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Recent News
Valmont records longest beyond visual line of sight flight on the wings of T‑Mobile 5G
Valmont has completed an industry-first, piloting an unmanned 77-mile beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operation, enabled by T-Mobile 5G. Traditional methods for infrastructure monitoring typically require extensive manpower, manned aircraft operations or ground-based inspections, which involve significant...
FCC updates national broadband map to fix nationwide accuracy challenges
The FCC took another step forward in its effort to develop the best and most accurate broadband maps ever built in the United States. In a note, to understand why requires a bit of history, said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel....
QualTek Services files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with hopes that its debt can be cut almost in half
Wireless infrastructure developer QualTek Services warned earlier this month that it would need to obtain alternative sources of capital or otherwise meet its liquidity needs and/or restructure its existing indebtedness through the protections available under Chapter 11 of the U.S....
Driver is electrocuted while unloading aerial lift for California cell site project
According to authorities, a 37-year-old Fresno, CA, equipment rental delivery driver was electrocuted Wednesday while offloading an aerial lift in Parlier, CA, that would be utilized by a tower crew performing services on a nearby cell tower. Officials say...
Towerco execs hint at a future slowdown, but for many wireless contractors the future is now
Last week at WIA’s View From the Top panel session at Connectivity Expo 2023, the top towerco executives hinted that they are aware of a dip in carrier capex and a turn towards fiber, possibly cutting into site builds....
Biden plans to pick NTIA lawyer Anna Gomez for FCC to end agency deadlock: Bloomberg
President Joe Biden plans to select veteran government lawyer and former National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) acting Administrator Anna Gomez to serve on the Federal Communications Commission and give the agency its first Democratic majority of his presidency,...
Sadly, the first fatal fall in 2023 took the life of a 33-year-old tower technician in Kansas
Burial services were held today in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, for 33-year-old tower technician Frankie Rivera-Rivera who succumbed from his injuries after falling from a 350-foot tower in Andover, Kansas, on May 9. According to individuals knowledgeable of the...
New TIF white paper examines the regulations and best practices to be obstruction lighting compliant
Since proper marking and lighting of telecommunications infrastructure is critical to support navigable air space, the Telecommunications Industry Foundation (TIF) has published a new TIF white paper, US Regulatory Compliance and Air Navigation Safety. The aim of the white...
NATE members Capitol Hill Fly-In event strengthened support by legislators for key industry priorities
Ninety representatives from NATE member companies converged in Washington, D.C., this week to participate in the Association’s 2023 Congressional Fly-In event on Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, May 17, NATE members demonstrated their grassroots prowess by participating in approximately 120...
A taste of 5G spectrum offerings is more easily explained using its constituent flavors
By John Paleski Mobile broadband businesses were eager to shell out over $120 billion during FCC auctions to acquire spectrum blocks to roll out 5G. That’s understandable since they needed it to lay the groundwork for fifth-generation wireless services....
RWA alerts the FCC to a rip-and-replace carrier that is $5 million over budget and only 15% completed
The Rural Wireless Association (RWA) filed a May 9 New York Times article with the FCC yesterday on the plight of small carriers such as Alabama-based Pine Belt Communications as they wait for Congress to fully fund the FCC’s Secure and...
FCC issues new broadband funding map with corrected data issues
The Office of Economics and Analytics, in conjunction with the Wireline Competition Bureau, has released the Broadband Funding Map. The map and its underlying data can be found here. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) requires the Commission “to...
Andrew Seybold, 77, passes, leaving a legacy of improving the nation’s public safety communications
In March, well-known and respected public safety and wireless communications consultant, advocate, and writer Andrew “Andy” Seybold was looking forward to speaking at the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) – where critical communications technology professions have always labeled it...
Tower Climbers Union takes on Verizon over safety, will be at Crown Castle’s May 18 shareholders meeting
Tower technicians with the Tower Climbers Union/CWA rallied yesterday outside Verizon’s shareholder meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, to call out the telecom giant for shirking responsibility and driving worker injuries across an already dangerous industry. Workers held signs that read...
