Rachael Bender, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s legal advisor, closed out a jam-packed New York State Wireless Association day of networking and education at Pier Sixty in New York City on Thursday with a keynote speech where she said, that the FCC is committed to seizing 5G opportunities to grow the nation’s economy, create new jobs, and raise living standards for …
SBA chief takes a payday; Crown takes new Florida office space
SBA Communications CEO Jeffrey Stoops recently sold 94,289 shares of SBA stock at an average price of $133.76 for a total value of $12,612,096. However, the chief executive is still hanging on to 329,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44 million. The company’s shares hit an all-time high on June 2, closing at $138.69. The all-time low …
FirstNet and AT&T deliver state plans three months ahead of schedule
FirstNet and AT&T are taking an important step to deliver the first nationwide high-speed data and voice network for America’s first responders. Today, the two will provide U.S. states and territories with individual State Plans to enable the rapid deployment of this first-of-its-kind FirstNet network. The network buildout proposed in the State Plans will create thousands of new jobs nationwide …
NATE, WIA – everyone else – welcomes Rosenworcel’s return engagement to the FCC
President Donald Trump said he would nominate Jessica Rosenworcel to fill a Democratic seat on the FCC. The expected nomination was applauded throughout the nation. Rosenworcel served as a commissioner until the end of 2016 when lawmakers failed to take up her renomination under former President Barack Obama, handing Republicans a 2-1 majority on the five-seat commission which has allowed …
Steven Marshall elected Chairman of Wireless Infrastructure Association
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today announced that Steven Marshall, Executive Vice President and President of the U.S. Tower Division at American Tower Corp., was elected to serve as Chairman of the WIA’s Board of Directors. Marshall has served on the WIA Board of Directors since 2010 and brings a depth of industry experience and business leadership to WIA. He …
Sioux Falls Tower’s corporate office groundbreaking assists with its continued growth
Employees and associates gathered to celebrate the ground breaking for the new corporate office for Sioux Falls Tower and Communications on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, S.D. President & CEO, Craig Snyder, kicked off the ceremony by talking about their humble beginnings and Sioux Falls Tower’s successes within the past 30 plus years. “Faith and perseverance have been common themes that …
Crown inks lease for new 56K sq. ft. Alpharetta, Georgia office
Crown Castle has signed a 55,622 square-foot lease at 8000 Avalon, a 224,000 square-foot office development that was completed last month in Alpharetta, Ga. It is expected that they will move their current Alpharetta operations, less than three miles from 8000 Avalon, in November to the new high rise office building. The 86-acre complex offers almost a half-million square feet …
NATE’s in O’Rielly’s corner on common sense obstruction marking provisions
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today applauded FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly for his common sense approach to the tower obstruction marking provisions currently confronting the communications tower industry. The broad-based tower marking requirements were part of the FAA Extension, Safety and Security Act of 2016 and mandate improved physical markings and/or lighting on towers ranging from 50’ – …
Houston: We’ve got a problem with Chairman Pai; MasTec takes its firings to the Supremes
The mayor of the City of Houston has taken FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai to task for statements that he made that they state are inaccurate and they want his fellow commissioners to publicly make a correction. City Mayor Sylvester Turner said that Pai’s statement that the city subjected wireless network companies to onerous reviews for purposes of meeting historic preservation …
USA Telecom Insurance Services takes active role in supporting TIRAP
USA Telecom Insurance Services (USATIS) has become the National Marketing Partner for Apprenticeship Outreach for the Telecommunication Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP). USATIS will be joining the National Sponsor, the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), in the role of expanding this widely-beneficial credentialed apprenticeship program across the wireless industry. TIRAP is a joint venture of telecommunications companies, industry associations, and the …
Crown sues Rye as SBA’s bread winner sells $12.6 million of his stock; AT&T strike ends
Crown Castle International has filed a lawsuit against the City of Rye, N.Y. after the City Council rejected a proposal that allowed Crown to install wireless equipment in the community’s rights of way. In its complaint, Crown said Rye improperly refused to grant the company access to public rights of way to expand an existing network of small cells, or …
Mobilitie allowed everyone to be always streaming as Always Dreaming wins
Spectators and visitors at the highest-attended sporting event in the U.S. generated the most voice and data traffic in the history of Churchill Downs this past weekend, and the record-setting volume was transmitted without a hitch due to Mobilitie’s beefed-up wireless voice and data system at the venue. More than 263,000 spectators at the Kentucky Derby, where Always Dreaming came …
FCC vote kicks off battle over regulation of the nation’s internet
In a 2-1 vote, the FCC today moved forward with a process that could lift Title II broadband classification, the legal footing for the commission’s 2015 net neutrality rules. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai stressed that Thursday’s vote is just “the beginning of the process.” In prepared remarks, he stated that the commission would “follow the facts and law where they …
NWSA’s practical examiner workshops will begin on June 12
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) has announced the scheduling of four additional Telecommunications Tower Technician Practical Examiner Accreditation Program Workshops for 2017. Attending this event will allow applicants to both complete their practical exam to become certified as a Telecommunications Tower Technician and to become an NWSA-accredited Practical Examiner. As a Practical Examiner, individuals will be authorized to administer practical exams to …
Ed Dennis teams up with CITCA for training programs and NWSA credentialing
Steve Wilder, Chief Operating Officer of CITCA, LLC in Bradley, Ill has announced that Ed Dennis has joined the CITCA family of safety professionals. A well-respected name in the tower safety industry, Dennis will serve as an instructor for CITCA classes, and will oversee CITCA’s coordination with NWSA certification programs. He previously served as Director of Safety and Training for Pinpoint Towers in …
3M Fall Protection issues product stop use on free standing counterweight anchor
3M US has launched a global Stop Use – Field Service Action to address field reports of broken end-posts (also known a Lead Energy Absorbing Post, or LEAP) used in roof-mounted Evolution Horizontal Lifeline Systems. These fall protection anchors provide a secure tie-off point for those working on flat roof areas, and because they are fall arrest rated for one …
NATE releases its Anchor Inspection/Safe to Climb Protocol document
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has released its long-awaited Anchor Inspection/Safe to Climb Protocol document to assist workers and owners in assessing whether a structure’s anchor system is in a condition that could easily cause a catastrophic incident. Corrosion, an electrochemical process, returns refined steel back to its native state, and a lingering question in the tower industry …
AT&T’s disaster drill sets stage for providing connectivity during emergencies
Hurricane season officially kicks off on June 1, and the National Weather Service says an average of three hurricanes hit the U.S. coastline every two years. But each one carries with it different catastrophic results and AT&T says it wants to be prepared for all scenarios, and goes through a number of exercises that put their Network Discovery (NDR) team …
Simon and DeBroux will chair new FCC broadband deployment working groups
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has appointed members to serve on two Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) working groups. The Competitive Access to Broadband Infrastructure Working Group will be chaired by Ken Simon, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Crown Castle, and Removing State and Local Regulatory Barriers Working Group’s chairman is Robert DeBroux, Director, Public Policy and Federal Regulatory Affairs, …
Broadband investment heads south, 5G Michigan trials soar successfully
Samsung, Cisco deliver multivendor end-to-end 5G trial with Verizon Samsung Electronics America, Inc. and Cisco, in partnership with Verizon, today announced the successful deployment of the first multi-vendor end-to-end 5G trial network in the field, which took place in Ann Arbor, a suburb of metropolitan Detroit, Mich. Earlier this year, Verizon announced plans for customer trials of 5G technology for …
