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Ericsson launches three-sector radio for efficient site upgrades and capacity boost
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Recent News
Nokia and AT&T accelerate C-Band rollout with first commercial equipment call
Creating a connection is so much more personal than just devices and networks. For AT&T’s teams who are deploying their 5G network it’s about thinking and working ahead in the race to develop what their customers will need next...
SBA CEO Jeffrey Stoops elected WIA Chairman and Tom Kane joins Board of Directors
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) has announced that Jeffrey Stoops, President and CEO of SBA, was elected to serve as Chairman of the WIA’s Board of Directors. A new slate of officers was also elected. The new Chairman and...
Ohio’s lawsuit seeking public utility status for Google confuses tower owners
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a landmark lawsuit yesterday, asking the court to declare Google a public utility, reining in the ways the powerful search engine provides search results to Ohioans. “Google uses its dominance of internet search...
Colony Capital, Digital Colony rebrand under the umbrella of a ‘new’ DigitalBridge
Colony Capital, Inc. today announced a corporate rebranding of the company to DigitalBridge, effective June 22, 2021. Digital Colony, the Company’s digital infrastructure investment platform, will also change to operate under the DigitalBridge brand. In connection with the transition,...
FCC, carriers asking SCOTUS to permanently put Portland’s ‘David & Goliath’ 5G order concerns to bed
The FCC, DOJ, carriers and wireless organizations strongly voiced their opinions last week to the U.S. Supreme Court that the high court should not consider the City of Portland, Oregon’s request to reopen challenges to the FCC’s 2018 orders...
San Antonio police seeking to solve Crown Castle monopole arson
San Antonio, Texas Police and Crime Stoppers are seeking the help of the general public to track down a suspected arsonist that set a fire at a Crown Castle monopole site in the 1800 block of Hunt Lane on...
Government watchdog says FCC needs its disaster response role clarified
In a report issued Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that although the FCC supported telecommunications restoration efforts following Hurricane Maria, future disaster recovery efforts by the agency could be improved. The GAO found that the FCC’s disaster...
President Biden’s budget tackles 1099 independent contractor misclassifications
President Joe Biden’s 2022 budget plan released Friday highlighted his administration’s commitment to employment protection to workers who have been classified as 1099 independent contractors. The budget calls for the U.S. Labor Department receiving $7.5 billion in the coming...
American Tower is convinced Crown Castle’s early Dish builds is not a long-term concern
American Tower Corp. EVP, Treasurer and CFO Rod Smith said at Monday’s J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications conference call that he’s not concerned that a competitor is expected to get a larger than typical share of Dish...
AT&T brings secure, automatic, friction-free public Wi-Fi to downtown Austin with OpenRoaming™
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) today announced that AT&T has successfully completed a proof-of-concept trial of its Wi-Fi network with WBA OpenRoaming™ in areas of downtown Austin, Texas along 6th Street and outside of Stubbs BBQ. The network showcases the...
Wireless pioneer Betacom secures $15M in funding, launches industry’s first managed private 5G network
Betacom, a longtime design and deployment partner for the world’s leading telecommunication companies including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, announced that it has secured $15M in funding from private investors including Braxton Carter, past CFO of T-Mobile. The funds will...
FCC Commish Carr says big tech should pony up after decades of enjoying a free ride
In a Newsweek op-ed, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr outlined a new approach to funding the federal government’s efforts to close the digital divide. The FCC’s current model for funding Internet builds and ensuring affordable access—the Universal Service Fund (USF)—relies...
Guy wire clip seen as possible reason plane crashed in Michigan killing 23-year-old pilot
A 23-year-old man died when the single-engine plane he was piloting crashed last Monday and caught fire in a mid-Michigan field, and may have hit a guy wire on a nearby tower. Midland County Sheriff’s deputies were called to...
Frontier lied about internet speeds, FTC, 6 states allege in their lawsuit
The Federal Trade Commission, along with law enforcement agencies from six states, sued internet service provider Frontier Communications this week, alleging that the company did not provide many consumers with internet service at the speeds it promised them, and...