Harmoni Towers announces the appointment of Yannis Macheras as its CEO
Yannis Macheras Harmoni Towers, a portfolio company of Palistar Capital LP, an alternative asset manager focused on mission-critical communications infrastructure, has announced the appointment of Yannis Macheras as chief executive officer of Harmoni, effective immediately. Macheras was previously CEO of Parallel Infrastructure...
NY AG fines three companies $615K for faked net neutrality comments that swayed the FCC
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced yesterday that her office had secured $615,000 from three companies, LCX, Lead ID, and Ifficient, that supplied millions of fake public comments to influence a 2017 proceeding by the Federal Communications Commission...
Lawsuit filed against owner of Baltimore broadcast tower and its painting contractor over lead paint chips
Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain and Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown have filed a lawsuit against Television Tower Inc., the owner of the tower on Baltimore’s Television Hill, and Skyline Tower Painting Inc. for alleged violations...
Verizon and Vertical Bridge agreement creates new profit share model while speeding deployment
Verizon and Vertical Bridge have agreed to build cell towers nationwide to expand Verizon’s 4G and 5G Ultra Wideband services. Vertical Bridge has agreed to construct these towers to-suit with Verizon as the anchor tenant. The towers will be held...
CWA’s questionable climber injury and death rate data from their survey get a fact checking F from experts
The Communications Workers of America’s (CWA) Tower Climbers Union published the results of a survey designed by tower technicians Thursday with critical findings showing that their members’ safety is being compromised. The press release announcing the study said more than 65% of technicians...
Vertical Bridge appoints Ronald Bizick as President and CEO, Alex Gellman becomes Executive Chairman
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States, today announced the appointment of Ronald G. Bizick, II as President and Chief Executive Officer effective May 2, 2023. Bizick has served...
Every day the industry appreciates tower technicians, but on May 3 it’s a special occasion
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association unveiled a commemoration declaring today, Wednesday, May 3, 2023, as Tower Technician Appreciation Day. For the sixth consecutive year, a day has been set aside by NATE and the industry to pay tribute to...
Over 5,200 infrastructure jobs are on the line as QualTek Services teeters on the edge of bankruptcy
UPDATE: May 3, 2023 – A spokesperson for QualTek said that the company’s employees’ jobs were not at risk, and the turnkey infrastructure provider will “continue to be a workplace of choice.” They issued the following statement: “QualTek is continuing to...
Golden Gate Communications will stop spending good money after bad in Allios $1.25 million lawsuit
Last December, California-based Golden Gate Communications, LLC sued Allios, Inc. for $1.25 million for 403 invoices that were never paid for products purchased from the telecom distributor to construct AT&T’s and other industry projects. Last Thursday, the Santa Barbara...
Thune, Luján press GAO to review broadband regulatory structure to determine the effectiveness of programs
U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, today sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to request that it conduct a...
Virginia Congressman Wittman’s tower site visit deepens his knowledge of NATE members’ importance
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and member companies Crown Castle, MILLENNIA Contracting, Inc., and Network Building + Consulting today facilitated an opportunity for Congressman Rob Wittman to conduct a communications tower site visit in the First Congressional District...
Eleven Senators say no to the NOFO prioritizing criminal hires for $42.5B BEAD infrastructure funds
In a joint letter to Alan Davidson, who heads the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a partisan group of 11 U.S. Senators were emphatic that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) overstepped its bounds when it wrote...
Former Chairman Pai’s wish to lessen security gets a tepid response as FCC moves forward with reporting percentage
The FCC voted unanimously yesterday to move forward on a proposal requiring carriers operating in the U.S. to report their ownership information more regularly to combat national security threats and allow the agency to get a better picture of...
New Jersey radio technician’s condition is still unknown after his rooftop rescue
Saddle Brook, NJ police, fire, and EMS personnel were dispatched to the roof of the new $24 million Saddle Brook Municipal Complex at 55 Mayhill Street on Tuesday morning in response to a 911 call reporting an unconscious radio...
