President Donald Trump’s proposed 2018 budget cuts, released late last week, left the wireless industry basically unscathed except for some cuts to rural broadband efforts that are said to be duplicated elsewhere. But the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) took a huge hit on President Trump’s wish list, losing $445 million, which could result in a number of rural stations …
Stung by hundreds of bees, tower technician is on the mend
A tower tech has recovered after being stung by hundreds of bees on March 15 in Las Vegas as he was working on a monopalm, according to authorities. The North Las Vegas Fire Department responded to a tower on Craig Rd. and Ferrell St. where a crew was working on the site and the bees started stinging them. One worker was …
Expect a quick AT&T award of FirstNet after court rules against Rivada Mercury
The U.S. Court of Appeals of Federal Claims on Friday ruled against Rivada Mercury in the lawsuit they filed in November alleging that they were unfairly excluded by FirstNet from being in the competitive range for the nationwide broadband network for public safety contract Knowledgeable industry observers have said that if Rivada’s lawsuit was denied, the FirstNet board will most …
American Tower pulls out of Florida’s corporate row, affecting 56 employees
American Tower Corporation (ATC) will be closing its office in Boca Raton, Fla. at 750 Park of Commerce Blvd., and laying off many of their 56 employees, according to a Florida worker adjustment and retraining notice dated March 1. Terminations are scheduled to begin on May 1. The office is located within a stone’s throw of Digital Bridge’s headquarters and …
Wireless Infrastructure Association named national sponsor for TIRAP
The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) announced today that the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) was selected to serve as National Sponsor for the program, and that TIRAP had secured approval for four additional credentialed occupations. TIRAP is a joint venture of telecommunications companies, industry associations and the U.S. Department of Labor that develops DOL-credentialed apprenticeship programs available to qualified …
TIA releases its 5G Operator Survey 2017 results highlighting industry challenges
According to a Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) report, within the next two decades, it is predicted that every person, industry, and service provider will be using 5G systems. The paper, an update on TIA’s previous 2015 5G Operator Survey, provides valuable insight into the network operators’ view of the 5G revolution and presents important findings about usage in the near …
Tower tech in Kansas is injured after falling approximately 25 feet
Update: March 20, 2017 – The tower tech that was injured on March 15, 2017 while dismantling a tower in Salina, Kan. is still in the hospital, but recovering, according to an individual knowledgeable of the accident. Randy Smith was employed by his own tower company operating under the business name of Randy Smith Tower Services of Rolla, Kan. March …
Utility commissioners tell the FCC to ‘tread carefully’ with municipal streamlining petition
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) recently applauded the FCC and Chairman Ajit Pai for initiating the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, but came down hard on what it sees as the FCC’s desire to preempt the traditional authority of State and local authorities by replacing intrastate regulation of rights-of-way, pole attachments, and other telecommunications facilities or services of …
NYC says ‘we’re done waiting,’ and sues Verizon over fiber rollout
In correspondence sent to New York City on Friday, Verizon said they were looking forward to “constructive dialog” to resolve the City’s Fios build-out concerns. New York wasn’t as accommodating when it slapped Verizon with a lawsuit on Monday. In a complaint filed in New York State Supreme Court, New York City contends that Verizon is in breach of a …
WIA outlines convincing small cell deployment barriers nation faces
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) filed formal written comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its “Streamlining Deployment of Small Cell Infrastructure By Improving Wireless Facilities Siting Policies” proceeding. In its filing, WIA stressed the importance of maintaining a fair and competitive marketplace to promote the widespread deployment of wireless infrastructure in communities across the United States. More importantly, …
FCC Commish: New tower marking regs could affect 50,000 towers; needs tweaking
By Michael O’Rielly – FCC Commissioner Having worked on numerous legislative efforts over the years, I have seen that it is not uncommon for very well-intentioned provisions contained within larger bills passed by Congress and enacted into law to lead to unintended negative consequences. One such provision recently enacted in an FAA Authorization statute is causing a considerable level of …
Broadcast repack video is truly a must see for all tower techs
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) released a Broadcast Repack safety video during the NATE UNITE 2017 Keynote Luncheon sponsored by T-Mobile. The timely video is the second to debut as part of Volume 2 of the NATE Climber Connection series and coincides with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently concluding the bidding phase of its historic incentive auction, …
Black & Veatch exec Martin Travers joins National Wireless Safety Alliance’s Board
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) has announced that Martin Travers, Group President of Black & Veatch, has joined the organization’s Board of Directors. Travers was nominated and formally appointed to serve in this leadership role during the NWSA Board of Directors meeting held in Fort Worth, Tex. on March 2, 2017. NWSA, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, is a national non-profit …
Broadcaster taunts American Tower who could easily pull the plug on its stations
UPDATE: March 10, 2017 – A Jackson Hole, Wyo. Broadcaster most likely doesn’t agree with the cautionary idiom of not biting the hand that feeds you. Radio stations KMTN, KZ95, KJAX and KID broadcast from American Tower’s towers and the stations’ owner was given until March 8 to either pay ATC over $500,000 it owed in back lease payments or negotiate a …
AT&T still mum on what caused its 14-state 911 outage
The FCC said on Thursday it will investigate why AT&T wireless subscribers in several states could not make emergency 911 calls late Wednesday that spanned at least 14 states. “Every call to 911 must go through,” said Chairman Ajit Pai in a news release. “So when I first learned of yesterday’s outage, I immediately directed FCC staff to contact AT&T …
Rappelling tower tech may be disqualified from receiving workers compensation
The Supreme Court of Georgia has ruled that a tower tech who disobeyed his supervisor’s instructions not to use a controlled descent and fell, severely injuring himself, may not be entitled to workers compensation benefits, reversing a Georgia Court of Appeals decision. Tower technician Adrian Burdette, employed by Chandler Telecom L.L.C. of Eatonton, Ga. during November 2012, according to the ruling, …
HR folks focused on Verizon’s employee handbook court ruling challenge
There were a number of lessons learned by wireless infrastructure companies last month when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that portions of Verizon Wireless employees’ handbook needed to be removed because they had the potential to suppress workers from not being allowed protected free speech. The NLRB, in its Feb. 24 decision and order, said that Verizon must …
NATE sets new all-time attendee, exhibitor marks at 2017’s conference
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) announced today that last week’s NATE UNITE 2017 Conference in Fort Worth, Tex, set new attendee and exhibitor records. The Association said that 1,801 individuals registered to attend NATE UNITE 2017. This total eclipses the organization’s all-time conference registered attendee total in its 22-year history, exceeding the previous attendance registration record of 1,614 at …
No barriers in the way of the un-carrier’s drive to support tower techs/veterans
All carriers and tower owners support the need for a safe environment for tower techs, but T-Mobile has unfailingly gone the extra mile in its deeds and donations. The un-carrier, consistently ranked for having the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network speeds for its 72-million-plus subscribers, has quickly and deservedly captured a reputation for having the greatest concern for the safety of …
AT&T’s FirstNet award in the bag rumors ignore court’s near-term expected ruling
Rumors at last week’s Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona that FirstNet was set to award America’s first nationwide network for first responders to AT&T would require judicial clairvoyance to be accurate since the award is in an ongoing procurement process that will be decided by U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Elaine Kaplan. Oral arguments in Rivada Mercury’s lawsuit …