Millerco and Vertical Bridge team up in Fish & Wildlife video to promote saving 4 million birds a year
As part of a national effort to prevent bird collisions and help meet industry needs, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has produced a public service announcement video directly targeted to communication tower owners, the single most important audience...
COVID-5G conspiracist and serial litigator wants 10th Circuit to revisit New Mexico 5G cell tower ruling
The Tenth Circuit abandoned its judicial duty when it shot down most of the constitutional claims in March in a lawsuit accusing Santa Fe, NM of exposing residents to dangerous radiation levels by installing telecom equipment in public rights-of-way,...
‘Turf-like’ contractor model isn’t sustainable down under: Australian communications union
Over 600 telecommunications technicians across Australia quit installing and repairing National Broadband Network (NBN) services yesterday as part of a National Day of Action, according to the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU). The NBN is an Australia-wide project...
T-Mobile and Dish are at odds over clearing the 12 GHz band for 5G services
On Friday, the 5G For 12GHz Coalition, comprised of Dish Network, the Rural Wireless Association and other associations and telecommunications firms, noted the May 7, 2021 deadline for informing the FCC whether spectrum-sharing among 5G terrestrial services, direct broadband...
U.S. Cellular says it has a leg up on its competitors as it details Dish master lease agreement deal
Dish Network has signed a master lease agreement (MLA) with U.S. Cellular for access to the regional wireless network operator’s 4,270 owned towers. The carrier, the fifth largest tower owner in the U.S., made the announcement in its Q1,...
CCA: FCC is poised to misspend up to $1 billion of rural funds in wealthy, densely populated areas
In a study filed with the Federal Communications Commission, Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) asked the Commission to reconsider awarding Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I grants to wealthy, densely populated areas that already have access to broadband, and...
Political disputes over a Broward County, FL tower site has endangered residents’ lives for years
Broward County, FL Commissioners had been criticized for not moving faster to replace the county’s old and overloaded communications system that reached capacity in 2001 — a network that was crippled during the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shooting in...
If you invested a few grand in these towercos at their low, here’s what you would have made today
Crown Castle (CCI NYSE), American Tower (AMT NYSE) and SBA Communications’ (SBAC NASDAQ) stocks turned lower again this morning after tumbling yesterday. Down $5.21 at 10:30 p.m. today, yesterday, SBAC lost $1.76, closing at $296.90. AMT closed at $248.88...
Tower Systems rebrands with ‘We Rise’ as U.S. legislators and industry executives recognize its founder
Tower Systems, a Watertown, SD-based international tower solutions company, hosted U.S. Senator John Thune, U.S. Congressman Dusty Johnson, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and stakeholders representing NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, Lake Area Technical College, municipalities and business for...
WIA announces Connect (X) 2021 move to Orlando’s Hyatt Regency in October
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced that the dates for Connect (X) 2021 will shift from August 3-6 to October 4-7, 2021. The event, originally scheduled to be in Boston, will now be held in Orlando, FL at the Hyatt Regency. “WIA made this decision based...
Nation’s associations band together to honor tower tower techs on Wednesday’s ‘appreciation’ day
Industry leaders praise essential contributions of tower Technician workforce to global connectivity and 5G economy NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association unveiled a commemoration declaring tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5, 2021, as Tower Technician Appreciation Day. For the fifth consecutive year, a...
Broadband trade groups sue NY over $15 internet mandate. Gov. Cuomo says, ‘Bring it on’
Trade groups representing internet service providers sued the state of New York on Friday, alleging that a new mandate requiring ISPs to offer low-income internet plans capped at $15 each signed two weeks ago oversteps the state’s regulation authority....
Ericsson launches three-sector radio for efficient site upgrades and capacity boost
Ericsson is launching Radio 6626, a unique three-sector dual-band radio to help communications service providers (CSPs) increase their Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) 5G frequency capacity, even as their site towers already have 2G, 3G and 4G radios. The latest...
New construction cut out of FCC’s proposed $7.17 billion student broadband program
Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Friday laid out the proposed rules for the Emergency Connectivity fund that excludes new network construction from a $7.17 billion program meant to help students get and stay online as the coronavirus pandemic...