National Wireless Safety Alliance adds key industry executives to its Board of Governors
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced that Johnny Crawford, Executive Vice President of Tower Development at Vertical Bridge, Amanda Freeman, Director of Safety – Tower Assets at Crown Castle, Leticia Latino-van Splunteran, Chief Executive Officer at Neptuno USA,...
Once tough on China carrier security, former FCC Chairman turned investor wants FCC’s security proposal watered down to raise capital
In advance of Thursday’s FCC open meeting, where the Commission will consider an order and notice of proposed rulemaking that would protect the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure from threats in a national security and law enforcement landscape, a former FCC...
Communication worker safety zone cost questioned as FCC sweeps old pole standard ‘under the rug’: Duke
Duke Energy is claiming that the FCC improperly used its authority to award AT&T “significant rate reductions and massive (though incalculable) refunds” in its opening brief filed last week with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in its petition...
TIA’s BEAD summit will thread the way for contractors and suppliers to take advantage of $42 billion in funding
Recent trade shows have explored opportunities that will become available through the Broadband Access and Employment Program’s (BEAD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), providing States approximately $42 billion to deploy broadband in America where it is not located. However,...
Savior of the City of Troy pleads guilty to vandalizing cell towers to ‘stop the aliens’
Christopher A Daniels, 36, of Piqua, Ohio, pleaded guilty to seven felony counts on April 12, 2023, of causing extensive damage to multiple communications towers in Troy and the surrounding area. Daniels allegedly vandalized at least five towers. According...
Until there’s a consensus standard, industry experts provide initial hoisting grip guidance following fatality
When a 32-year-old tower technician passed away on December 15, 2022, in Weatherford, TX, while engaged in an installation project for Verizon, Wireless Estimator identified shortly after that that a secured cable grip failure might have caused the death. Huber+Suhner provided the...
TESSCO will be partnered up with Alliance and GetWireless in an all cash deal valued at $161.4 million
TESSCO Technologies announced that the company has entered into a definitive merger agreement with entities affiliated with Lee Equity Partners and Twin Point Capital, which also own Alliance Corporation (“Alliance”), a value-added distributor of equipment for the wireless industry,...
Alabama state agency is saddened by a tower tech’s death, but it appears that they caused it
Some of the Alabama Forestry Commission’s (AFC) key roles are to protect wildlife, such as inventorying gopher tortoise burrows to improve their habitat. However, its overriding mission is to protect forests from harm. Unfortunately, the state agency failed miserably...
Deutsche Telekom captures majority control of T-Mobile U.S.
Germany’s Deutsche Telekom now has majority ownership of T-Mobile U.S., Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hottges said Wednesday during the company’s annual in Bonn. “We have the majority and are the largest shareholder of the world’s most valuable telecommunications company,...
After a month-long outage, PerfectVision’s website woes appear to be ending
A little over four weeks ago, PerfectVision’s website and its internal network went down, a failure frequently occurring in many companies when servers malfunctioned. However, a robust backup system can seamlessly recover data, and the system is back online,...
Little Rock monopole bows to a tornado as its side-by-side neighbor continues to stand tall
An EF-3 twister ripped through Little Rock, AR on Friday, folding over a monopole, but a sister structure remained erect on the property of the Agape Academy off of Napa Valley Drive. The owner of the structures is unknown,...
Pathwave and Safety LMS announce purpose-built integration for verifying and automating certifications
Pathwave, a purpose-built tool for the telecom industry, announced an integration with Safety LMS, a training partner and certification provider for tower climbers and riggers, for verifying and automating certifications in real time. This new collaboration between Pathwave and...
Fathered by Marty Cooper, his cell phone turns 50 today at an adjusted for inflation cost of $12,066
Fifty years ago today, Martin (Marty) Cooper, an engineer for Motorola, stood nervously along 6th Avenue in New York City, about to trigger America’s love affair with mobility. He reached into his pocket for a little telephone book and...
National Wireless Safety Alliance announces new Board appointments and election of executive officers
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Gemma Frock, Ph.D., NATE Workforce Consultant, and Dave Hallowell, President of the Connectivity, Commercial, and Industrial Sector at Black & Veatch, have been appointed as new members of the organization’s Board of...
