The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) has released its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Report for 2018, and OSHA and media have been heralding the marked 14% decrease from 2017 of fatal falls to a lower level totaling 615, a five-year low since 2014 when there were 674 deaths. The wireless construction industry also saw a marked improvement in 2018 …
Two tower workers on the mend after 30-foot fall from Pennsylvania tower
Two unnamed men were injured this afternoon when the tower they were working on in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania collapsed. According to multiple news reports the men were taken to a hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries after falling aproximately 30 feet. Firefighters and paramedics had to use all-terrain vehicles to rescue the pair off of a hilltop …
Tower Family Foundation awarded $295K to climbers in 2019 and needs your support
The Tower Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is encouraging all wireless industry companies and stakeholders to make an end of year tax-deductible donation to the organization prior to December 31, 2019. All contributions to the Tower Family Foundation are granted directly to eligible tower workers and/or their families to help assist them in paying for their immediate needs and …
NATE video offers tips when it comes to inspecting, navigating and utilizing safety climb systems
The National Association of Tower Erectors has released a video entitled “Safety Climbs” designed to highlight the important elements of properly inspecting and utilizing safety climb systems that are installed on communication towers. The video was the latest to debut in Volume 4 of the Association’s popular #ClimberConnection campaign. A central feature of the video includes an interview with a wireless …
Vertical Bridge closes out the year with record-breaking philanthropy funding driven by employees
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States, has announced that, with its matched employee donations, it has donated more than $1.5 million to charitable organizations in 2019. This is the firm’s largest annual contribution since its founding in 2014 and a nearly 20% increase over last year. Since Vertical Bridge’s founding …
A dangling upside-down tower tech in Alabama leads Fast-Forward Friday news
GUY SNAPS HURLING TOWER TECH 40 FEET UP AN ALABAMA TOWER A tower tech last Friday dangled 40-feet in the air upside-down when a guy wire snapped while he was on the ground catapulting him upwards on the tower. The tech, employed by Douglasville, Georgia-based Bennett Communications, didn’t hit the tower on the way up. The Atmore News covered the …
Industry veteran Mitch Henry named as Chief of Staff at CTI Towers
Longtime tower industry veteran Mitch Henry has been named Chief of Staff at CTI Towers. In his new position, Henry will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations at the company. “I have known Mitch for almost 20 years and have the utmost admiration for him. He has a complete understanding of the business and has a keen sense of …
Four NATE Directors re-elected as Cobb joins Board for the first time
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released the results of their 2020 Board of Directors election. The Association announced that Jimmy Miller, President of MillerCo, Inc. in Gulfport, Mississippi; John Paul Jones, President of Tower & Turbine Technologies LLC in Austin, Texas; Kevin Dougherty, President of Millennia Contracting, Inc in New Castle, Delaware; and Bryan Lee, President of …
FCC gives 5G a green light as the agency maintains existing RF exposure limits
Following proposed modifications to its radio frequency (RF) exposure rules originally released in 2013, and to allay concerns about 5G transmitters and devices, the FCC has released a decision maintaining existing allowable RF exposure limits while simplifying the process for determining whether devices are exempt from RF exposure testing. The agency voted unanimously last week to keep in place RF …
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 …
American Tower and SBA’s tower source in Brazil has now become their key competitor
For many years, both SBA Communications and American Tower Corp. have eyed Brazil as an excellent country to buy and build wireless infrastructure to serve the world’s fifth-largest country with 210 million people. Adding to their portfolios, in 2012 American Tower acquired 1,800 towers from Telefonica’s Vivo. Also, in 2012, SBA inked a deal for 800 towers from Vivo …
FCC scraps 4G subsidy program and plans to dole out $9 billion for 5G in rural areas
The FCC said yesterday that it plans to scrap a $4.5 billion subsidy program for 4G LTE in rural areas and in its place launch a $9 billion fund to bring 5G wireless to hard to reach parts of the country. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the new fund will help carriers pay for 5G deployments in sparsely populated, hard-to-reach …
Toppling a 500-foot structure, ice isn’t nice to a Nebraska tower
A weekend winter blizzard in Chadron, Nebraska that included freezing rain and heavy snow powered by 50-60 mph winds, collapsed a 500-foot guyed tower owned by Eagle Communications, Inc., headquartered in Hays, Kansas The Saturday storm knocked out Eagle’s Double Q Country/KQSK radio station in addition to disrupting service for the Dawes County Sheriff’s Office, Northwest Rural Public Power District, …
Valmont Site Pro 1 launches revolutionary new line of small cell mounts, enclosures & accessories
Valmont Site Pro 1, the industry-leading manufacturer and distributor of wireless site components, announces the launch of a new line of small cell mounts, pole mounted enclosures and accessories. The APT (Adaptive Pole Top) Kits are universal in nature, enabling you to seamlessly transform any wood, metal, concrete or composite pole into a 5G node. The kits are designed for …
NATE member Petrilla to serve on Department of State’s International Telecommunications Advisory Committee
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) announced today that Jesse Petrilla has been selected to serve on the U.S. Department of State’s International Telecommunications Advisory Committee (ITAC). The purpose of the ITAC is to advise the Department of State with respect to telecommunications and information policy matters related to United States participation in the work of the International Telecommunication …
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 …
SBA gets an unwanted assist from Mother Nature in Pennsylvania tower swap-out
In 2017, SBA Towers II, LLC petitioned the Ferguson Township, Pennsylvania Board of Supervisors to replace an existing 181-foot self-supporting tower located at 200 Jackson Trail in the Rothrock State Forest. SBA entered into a ground lease in 1995 with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but the tower became structurally unsound over the years and in 2017, SBA said that the tower …