Arc flash test failure has Miller/Honeywell issuing mandatory stop use of harness 850KQC/S/MBK
Honeywell issued the following Warning – Mandatory Stop Use of Miller/Honeywell Harness At Honeywell, our mission is to be the global leader in personal protective equipment with innovative solutions that protect and save lives. In line with our commitment to our...
President Biden’s prime-time joint address to Congress provided little time for broadband
If you didn’t have an additional 70 minutes to spare last evening to watch President Biden’s fist-bumping prime-time joint address to Congress to discover how his leadership and administration’s actions will alter the industry, it can be summed up...
Tower Family Foundation touts a successful launch of its 2021 fundraising campaign to aid industry workers
Companies and individuals have welcomed the opportunity to offer support to the Foundation that assists industry workers and their families in their time of need The Tower Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, today announced the 2021, first quarter donors and...
New Mexico expected to fund blimp broadband study for rural internet
Alphabet Inc.’s Project Loon’s stratosphere balloons received a kick start in 2017 when the company was selected to assist Puerto Rico in providing internet service after Hurricane Maria devastated the island’s cell phone service. However, four years later Alphabet...
Senate Commerce Committee passes Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee passed the Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act today, legislation to address the shortage of trained workers necessary to fill next-generation jobs in the telecommunications industry in communities through the country. The Bill, S. 163, introduced...
Lower satellites will provide SpaceX with higher broadband reach thanks to the FCC
The FCC on Tuesday voted to approve a SpaceX plan to deploy some Starlink satellites at a lower earth orbit than planned as part of its push to offer space-based broadband internet. Elon Musk’s SpaceX had asked the FCC...
Police err on the side of caution in investigating SBA cell tower power failure in NY
WKTV of Utica, New York broke the story Sunday morning that was picked up by area and industry media that police were investigating damage to a cell phone tower on Mohawk Valley Community College property, causing an event that...
Former FCC Chair Pai joins private equity firm Searchlight as its TMT rainmaker
Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. (Searchlight), a leading global private investment firm, announced the appointment of Ajit Pai, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission as its 13th partner and a prospective board member of a number of Searchlight’s existing...
FCC knows the check won’t be in the mail after fining Tele Circuit $4.1M for cramming and slamming
The Federal Communications Commission has fined Norcross, GA-based Tele Circuit Network Corporation $4,145,000 for switching consumers from their preferred carrier to Tele Circuit without permission and adding unauthorized charges to consumers’ bills. Their actions specifically harmed elderly and infirm...
Dish enlists Amazon to help build its 5G network, to launch in Las Vegas
Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) has announced that DISH Network Corporation (DISH) selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider and will construct its 5G network on AWS, part of a strategic collaboration agreement under which both companies will work to transform how...
Terra Towers’ lawsuit against Torrecom alleges Peppertree and Goldman conspiracy
Majority shareholders of the telecommunications infrastructure firm Continental Towers LATAM Holdings Limited have filed a lawsuit against the Weston, FL-based company Torrecom Partners, LLC. The complaint alleges a conspiracy in coordination with Continental’s minority shareholders, Goldman Sachs and Peppertree...
FBI shelling out $5,000 reward for info about sabotage of Texas communications towers
The Dallas Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Wichita Falls Police Department are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the individual(s) responsible for the damage caused to two communications towers in Wichita Falls, Texas. The...
Long Island town believes it has the right to deny applications for nodes with ugly antennas
The Town of Hempstead in Long Island, NY, last week aggressively replied to a summary judgment bid from Crown Castle that accused Hempstead of unfairly blocking the towerco from building 48 DAS nodes. In their response, Hempstead said that...
T-Mobile disses Dish’s 3G CDMA ‘misinformation campaign’ regarding its 9 million Boost customers
T-Mobile USA Inc. is sparring with Dish Network Corp. over Dish’s claim that it’s trying to “prematurely” kick Boost Mobile subscribers off Sprint’s 3G CDMA Network. In an FCC filing Sunday to Acting Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel, T-Mobile said that...