Liberal, Kansas most likely wasn’t up to par if they had to defend AT&T’s golf course siting lawsuit
In a court filing today, all claims and defenses between AT&T and the City of Liberal, Kansas, are dismissed without prejudice, according to a joint application filed with the District Court for the District of Kansas in Wichita. In...
Reading isn’t required for FCC enforcement agents tracking down pirate radio broadcasting
It appears that an FCC’s Portland, OR-based Enforcement Bureau agent might benefit from a quick course on using internet search tools and a little leg work to locate a pirate radio broadcaster instead of threatening a Baptist church property...
OSHA is warned that their 2024 deadline requiring tower climbers to use powered ascenders is in jeopardy
Eleven powered ascender manufacturers, the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), and NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association have petitioned Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker to extend the December 31, 2024 deadline set by OSHA requiring all...
Interagency squabble ends with OSHA requiring the nation’s revered raptors to harness up
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) severed all relationships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) today, announcing that both agencies were at an impasse regarding the best option to use that will ensure the continued safety...
NATE debuts video highlighting fixed wireless deployments throughout America
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association this week announced the release of a video on Fixed Wireless Deployments. The video, the first to debut in Volume 6 of the Association’s popular #ClimberConnection series, premiered at the 2023 South Wireless Summit in...
Texas court will likely give AT&T a hollow victory in its $1.44M lawsuit against former golden child Goodman
Contractors and suppliers that have had to sue clients, such as Nexius, for past due payments know that it’s an expensive legal and often fruitless process that can take a year or two since attorneys aren’t adverse to the defendant’s...
Canadian firm might help American Tower with its financial struggles in once-vibrant India
Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et Placement du Québec (CDPQ) is in talks with American Tower Corp (ATC) to buy a 50% stake in its Indian unit, according to multiple news reports. The valuation of the India arm...
Watchdog probe says FCC enforcement chief and six others alleged to have traded in prohibited stocks
Watchdog organization Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has filed a complaint with the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Inspector General and the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) concerning FCC officials trading stocks in companies they are banned from trading under federal...
Pirate radio broadcaster never paid a $20K fine in 2015, so why does the FCC think they’ll get $2.3 million for a second offense?
The FCC yesterday announced its first proposed fines under the Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act (PIRATE Act) against three pirate radio operators. The agency issued the maximum penalty allowable, $2,316,034, against César Ayora and Luis Angel Ayora...
NATE and member companies Ericsson, MILLERCO and SBA Communications host Florida Congressman Neal Dunn on tower site visit
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and member companies Ericsson, MILLERCO, and SBA Communications Corporation today facilitated an opportunity for Congressman Neal Dunn, M.D. to conduct a communications tower site visit in the 2nd Congressional District of Florida. During the...
Former Cyberspace Operations director Joe Wassel will lead FirstNet as its chief executive officer
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) announced Friday that Joseph M. Wassel has been named Executive Director (CEO) of the FirstNet Authority. He joins the FirstNet Authority after serving in senior executive positions at the Department of Defense (DoD), where...
Toppling of Nebraska 300-foot guyed tower might be investigated as an act of domestic terrorism
The Furnas County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) has opened an investigation after a communications tower south of Oxford, Nebraska was intentionally destroyed. The sheriff’s office said the tower, owned by Strayer Communications, was toppled and destroyed on Saturday. Their initial...
Eastman, Hester and Pleibel’s compassion and industry insight will help guide the Tower Family Foundation
The Tower Family Foundation announced today three leadership appointments to serve the non-profit organization. Jon Eastman, President of VIKOR, Dr. Bridgette Hester, Adjunct Professor and Researcher, and Chris Pleibel, Vice President at PerfectVision Manufacturing, have been appointed to serve...
Oregon man stranded in snow couples his phone and drone to text his rescuers
While trying to traverse a remote area in Willamette National Forest in Oregon, a motorist recently became stuck in the snow, and no cell service was available in the very forested area. Fortunately, the Lane County Sheriff’s Search and...
