times higher than current limits allow. The smart phone models were tested by an independent testing laboratory, RF Exposure Lab in San Marco, Calif. Citing the newspaper’s article, a new class-action lawsuit against Apple and Samsung was filed two days later …
Having saved more lives than he ever knew, Winton ‘Dub’ Wilcox Jr. passes at age 74
Simply said, what Guglielmo Marconi did for radio, Winton (Dub) Wilcox Jr. achieved for climber safety as he took a cottage industry with loosely knit safety practices to a heightened professional awareness to save tower techs’ lives through his advocacy and establishment in 1995 of one of the first schools to teach tower climbing safety – ComTrain. He passed away …
City of Virginia Beach requesting comments regarding small cell guidelines set for 2020
The City of Virginia Beach has released a review draft of proposed design guidelines for co-locating small cell infrastructure on existing structures, such as streetlights and police camera poles, rather than erecting a new structure. If a new structure is required, the city is strongly encouraging incorporating meters and equipment cabinets into the base of the pole, rather than erecting …
Employer of inexperienced 1099 tower tech who died Saturday was laden with OSHA violations
Neither OSHA nor Oktibbeha County authorities have released the employer’s name of 43-year-old John Wayne Womack of Mountain View, Arkansas who passed away on Saturday after falling from a 348-foot self-supporting tower that was being erected in Longview, Mississippi, but according to knowledgeable sources, the company was Pegasus Tower, Inc., an OSHA citation-laden company from Calico Rock, Arkansas. Pegasus …
‘Pay to play’ Avetta has industry’s contractors concerned about it becoming a monopoly
Concerns about the time, expense and frustration of contractors that are forced to use client onboarding companies such as BROWZ and Avetta surfaced on January 30, 2019, when Wireless Estimator released the survey results of financial and administrative roadblocks set up by carriers and towercos that could derail America’s race to 5G. Two weeks later on February 14, 2019, Avetta announced the …
SBA sets NWSA certified climbers at 25% next year, 50% in 2021
SBA Communications (SBA), the nation’s third largest tower owner, has released the percentages of National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) certified climbers that contractors will have to maintain when doing work on their sites. Prior to climbing any SBA structure, all general contractors and lower tier subcontractors must meet the following guidelines and dates: Effective June 1, 2020: 25% of the …
Carriers hiding 5G maps from the FCC as it readies 130 construction permit auctions and 22 more articles
ARS Technica says AT&T and other mobile carriers are trying to hide detailed 5G maps from the public despite constantly touting the supposed pace and breadth of their 5G rollouts, while Inside Radio reports that the FCC is preparing to dole out 130 construction permits for new FM stations via an online auction. Article Media AT&T and other carriers want …
Cell tower gets reporter’s clean bill of health as tap water becomes the next cancer-causing agent
After four students were diagnosed with cancer in Ripon, Calif., parents attacked the usual maligned suspect, a cell tower on school property which Sprint later removed after community pressure. Wireless Estimator debunked the RF testing methods used by an independent consultant hired by concerned parents. The next suspicious agent was the drinking water at the Weston Elementary School since Ripon shut …
OSHA’s elevates Scott Ketcham to Directorate of Construction
The U.S. Department of Labor has selected Scott Ketcham as the new director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Directorate of Construction (DOC) in Washington, D.C. Ketcham had served as deputy director of DOC since February 2017 following the passing of DOC Dean McKenzie. Prior to coming to OSHA’s national office, Ketcham worked for 19 years as an …
Journal retracts paper alleging RF dangers coverup; author says ‘Big Wireless’ made them do it
Magnetochemistry, a peer-reviewed international scientific journal, retracted an article they published on May 5, 2019 from a controversial New Zealand researcher who believes that scientists are suppressing evidence that people are being harmed by radiofrequency radiation. Susan Pockett, a psychologist at the University of Auckland in her paper titled “Conflicts of interest and misleading statements in official reports about the …
FCC is clueless on how many people don’t have broadband leads Fast-Forward Friday
FCC LIKELY COUNTS MILLIONS OF UNSERVED HOMES AS HAVING BROADBAND A new broadband mapping system is starting to show just how inaccurate the Federal Communications Commission’s connectivity data is. Research indicates that it’s likely that millions of homes nationwide have been wrongly counted as being served by broadband. Ars TECHNICA has the full details. Article Media Partnerships with cities lead …
Contractor didn’t anticipate dress rehearsal for monopole pour and erection, leads Fast Forward Friday
THE SECOND TIME AROUND WILL BE TO CHARM THE BUILDING INSPECTOR For unknown reasons, a tower erector in Arkansas didn’t call for inspections when they poured the foundation and erected a 150-foot monopole. They didn’t have a third-party inspection and will be accorded a second opportunity to rip out and re-pour the base and re-erect the white stealth flagpole tower …
Easy app is a first line of defense in reducing injuries and saving lives
Over 1,100 tower site hazards were identified and corrected last year. They weren’t found by accident, but were discovered through the active participation of 138 companies taking advantage of the National Association of Tower Erectors STAR Initiative program that uses a free app that easily assists workers in identifying site safety hazards. To highlight this app, NATE has released a video entitled …
Novel ‘shenanigans’ concern cited in FCC’s $25,000 lighting/marking fine
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania gospel radio station WGBN-AM’s owner was notified yesterday that they were to be fined $25,000 for presenting a public safety risk to passing aircraft for failing to properly light two antenna structures 206-feet in height and failing to notify the FAA of lights being out on the towers and not painting them to meet visibility requirements. The FCC …
Pedophile may have inadvertently put OSHA tower safety rule on permanent hold
President Donald Trump said Friday that embattled Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta is resigning because Acosta doesn’t want his decade-old plea deal with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to distract the President from pressing issues. Epstein, 66, was arrested last weekend and charged in the Southern District of New York with sex trafficking of young girls. A judge has postponed his decision …
Wesley Weis passes, leaving a legacy of advancing safety throughout America
Services will be held tomorrow for a Northern New Jersey industry icon, Wesley Weis, CEO of Mikab Corporation who passed away on Saturday at age 78. A resident of Old Tappan, he was a founding member of the National Association of Tower Erectors and helped the trade group from its first meeting in 1995 to move forward with a unified …
The Wall Street party for tower owners may be ending leads Fast-Forward Friday articles
Article Media For tower owners, the Wall Street party may be ending Light Reading FCC set hearing for St. Louis AMs allegedly controlled by convicted felon Inside Radio How Eco-Site plans to benefit from the rush to build 5G infrastructure The News & Observer FCC proposes new rules to govern communications at multiple tenant buildings The National Law Review “This …