Everything old is new again. Tesla’s 1901 wireless power is fine tuned and being suggested for 5G IoT
A research team from Georgia Institute of Technology has announced that they have developed a 3D-printed rectifying antenna the size of a playing card that can harvest electromagnetic energy from 5G signals and use it to power devices, saving...
Verizon signs C-band deals with Crown Castle and SBA Communications
Verizon inked deals with Crown Castle and SBA Communications, two vertical realtors already hosting Verizon infrastructure equipment, to speed deployment of C-band equipment in preparation for the launch of 5G Ultra Wideband and fixed wireless broadband service on this newly acquired spectrum....
Pittsburgh is ‘illegally’ pocketing $580 on street light small cell fees says AT&T in a lawsuit
AT&T is suing the City of Pittsburgh for allegedly failing to meet the FCC’s shot clock requirements and for asking excessive fees for new cell structures in the city’s rights-of-way. The carrier states that the fees and delays for...
With over 100 towers installed, VIKOR removes many remote learning challenges for Navajos
With school districts relying on remote learning to minimize the spread of COVID-19, broadband internet is an essential component of student success. Add canyons, mountainous terrain, and uninhabited wilderness to the equation, and connecting students to online learning resources...
Two-year answer to bridging digital divide is cooperation says C Spire’s summit experts
A two-year research effort led by Mississippi-based C Spire to identify ways to bridge the rural broadband “digital divide” has concluded that the key to resolving the vexing access problem is to pursue cooperative technology, financial and partnership efforts as an...
Early vertical realtor David Grain pulls together $3.75 billion in investment funding
Washington, D.C.-based Grain Management, a leading private investment firm focused on broadband technology and the global communications sector, announced today that it has closed on $3.75 billion in funding the past year, exceeding its targets for purchase of spectrum...
Contractors say rip and replace funding is profitable, but will be shaved at their level
The Federal Communications Commission has released a new report with an in-depth look at the costs for telecoms to rip and replace eligible Huawei and ZTE equipment, which will aid in the development of a new reimbursement program and...
American Tower shocks industry analysts with its planned acquisition of China Tower for $17.4 billion
Boston-based American Tower Corp. (ATC) is close to inking an agreement to buy China Tower Corp. Ltd. for $17.4 billion, a huge deal that will see ATC acquiring China Tower’s 2.2 million towers, expanding ATC’s 186,000 worldwide towers by...
From monopoles to barber poles, NWSA adds a new certification to buoy lack of broadband funding
President Joe Biden unveiled a $2 trillion plan yesterday to rebuild the nation’s aging infrastructure dubbed the American Jobs Plan, with $100 billion earmarked to build universal high-speed broadband infrastructure. However, the White House did not say how they...
Welder falls 95-feet and dies while working on a U.S. Cellular retrofit project in Kansas
A 45-year-old welder fell to his death while working on a tower modification in Le Roy, Kansas on Sunday, according to individuals knowledgeable of the accident. A spokesperson of Blackhawk Tower Communications of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin confirmed that Shane...
Ransomware attack shuts down Sierra Wireless
Sierra Wireless, a leading IoT solutions provider, today announced that it discovered it was the subject of a ransomware attack on its internal IT systems on March 20, 2021. Once the company learned of the attack, its IT and...
Lack of training kills a high school day laborer climber and his employer claims it was his own fault
Lakaram Karanjeet was working part-time for Rise & Rise Wireless, Inc. while he was in high school. He died on June 28, 2019 when he fell from this New Jersey 150-foot monopole. An investigation by Wireless Estimator into a...
Third strike against small Colorado telco requires it to reimburse the U.S. $6.75 million
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled March 15, 2021 that a rural telecommunications carrier based in Alamosa, Colorado owes the FCC $6.75 million for improperly claimed Universal Service Funds (USF) it received between 2005 and...
Telecom leaders partner to develop industry-tailored human trafficking prevention training
Leaders in the telecommunications industry have partnered with 3Strands Global Foundation (3SGF), a Sacramento-based nonprofit working to end human trafficking throughout the US. The goal is to educate telecommunications professionals on the signs of human trafficking and train them...