President Joe Biden’s FCC nominee Gigi Sohn says she’ll go after another Joe deals a crippling blow
President Biden’s pick to serve as an FCC Commissioner is withdrawing her nomination, following a bitter 16-month lobbying fight that blocked her appointment and opened her up to ruthless personal attacks. Gigii Sohn, a longtime public interest advocate and former Democratic FCC...
Nexius crashes and burns its dedicated construction supply chain, stiffing them for millions of dollars
Selected by AT&T in 2016 as one of their eight suppliers of the year out of more than 5,000 companies, well-established Frisco, Texas-based network deployment firm Nexius cemented a relationship with the carrier that would see them become one...
NATE UNITE 2023 breaks all-time attendee, exhibitor, and sponsor records
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that the recent NATE UNITE 2023 Conference in Orlando, Florida ascended to record-setting heights. The Association said that 2,843 individuals registered to attend NATE UNITE 2023. The total eclipses the organization’s...
Win $100 by guessing the number of attendees at NATE UNITE 2023’s record-breaking Orlando show
Step back Las Vegas and make room for Orlando as the host of NATE – The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association’s largest attended conference in the association’s 28-year history. The event ended last Thursday. In 2022, a record was set with 2,619 registrants,...
Dish Network’s ransomware attack enters its sixth day of affecting customers
Dish Network has confirmed that a ransomware attack was the cause of a multi-day network and service outage that started on Friday. The outages hit Dish.com, the Dish Anywhere app, Boost Mobile, and other websites and networks owned and...
OSHA, media and the CWA routinely and inaccurately portray the wireless industry as the ‘most dangerous’
Commentary — In 2006, after exhaustive research, Wireless Estimator identified cell tower climbers had the most dangerous job in America, exposing a death rate per 100,000 workers of 115.2 based upon approximately 8,700 workers within the industry. The data...
Astronaut Massimino mesmerizes attendees at NATE UNITE 2023, but insists ground level is his preferred height
Fifty-four years ago, six-year-old Michael Massimino was riveted to his TV as millions of Americans were, as they watched the blurry black-and-white images of a man walking on the moon. On Tuesday, approximately 1,500 industry professionals were also transfixed...
Pat Moore is presented with the prestigious Bill Carlson Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 others are honored
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association on Wednesday honored a distinguished group of leaders for their contributions to the organization and industry. The following honorees were presented their awards at the NATE UNITE 2023 Awards Luncheon sponsored by DISH in...
SBA’s Jeffrey Stoops to retire at the end of the year, passing the reins to Brendan Cavanagh
SBA Communications Corporation. a leading global owner and operator of communications infrastructure, announced today that Jeff Stoops will retire from his positions as President and Chief Executive Officer on December 31, 2023. SBA’s Board of Directors has appointed Brendan...
NWSA’s new testing mode will allow exams to be done in almost any home or office setting
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced during NATE UNITE 2023 that the organization will be unveiling a new Candidate Management System (CMS) and Online Remote Proctoring (ORP) testing mode targeted for the second quarter of 2023. The NWSA’s new...
SAC Wireless is the first company to equip all of its tower crews with powered rope ascenders
SAC Wireless, a Nokia Company and leading provider of communication network infrastructure, announced today at NATE UNITE 2023 a nationwide partnership with Ronin Revolution Corp., a developer of power rope ascenders and rescue equipment. The wireless industry’s continued 5G...
Tower Family Foundation benefits from Military of NATE and a NATE UNITE 2023 work trailer raffle
At last night’s NATE UNITE 2023 welcome reception, the Tower Family Foundation was presented with a $12,000 check from Military of NATE The Military of NATE Committee enables all service men and women of NATE, including Veterans, Active Duty,...
Victor Drouin is NATE’s new chairman, with leadership support of Randy Scott and Kevin Dougherty
NATE – The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that Board of Directors’ members Victor Drouin, Randy Scott and Kevin Dougherty were elected by their peers to serve on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The Association...
Lightning bolt-bending laser prevents communications tower damage, but it’s not ready for prime time
Scientists have developed a rapidly firing laser that can divert lighting strikes to prevent infrastructure damage. Its effectiveness was shown when it was tested using a 407-foot communications tower on top of Säntis mountain in northeastern Switzerland, a structure...
