The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) announced Friday that Joseph M. Wassel has been named Executive Director (CEO) of the FirstNet Authority. He joins the FirstNet Authority after serving in senior executive positions at the Department of Defense (DoD), where he oversaw global technology and communications systems during his 34-year career. “After conducting a thorough search, the FirstNet Authority Board is …
Toppling of Nebraska 300-foot guyed tower might be investigated as an act of domestic terrorism
The Furnas County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) has opened an investigation after a communications tower south of Oxford, Nebraska was intentionally destroyed. The sheriff’s office said the tower, owned by Strayer Communications, was toppled and destroyed on Saturday. Their initial findings indicated intentional damage to a guy wire that was cut and resulted in complete structural failure of the tower, causing …
Eastman, Hester and Pleibel’s compassion and industry insight will help guide the Tower Family Foundation
The Tower Family Foundation announced today three leadership appointments to serve the non-profit organization. Jon Eastman, President of VIKOR, Dr. Bridgette Hester, Adjunct Professor and Researcher, and Chris Pleibel, Vice President at PerfectVision Manufacturing, have been appointed to serve on the Tower Family Foundation Advisory Committee. In their roles as members of the committee, Eastman, Hester, and Pleibel will be …
Oregon man stranded in snow couples his phone and drone to text his rescuers
While trying to traverse a remote area in Willamette National Forest in Oregon, a motorist recently became stuck in the snow, and no cell service was available in the very forested area. Fortunately, the Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue office (LCSSR) said the unidentified stranded motorist’s ingenuity in using a cell phone and a drone to alert them most …
President Joe Biden’s FCC nominee Gigi Sohn says she’ll go after another Joe deals a crippling blow
President Biden’s pick to serve as an FCC Commissioner is withdrawing her nomination, following a bitter 16-month lobbying fight that blocked her appointment and opened her up to ruthless personal attacks. Gigii Sohn, a longtime public interest advocate and former Democratic FCC official who was first nominated by the White House in October 2021, said her decision to withdraw followed “unrelenting, dishonest and cruel …
Nexius crashes and burns its dedicated construction supply chain, stiffing them for millions of dollars
Selected by AT&T in 2016 as one of their eight suppliers of the year out of more than 5,000 companies, well-established Frisco, Texas-based network deployment firm Nexius cemented a relationship with the carrier that would see them become one of their leading suppliers and turfing contractors. Wireless infrastructure manufacturers, distributors, and contractors were eager to accept Nexius’s business and provide …
NATE UNITE 2023 breaks all-time attendee, exhibitor, and sponsor records
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that the recent NATE UNITE 2023 Conference in Orlando, Florida ascended to record-setting heights. The Association said that 2,843 individuals registered to attend NATE UNITE 2023. The total eclipses the organization’s all-time conference registered attendee total in its 28-year history, exceeding the previous attendance record from last year’s NATE UNITE 2022 in …
Win $100 by guessing the number of attendees at NATE UNITE 2023’s record-breaking Orlando show
Step back Las Vegas and make room for Orlando as the host of NATE – The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association’s largest attended conference in the association’s 28-year history. The event ended last Thursday. In 2022, a record was set with 2,619 registrants, eclipsing Raleigh’s record of 2,146. However, this year, according to an early tally that will not be finalized until Tuesday morning, O-Town …
Dish Network’s ransomware attack enters its sixth day of affecting customers
Dish Network has confirmed that a ransomware attack was the cause of a multi-day network and service outage that started on Friday. The outages hit Dish.com, the Dish Anywhere app, Boost Mobile, and other websites and networks owned and operated by Dish Network. It has also been reported that the company’s call center phone numbers were not working. In an …
OSHA, media and the CWA routinely and inaccurately portray the wireless industry as the ‘most dangerous’
Commentary — In 2006, after exhaustive research, Wireless Estimator identified cell tower climbers had the most dangerous job in America, exposing a death rate per 100,000 workers of 115.2 based upon approximately 8,700 workers within the industry. The data was obtained, in part, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lagging 2004 data, based upon ten fatalities, later revised to …