Walsh’s confirmation as Secretary of Labor is a big win for unions
In a 68 to 29 vote, the U.S. Senate today confirmed Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as the new Secretary of Labor in the Biden administration. As Secretary, Walsh, 53, will also have the power to oversee workplace safety, enforce...
Plaintiffs settle for $3.2 million in 2018 Missouri tower collapse that killed company owner
Missouri State University and other defendants have reached a $3.2 million settlement in a 2018 deadly television tower collapse in Fordland, Missouri. The Springfield News-Leader reports the university’s attorney, Rachael Dockery, notified the school’s governing board of a “global...
Immediate mandatory inspection notice issued for Miller MightEvac and MightyLite self-retracting lifelines
If you have been identified as a customer that has purchased certain Miller MightEvac and MightyLite Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRLs) products that were returned for repair work by Honeywell between September 1, 2019 and March 5, 2021, Honeywell has identified...
PANs, papers and standards made enlightening in virtual Wednesday panel presentation
On Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 11:00 AM CST, a group of panelists will be conducting Session 2 of the NATE UNITE 2021 Virtual Educational Series titled “Sharing of Knowledge Through Industry Planning Advisory Notices (PAN’s), White Papers, and...
Summitt Cellular helps NATE top its all-time membership record
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that it has established a new all-time record of 1,020 member companies, eclipsing the Association’s previous mark of 1,019 members. Summitt Cellular based out of Cleveland, Georgia has the distinction of...
FCC initiates proceeding to revoke authority of telecom carriers controlled by Communist China
The Federal Communications Commission yesterday took the next step in its efforts to ensure the security of U.S. telecom networks. After issuing show cause orders last year to three telecom companies with ties to the communist regime in China, the...
Ice isn’t nice to century-old Champaign, Illinois self-supporting tower
A 175-foot self-supporting tower collapsed Monday afternoon about 2:15 p.m. off of Meridian Drive near North Duncan Road in Champaign, IL. The tower is owned by Alliance Communications and company owner Stu Toft informed Wireless Estimator that the four-legged base sections, 115 feet,...
Colocations unknown as a sealed deal with American Tower provides DISH with it final site selections
American Tower Corporation and DISH Network Corporation announced today that they have entered into a master lease agreement through which DISH may lease space on up to 20,000 American Tower communications sites. Through the agreement, DISH will secure access...
Bill would invest $94 billion to increase nation’s broadband
A bill from a group of House Democrats dedicating over $94 billion to broadband expansion and affordability was unveiled in the House and Senate yesterday, securing support for both internet infrastructure and programs to help disadvantaged Americans afford connectivity....
Enertech’s acquisition of Mountain Wireless adds a fifth company to its turnkey services group
Enertech Holdings LLC, a regional turnkey wireless infrastructures services company, announced the acquisition of Colorado-based Mountain Wireless Construction Inc. Founded in 1997, Mountain Wireless is a full-service provider to the wireless industry and has developed specialized expertise in small...
Smart money is betting NATE’s 2022 Las Vegas show will be an exhibitor sellout with record-high attendance
NATE is excited to announce that NATE UNITE 2022 plans are underway and the sponsor and exhibitor planning guide is available here. The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association’s show will be hosted in the entertainment capital of the world, Las...
Ganzi’s Digital Colony acquires one million hotspots from Boingo Wireless for $854 bucks apiece
Boingo Wireless, Inc., a leading distributed antenna system and Wi-Fi provider launched in 2001, that serves carriers, consumers, property owners and advertisers worldwide, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger to be...
Verizon ponies up a whopping $45B for C-band licenses
The Federal Communications Commission has announced the winning bidders and the final bid totals in Auction 107—commonly referred to as the C-band auction with Verizon (Cellco Partnership) pledging over $45 billion for 3,511 licenses. In Auction 107 net winning...
Crown Castle sues after it’s told that its landlords have to agree to not build a competitive structure
Crown Castle Towers, AT&T, and Sprint have brought a federal lawsuit against the Town of Riverhead, N.Y., the Town Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board and the Town’s building administrator for alleged “unreasonable delays” and “unsupportable effective denials”...