WISPA-developed white paper rips apart the NTIA’s love affair with fiber, possibly a $60 billion boondoggle
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding program (BEAD) will fall short of connecting all Americans online because it is not based on sound economic and other policy principles, concludes Dr. Bill Lehr in...
Private wireless forecasts slashed, but Verizon and Dell’Oro still believe it’s a massive opportunity
Verizon CFO Matthew Ellis signaled during an earnings call last month that their anticipated 5G private networks growth was “a little slower than we would have liked,” blaming it on businesses adopting the technology. Still, he said when the...
Plaintiffs: T-Mobile/Sprint merger resulted in soaring prices and decreased innovation
In a motion by T-Mobile and SoftBank on December 5 to dismiss a lawsuit to overturn T-Mobile’s Sprint acquisition, the seven plaintiffs representing the class action said that the defendants claim that the “lawsuit seeks to turn the...
Austin ice storm’s power outages complicated by 500-foot tower that decimated transmission lines
Over 96% of Austin Energy customers in Austin, TX, currently have power after last week’s ice storm, and the utility expects to have close to full service by Sunday, February 12. Restoring power in some areas can be a...
DigitalBridge steps slightly outside its digital lane with a $316 million infrastructure buy
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. has announced that its operating company, DigitalBridge Operating Company, LLC, has completed its transaction to acquire AMP Capital’s global infrastructure equity investment management business, which has been rebranded as InfraBridge in a transaction valued at $316...
Strand shatters Open RAN CAPEX savings myth, stating panacea for carrier capital isn’t ready for prime time
A fresh report from the well-respected research firm Dell’Oro Group states that the Open RAN (Radio Access Network) movement is being supported by stronger-than-expected O-RAN progress in North America. As a result, open RAN is now projected to account for...
Following a December fatality, Huber+Suhner issues an urgent notice prohibiting pre-laced hoisting grips
Huber+Suhner has issued an urgent notification not to use pre-laced hoisting grips installed on all Masterline Classic Hybrid 12×24 cable that came attached to the hybrid cable when reels were delivered to installers or may be sitting in stock at...
Either Mother Nature or a deficient design caused a New York American Tower monopole to collapse
UPDATE: February 3, 2023 – An American Tower representative has informed Wireless Estimator that the Fred A. Nudd monopole that collapsed in Depew, NY, during a winter blizzard was not subject to the litigation with Nudd and would have been...
Crown Castle petitions FCC to clarify that nutrition labels are for retail only
Although Crown Castle has informed the FCC that it supports the new broadband “nutrition” labels for mass market retailers, they want the agency to clarify that new required labels containing metrics about internet service to apply only to mass-market...
Wildlife volunteers join up with a tower tech and others to ensure a fishing line didn’t kill eagle family
When Kathleen Westfall, one of Audobon EagleWatch’s 600 dedicated volunteers monitoring 1,000 eagle nests in Florida, viewed a Bald Eagle’s nest on Plum Lane in Hudson last Monday, she became concerned after noticing a large amount of fishing...
NATE UNITE 2023’s keynote speaker is undeniably unafraid of working at heights
Tower techs, rightfully so, are proud of the heights that they’ve climbed, some being able to put a desirable hash mark on their helmet if they’ve reached the coveted 1,900-foot level. NATE UNITE 2023’s keynote speaker, Mike Massimino, would...
Vandals destroy three 410-foot towers, unaware their crime would backfire and gift a religious broadcaster
The FBI and local authorities are investigating the felling of three AM broadcast towers owned by Truth Broadcasting Co. in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, each one on a different day within less than three weeks. The first collapse witnessed by...
Tower crew removing a bald eagle’s nest draws the ire of residents and a federal investigation
A federal investigation is in the works after residents contacted wildlife officials after they watched a tower crew remove a bald eagle’s nest from a cell tower on Thursday in Mount Pleasant, SC. A local wildlife photographer, Cacky Rivers,...
‘Bunch of garbage’ NOTAMs are back on FAA’s server as flights head back to normal
Tower owners know how critical it is to immediately file a Notice to Air Missions or NOTAM if their FAA obstruction lighting fails so that pilots become aware of the outage. So does the FAA. That’s why the agency...
