Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced appointments of Working Group members to serve on the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States (Precision Ag Task Force). Jason Miller of Tillman Infrastructure has been appointed to serve on the Precision Ag Task Force Working Group on Examining Current and Future …
House FCC oversight hearing focuses on broadband maps, security
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel informed members of a House Energy and Commerce Committee Oversight hearing today that the improved broadband maps needed to adequately disburse billions of federal infrastructure dollars will come this fall. However the maps will still have to be released to the states for their input on accuracy, and the FCC will then do any applicable revisions …
Think tank researcher identifies U.S. mobile wireless speeds are among the best in the world
A constant refrain often heard in the broadband debate is that Internet speeds in the United States are generally far slower than for most other advanced countries. To test that argument, last February the Phoenix Center released a paper entitled Comparative Analysis of Fixed Broadband Speeds in Cities Across the World in which their Chief Economist Dr. George S. Ford compared …
MasTec, SBA and DigitalBridge announce new leadership roles
Ava L. Parker – MasTec Ava L. Parker has become a member of MasTec’s board of directors, according to a company press release. She joined the board as a Class III director in MasTec’s staggered board structure, MasTec said. “Parker serves as president of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach County, one of Florida’s largest higher education institutions,” MasTec said. …
DigitalBridge to acquire Telenet’s mobile telecommunications tower business in Belgium
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. has announced that an affiliate, DigitalBridge Investments, LLC, has agreed to acquire the mobile telecommunications tower business of Telenet Group Holding NV in an all-cash transaction valued at $820 million, on a cash-free and debt-free basis. The transaction is being funded via a combination of debt and equity financing, including a commitment from the DigitalBridge balance sheet of $517 million. DigitalBridge intends to subsequently …
$600 million set aside in Biden’s proposed budget to boost rural broadband
President Joe Biden yesterday unveiled a proposed $5.8 trillion budget for 2023, that included over $600 million for additional broadband funding through the USDA’s ReConnect program, which provides grands and loans to deploy broadband to unserved areas, especially tribal areas. To be eligible for ReConnect Program funding, applicants must serve an area without broadband service at speeds of 100 megabits …
FCC includes Russian, two China cybersecurity firms on covered blacklist
The Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau added equipment and services from three entities – AO Kaspersky Lab, China Telecom (Americas) Corp, and China Mobile International USA Inc. – to its list of communications equipment and services that have been deemed a threat to national security, consistent with requirements in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act …
ATF accuses man of setting fire to American Tower cell site, trying to destroy multiple other locations
A Jackson County Mississippi man is facing federal charges from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after a special agent said the arsonist maliciously set fire to an American Tower cell tower earlier this month. Manuel Alejandro DeJesus is alleged to have set fire to at least three cell towers in the Jackson …
Senate Committee clears bill gathering expert advice on 6G
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association commended the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation for voting to advance S. 3014, the Next Generation Telecommunications Act. NATE endorsed the bipartisan Act which was introduced by Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV), Wicker (R-MS), Schumer (D-NY), and Thune (R-SD). This legislation would establish a bipartisan, multi-agency, private sector telecommunications council to advise Congress …
Verizon Jackson Pollock-type pole is perhaps first 5G artwork cell site
When Verizon Wireless first began installing 5G light poles last March in Harrisburg, Pa., for reliable connectivity for their subscribers, some residents didn’t know that they were telecommunications structures and questioned what was the purpose of the large cylinder at the top? Some neighbors said they believed they might be gunshot detectors. However, as Verizon began to build a projected …
Phoenix Tower to acquire 3,226 towers From Cellnex Telecom in France
Boca Raton, FL-based Phoenix Tower International (“PTI”) announced that it has completed a definitive agreement — subject to the French Competition Authority (“FCA”) approval — with Cellnex Telecom to acquire 1,226 telecommunications sites in very dense areas in France adding SFR as a second major MNO client of PTI in France. Simultaneously, PTI with its Joint Venture Partner Bouygues Telecom will be acquiring 2,000 …
Although workforce training is an industry priority, a national survey of CEOs says it’s low on their list
As the war in Ukraine continues to escalate, a new survey of CEOs and Directors, released by the Committee for Economic Development, the public policy center of The Conference Board (CED), found that Russia is the top policy priority they want the President and Congress to address this year. Labor shortages were also a top priority. However, workforce training was one …
Drone rulemaking committee recommends that the FAA establish a new beyond visual line of sight rule
The FAA’s UAS Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) has published its final report with recommendations that will benefit contractors and towercos if they are enacted. To fly BVLOS currently, operators must seek waivers or exemptions from the FAA, a lengthy and difficult process that is more likely not to be approved. The Small UAV Coalition …
Five years prison term given to tower tech who killed his brother-in-law during Iowa motel brawl
An Oklahoma tower technician has been sentenced to five years in prison for the beating death of his brother-in-law of 12 years in the parking lot of a Sioux City, Iowa motel. Jordan Kaesemeyer, 36, of Marlow, Oklahoma, was sentenced on March 8, 2022, after pleading guilty in September to involuntary manslaughter for the June 2020 death of Justin Morrison, …
Free cryptocurrency replaces stock options in United Telecom Systems’ unique benefits package
It’s not cryptic for Gen Z adults and millennials; they get it. Cryptocurrency is gaining popularity throughout the world since traditional savings accounts have an embarrassingly low-interest rate that is being stripped away by the country’s highest inflation rate in the past four decades, and traditional IRAs are suffering due to current global issues. Georgia-based United Telecom Systems, LLC (UTS) also gets …
American Tower reportedly a contender for 41,000 Deutsche Telekom towers for $20 billion
American Tower is reportedly a key contender for a 41,000 Deutsche Telekom towers acquisition. Deutsche Telekom reportedly started the sales process for its mobile towers business as part of broader efforts to maximize the value of its infrastructure assets. Reuters reported the Germany-headquartered operator is working with Goldman Sachs as adviser in the sale of its 40,600 towers, which the …
Tower tech is seriously injured after falling from an unknown height inside a Florida water tower
The condition of 26-year-old tower technician Brandon O’Neil of Orlando, FL is unknown after he fell from an unknown height inside a water tower in Palm Coast, FL, on Tuesday evening and suffered serious injuries. A Flagler County press release said that the technician “was atop the tower when he fell approximately 120 feet,” which is being repeated in media …
NATE UNITE 2022 bucks the trend of decreased show attendance with 2,619 registrants
For the ninth consecutive year, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association saw an increase in their annual convention’s attendance at their Las Vegas, NV show last month with 2619 attendees, an increase of over 8% over 2020’s in-person Raleigh, NC event. NATE’s attendance percentage was considerably higher than many shows that recently saw huge drops in visitors such as the …
SCOTUS turns down Santa Fe 5G conspiracists’ last chance to expose First Amendment abuse
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday crushed an environmental group’s final attempt to resurrect its constitutional claims alleging that the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico exposed residents to dangerous levels of radiation by installing telecom equipment in public rights-of-way by declining to review the matter. The Santa Fe Alliance for Public Health and Safety petitioned the high court to …
Ontivity lands industry veteran Joe Cecin as its CEO as Eric Chase assumes role of executive chairman
Ontivity, formerly Enertech Holdings, a leading national provider of wireless infrastructure services, announced today that Joe Cecin has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. An industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, Cecin is responsible for overseeing the operations of all companies under the Ontivity umbrella, including Enertech Resources, ET Tower, Legacy Telecommunications, CMS Wireless, and …
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