SBA inks a master lease agreement with DISH for its 5G network
DISH and SBA Communications Corporation today announced a new long-term master lease agreement providing DISH access to SBA’s extensive nationwide portfolio of wireless communication sites. The announcement builds upon DISH’s continued progress in acquiring access to the essential infrastructure...
Three tower techs rescued after being stranded in Utah’s Oquirrh Mountains
Update: February 23, 2021 – The technician that was taken to the hospital with hypothermia was responding to a maintenance issue for a tower site on Mt. Vision, about three road miles southeast of Nelson Peak and at thousand feet...
Tracy, Drouin, Lekutis to lead Tower Family Foundation as it aids wireless workers, their families
The Tower Family Foundation announced today that Board of Directors’ members Jim Tracy, Victor Drouin and Craig Lekutis were appointed by their peers to serve on the non-profit organization’s Executive Committee for the 2021-2022 term. Jim Tracy, Founder and...
Twenty-eight broadband-related bills to close digital divide introduced by Republicans
Today, House Energy & Commerce Committee Republicans introduced 28 broadband-related bills to help close the digital divide, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, through their Boosting Broadband Connectivity Agenda. The group said this legislative package aims to promote new infrastructure deployment; promote...
Seven new tower agreements signed by DISH as ATC and SBA await word on their offers
As DISH constructs the nation’s first cloud-native, Open RAN-based 5G wireless network, the company announced today it has signed seven new tower agreements. These agreements, with Harmoni Towers, Mobilite, Parallel Infrastructure, Phoenix Tower International (PTI), Tillman Infrastructure, Tower Ventures and...
Women of NATE announces 2021 education scholarship recipients
Women of NATE (WON) is pleased to announce that seven outstanding recipients have been selected to receive 2021 WON Education Scholarships. The scholarship was designed to encourage and inspire more women to enter the tower and communications infrastructure construction,...
‘Disgustingly stupid’ videos yanked following obvious safety violations
As Vice Chairman of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, John Paul (JP) Jones is proud of the many top safety individuals and subject matter experts in the past 25 years who have taken a cottage industry with minimal...
Legislation reintroduced to address the telecommunications workforce shortage
U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today reintroduced the Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act, legislation to address the shortage of...
‘Painless’ process results in a Dish/Vertical Bridge access deal
Dish Network Corporation and Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC announced a long-term agreement granting Dish immediate access to Vertical Bridge’s extensive portfolio of towers, rooftops, utility transmission structures, billboards, convenience stores and other sites used for wireless infrastructure deployment. Vertical Bridge...
DirecTV, the company adrift that keeps on giving grief to wireless workers
In May of 2014, after AT&T announced that it was buying DirecTV for $48.5 billion, it froze additional wireless projects and put on hold the need to marshal up to 1,000 dedicated installation crews, severely crippling many tower installation...
Verizon to double the number of its mmWave sites this year
To take over more of the country’s competitive landscape, Verizon said it will be making investment in mobile networks for the expansion of 5G Ultra Wideband in new and existing markets, the densification of the wireless network to manage...
Telecom industry unites behind call for broadband workforce development to White House, Congress
A coalition of ten leading organizations representing a broad cross-section of the telecommunications industry today sent a joint letter to the White House and Congress urging support for broadband-related job skills development as part of any infrastructure legislation. The...
DC Judge questions the existence of FDA working groups cited in FCC’s RF exposure order
A D.C. Circuit panel judge yesterday, during oral arguments, appeared unconvinced of the Federal Communications Commission’s support of their findings that cell phones and other connected devices pose no risks to human health. The Environmental Health Trust, Children’s Health...
Network shuts down after lack of profit deflates Loon’s balloons
Alphabet Inc is shutting down Loon after determining the business, which offers balloons as an alternative to cell towers, is not commercially viable, Google’s parent company said on Thursday. Since 2011, the company has been trying to bring connectivity...