Proposed non-compete ban will affect every company in America; many believe it’s a blessing
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which would ban non-compete agreements in all employment contracts, except where related to the sale of a business. This exception would only be available where the party restricted...
FCC says aural sex purveyors and pirates will pay more if they’re fined this year due to inflation
The FCC’s adjustment of the maximum amount of FCC fines for violations due to inflation will be effective on January 15, 2023, with the agency continuing to be tough on broadcast obscenity. If the violator is determined by the...
Stop use product recall issued on Rock Exotica’s Omni Swivel Pulley
A recall notice for Omni 1.1″ Pulley Variants, 20050xxx through 22304xxx has been issued by Rock Exotica, requiring a stop use and remove from service warning from the company. The recall notice, AVAILABLE HERE, identifies that the button assembly...
Republicans and big telecom are hoping to knock out Gigi Sohn in President Biden’s 2nd round nomination
President Joe Biden is making his second attempt to break the deadlock at the Federal Communications Commission by renominating Gigi Sohn to serve as the third Democratic commissioner at the five-member FCC. However, there is still strong opposition to...
NY board knocks down wealthy residents’ cries that Richard Gere’s monopine will depress property values
The planning board of the Town of Bedford, NY, appears to be ready to approve a 130-foot monopine on the grounds of Richard Gere’s tony Bedford Post Inn. Gere and real estate developer Russell Hernandez have offered land on...
In the not so friendly terrestrial skies, Inmarsat files a lawsuit against Ligado for refusing to pay
In April 2020, FCC Commissioners unanimously approved Ligado’s application to deploy a low-power terrestrial nationwide network in the L-band to support 5G services, ignoring opposition to the departments of Interior, Commerce, Justice Energy, and Homeland Security opposing the company’s...
AT&T’s sole bid is inked for a New Jersey lease deal; lawsuit argues monopine violates town’s height restriction
A Scotch Plains, NJ homeowner has filed a lawsuit in Superior Court to block the Town of Westfield’s plan to lease space to AT&T for the construction of a cell tower at the Conservation Center – an adjacent recycling...
A secured cable grip failure appears to have caused the death of a Texas tower technician
After a 32-year-old tower technician passed away on December 15, 2022, in Weatherford, TX, while engaged in an installation project for Verizon, the limited information provided by the Parker County Sheriff’s Office and the technician’s employer, Neticom of Arlington,...
Verizon tagged with a $950,000 FCC fine partially because an employee lacked NEPA/NHPA expertise
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has entered into a Consent Decree to resolve its investigation into whether Verizon Wireless constructed wireless sites without complying with the FCC’s environmental and historic preservation rules, including rules implementing the National Environmental Policy Act...
Wireless industry urges states to allow maximum flexibility in selecting broadband technologies
Today, leading organizations representing the wireless industry sent letters to broadband offices in all US states and territories, urging them to allow for maximum flexibility in choosing the right mix of broadband technologies to meet their policy goals with...
Hybrid cable is severed from its rigging, causing the death of a Fort Worth tower technician
Clarification: An earlier version of this article said that a hybrid cable being raised fell on a technician causing, fatal injuries. According to the technician’s employer, the cable had been secured to the tower with a cable manufacturer-installed hoisting...
If DigitalBridge’s turnaround falls short, Legion Partners wants Ganzi to sell the expanding REIT
A small activist investment fund wants to be the tail that wags the dog after it heavily weighted its company’s portfolio in DigitalBridge Group stock. It believes the company should consider a sale if current efforts fail to boost...
Fighting Mother Nature for 44 years, two tall towers in South Dakota finally succumb
The massive winter storm that moved through the Plains Wednesday morning knocked down a 1,700-foot TV tower and an 800-foot broadcast tower in northeastern South Dakota just outside the boundaries of Garden City. The 1,700-foot guyed tower, constructed in...
$19 million ‘disguised’ loan and breach of ageement by American Tower is alleged in $794 million lawsuit
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...
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...
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...