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American Tower enters Argentina with an undisclosed assets buy

In Daily News Briefs by Wireless Estimator

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Nov. 9, 2016, American Tower Corporation entered into an agreement to acquire a portfolio of urban telecommunications assets in Argentina, including wireless sites, equipment and fiber assets located on utility infrastructure as well as a number of indoor wireless sites. The Company expects to commence its business in Argentina with this …

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Trump’s impact on telecom is anyone’s guess at this point

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Trying to identify what Donald Trump’s election as the country’s 45th president of the U.S. will mean for the telecommunications industry is a daunting task since he has offered very few specifics as to how he will stimulate innovation and build out America’s infrastructure through re-purposing spectrum and supporting 5G through licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Trying to research where he …

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West Chicago telecom fiber optic worker electrocuted

In Daily News Briefs by Wireless Estimator

Authorities in Sterling, Ill. Are investigating the death of a telecommunications company worker who was electrocuted yesterday while working on fiber-optic cable when the bucket on his truck came into contact with ComED power line. Robert Zulauf, 32, owner of Zucru Communications, was pronounced dead at the scene just before 1 pm., according to the Whiteside County Coroner’s office. Another …

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Checkered contractor loses lawsuit after two tower tech deaths

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Based upon substantial evidence to support their findings, a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has kayoed a wireless contractor’s final attempt to vacate the company’s serious violations of OSHA’s General Duty Clause and $7,000 in fines they received following an accident that killed two of their employees on May 28, 2013. Both men, employees …

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Alyssa Runner joins Wireless Estimator in key advertising and marketing role

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Wireless Estimator is pleased to announce the appointment of Alyssa Runner to the position of Marketing/Advertising Consultant. Alyssa has been crusading the digital marketing arena for more than seven years, specializing in copywriting, lead generation, data-driven strategies and conversion rate optimization. With a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master’s in Public Administration, she focuses her time …

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New lighting standards helped tower owners to lower bird kill; 15,000 still left

In Daily News Briefs by Wireless Estimator

New guidelines for communication tower lights spell out how tower operators can save birds and energy without sacrificing safety. Put in place by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the guidelines strongly encourage tower operators to turn off or reprogram steady-burning red or white lights in favor of flashing lights, which are less harmful to birds yet still …

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Concerns about anchor corrosion detailed in new NATE video

In Associations News, Daily News Briefs, Training News & Initiatives by Wireless Estimator

The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today unveiled an Anchor Corrosion video as part of the Association’s acclaimed Climber Connection campaign. The video provides detailed information on the conditions and factors that contribute to anchor corrosion on guyed-towers. The video also includes practical testimonial footage from a tower climber highlighting the options available to the industry to mitigate and …

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TIA and OSHA explore new standards and serious safety climb concerns

In Daily News Briefs by Wireless Estimator

The Telecommunications Industry Association and representatives of the Occupational Safety and Health Administrating met in Washington DC to hold productive roundtable discussions to gain a better understanding of applying new TIA standards to communications structures. Developing and presenting the detailed presentation, available here, were John Erichsen, Bryan Lanier, Stephani Brewer, Scott Kisting, Richard Cullum and James Ruedlinger. In addition to …

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Services set for tech who fell from a 160-foot Oklahoma monopole

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

UPDATE: Nov. 7, 2016 – Services have been announced for Steven Lamar Hill, 44, of Chandler, Okla. by the Barnes Friedrich Funeral Home, 1820 South Douglas Blvd., Midwest City, Okla. beginning at 1:00 p.m., Nov. 9, 2016. Interment will follow at Elmwood Cemetery in Choctaw, Okla. UPDATE: Nov. 3, 2016 – Authorities have released the name of the deceased tower …

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AT&T’s utility pole claims are rebutted by the FCC

In Daily News Briefs by Wireless Estimator

The Federal Communications Commission issued a statement Monday related to a lawsuit filed by AT&T (Bell South) against Louisville, Ky., stating that the city’s One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) policy, a pole attachment ordinance, does not conflict with federal regulations. Kentucky is one of 20 states that have certified that they regulate their own pole attachment terms and conditions that …

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Centerline Solutions continues expansion with acquisition of Boulder Technology

In Daily News Briefs by Wireless Estimator

Centerline Solutions, a leading provider of wireless infrastructure services to the telecommunications industry, has acquired Boulder Technology, LLC., an expert software design and development firm based in Boulder, Colo. This acquisition bolsters Centerline Solutions’ leadership position within the wireless industry by securing an in-house technical team to meet the evolving software needs for complex wireless projects. Centerline Solutions and Boulder …

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American Tower registers its unease about ‘complicated’ towers, U.S. and Canadian crews

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

American Tower Corporation (ATC) informed the FCC on Monday that their phased approach to transition TV stations to new channels, with an ambitious completion deadline of 39 months, should take into consideration same phase tower assignments, complicated sites, the availability of tower crews, and the assumption that Canadian crews may not be available to assist in the repacking efforts following the spectrum …

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WIA explores crucial role municipalities will play in efficient deployment of networks

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Wireless carriers and wireless infrastructure providers need “common-sense regulations and predictable timetables” in order to deliver new mobile services such as 5G to cities and towns across the country, according to a new report published by the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). The white paper – titled “Unleashing the Economic Benefits of Mobile Broadband Expansion” — explains how municipalities would benefit …

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Crown Castle picks up FPL FiberNet for $1.5 billion, adding another 11,500 route miles

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

Crown Castle International Corp. announced this morning that it has entered into an agreement to acquire FPL FiberNet Holdings, LLC and certain other subsidiaries of NextEra Energy, Inc for approximately $1.5 billion in cash. FiberNet is a fiber services provider that owns or has rights to approximately 11,500 route miles of fiber installed and under construction in Florida and Texas, …

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NAB says FCC’s 39-month deadline has painted agency into corners

In Daily News Briefs by Wireless Estimator

The National Association of Broadcasts (NAB) said Friday that it is in agreement with the FCC’s phased approach to transition TV stations to new channels following the incentive auction which will begin again today to clear 108 megahertz of spectrum. However, NAB said, “Unfortunately, while there is much promise in the proposed scheduling plan, the Commission’s continued insistence that the …

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Contract award delayed as FirstNet ‘gets this right’

In Daily News Briefs by Wireless Estimator

FirstNet’s expected announcement today of who was selected to build out the nationwide first responder communications network has been put on hold, according to a recent blog post by FirstNetCEO Mike Poth who said the selection process was taking longer than expected and would extend beyond a Nov. 1 2016 target date. “From the outset, FirstNet set an aggressive schedule for …

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CenturyLink’s $25 billion deal to buy Level 3 puts it at #2 behind AT&T

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

CenturyLink on Monday announced that it would buy Level 3 Communications for approximately $25 billion, a move that will allow one of the country’s largest providers of data, voice and video transmission for large enterprises to continue to be competitive with AT&T and Verizon. The deal will make Century Link the second largest provider to business in the U.S., behind …