Geo catch puts California man behind bars for Verizon cell site batteries theft
A 32-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing four deep-cycle batteries which were used to power a San Bernardino, California Verizon cell tower site, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. On January 14, a suspect cut two...
Maine city and its planning board’s monopole siting spat could result in $1,000-a-day contempt fines
Bay Communications III LLC of Mansfield, Massachusetts wants to erect a 120-foot monopole on 182 Camden Street in Rockland, Maine and has had to resort to asking a federal court to find the city and its planning board in...
NATE requests COVID-19 vaccination priority status for industry’s technician workforce
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association has sent letters to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Governors Association to request that the telecom industry’s technicians be accorded priority status...
American Tower enters Europe in $9.4 Billion Telefonica deal
American Tower Corporation today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with Telefónica, S.A. (“Telefónica”), under which it will acquire Telxius Towers, comprising approximately 31,000 existing communications sites in Germany, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina. The total...
Tower tech is undergoing surgery after a 140-foot fall in New York
A tower tech fell approximately 140 feet from a guyed tower in Lawrence, New York yesterday at about 11:00 a.m. while doing a T-Mobile upgrade, according to individuals knowledgeable of the accident. St. Lawrence County sheriff’s deputies responded to...
Will it be Senator or President Legere or just more social media chatter while it’s allowed?
The day after the 2016 presidential election that put Donald Trump in office, T-Mobile CEO John Legere Tweeted: “Congrats to the new POTUS. Let’s see what an out of the box, non-typical, non-politician can do for America.” Last Thursday,...
Tipsy Bobcat operator arrested for threatening cell site workers
Over the years, cell site techs have been shot at with handguns, rifles and even arrows, but a new worksite violence wrinkle occurred Tuesday morning at a rural site in Dassel Township, Minnesota when a 67-year-old man weaponized a...
Colony Capital’s Los Angeles roots replanted in Boca Raton as part of its corporate realignment
Colony Capital, Inc. announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Los Angeles, California to Boca Raton, Florida, effective as of January 1, 2021. In addition, Colony announced the appointment of select corporate officers to new roles as part...
NATE’s free 5G small cell deployment training courses open for registration
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that the registration process is open for the first, five 5G-Small Cell Deployment Training sessions that will be facilitated by the Association in 2021. Overall, 12 5G-Small Cell Deployment Training Courses will...
Latchways Standard Self-Retracting Lifeline recall alert
MSA is issuing this User Safety Notice to inform the industry that MSA has received field reports of a limited number of Latchways Standard Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRL) in which some internal bolts came loose. MSA has not received any reports...
Cord cutter Cooper’s memoir is a stunning tale of cell phone history and the next chapter – artificial intelligence
One of Time Magazine’s Top 100 Inventors in History, Martin Cooper, shares an insider’s story of the cell phone, how it changed the world—and a view of where it’s headed in his new book released today, Cutting the Cord:...
Sadly, 2020’s top stories were fatalities and structural failures
What were the most-read stories published by Wireless Estimator this year? It’s not surprising to learn that any media with a large audience of contractors, tower owners, tower techs, engineers, safety professionals, and vendors would find that two topics...
FBI checking to see if 5G paranoia may have been the motive in Nashville bombing
Law enforcement officials are not certain if 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner’s motive for driving his RV to downtown Nashville, Tennessee Christmas morning, allowing himself to be shred to pieces as the vehicle exploded on Second Avenue North was because he believed...
Pai and Loebsack honored by NATE for their untiring efforts in advancing broadband initiatives
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Congressman Dave Loebsack, U.S. Representative for the 3rd District of Iowa, are the recipients of the 2020 NATE Regulatory and Legislative Champion Awards respectively. Chairman Pai...
OSHA, NATE and the FCC ink long-sought strategic safety partnership
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signed a national strategic partnership with NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to improve worker safety in the communications tower erection...
Guy wire cutting crime spree topples one Texas tower, destabilized a 1,000-footer
A tall tower crew is on site in Wichita Falls, Texas, stabilizing a 1,050-foot TV broadcast tower owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., off 4500 Seymour highway. It is one of two towers that had guy wires cut early...