Astronaut Massimino mesmerizes attendees at NATE UNITE 2023, but insists ground level is his preferred height
Fifty-four years ago, six-year-old Michael Massimino was riveted to his TV as millions of Americans were, as they watched the blurry black-and-white images of a man walking on the moon. On Tuesday, approximately 1,500 industry professionals were also transfixed with admiration, this time on that now-grown man who had lifted off in 2002 and 2009 to service the Hubble Space …
Civil engineering major Emily Wiebe receives NATE’s Ernie Jones memorial scholarship
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today announced that Emily Wiebe, a junior Civil Engineering major from Mequon, Wisconsin, has been named as the 2023 recipient of the Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. The official announcement was made at the NATE Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, February 22 during the annual NATE …
Pat Moore is presented with the prestigious Bill Carlson Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 others are honored
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association on Wednesday honored a distinguished group of leaders for their contributions to the organization and industry. The following honorees were presented their awards at the NATE UNITE 2023 Awards Luncheon sponsored by DISH in Orlando, Florida: Bill Carlson Lifetime Service Award Pat Moore (Broadcast Construction Services, LLC) Pat Moore, a Navy Vietnam Veteran, has been …
SBA’s Jeffrey Stoops to retire at the end of the year, passing the reins to Brendan Cavanagh
SBA Communications Corporation. a leading global owner and operator of communications infrastructure, announced today that Jeff Stoops will retire from his positions as President and Chief Executive Officer on December 31, 2023. SBA’s Board of Directors has appointed Brendan Cavanagh, SBA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to succeed Mr. Stoops as President and CEO, at which time Mr. …
NWSA’s new testing mode will allow exams to be done in almost any home or office setting
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced during NATE UNITE 2023 that the organization will be unveiling a new Candidate Management System (CMS) and Online Remote Proctoring (ORP) testing mode targeted for the second quarter of 2023. The NWSA’s new CMS will provide the industry with two online portals, the NWSA Candidate Portal and the Group Application Portal. The NWSA Candidate …
SAC Wireless is the first company to equip all of its tower crews with powered rope ascenders
SAC Wireless, a Nokia Company and leading provider of communication network infrastructure, announced today at NATE UNITE 2023 a nationwide partnership with Ronin Revolution Corp., a developer of power rope ascenders and rescue equipment. The wireless industry’s continued 5G rollout and federal commitment to infrastructure projects have increased the need for skilled technicians to deploy sophisticated communication technology on a …
Tower Family Foundation benefits from Military of NATE and a NATE UNITE 2023 work trailer raffle
At last night’s NATE UNITE 2023 welcome reception, the Tower Family Foundation was presented with a $12,000 check from Military of NATE The Military of NATE Committee enables all service men and women of NATE, including Veterans, Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserves, to achieve their full potential and help support their success in the communications infrastructure industry. A limited …
Victor Drouin is NATE’s new chairman, with leadership support of Randy Scott and Kevin Dougherty
NATE – The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that Board of Directors’ members Victor Drouin, Randy Scott and Kevin Dougherty were elected by their peers to serve on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The Association made the announcement on the first day of the NATE UNITE 2023 Conference and Trade Show in Orlando, Florida. Victor Drouin, …
Lightning bolt-bending laser prevents communications tower damage, but it’s not ready for prime time
Scientists have developed a rapidly firing laser that can divert lighting strikes to prevent infrastructure damage. Its effectiveness was shown when it was tested using a 407-foot communications tower on top of Säntis mountain in northeastern Switzerland, a structure in the Swiss Alps that is struck by lightning about 100 times a year. The Cliff Notes of their success is …
WISPA-developed white paper rips apart the NTIA’s love affair with fiber, possibly a $60 billion boondoggle
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding program (BEAD) will fall short of connecting all Americans online because it is not based on sound economic and other policy principles, concludes Dr. Bill Lehr in a white paper released today. By designating fiber as a “priority broadband project” for Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) deployments and …
