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 …
LBA makes isolating hybrid cable on AM towers hassle free and dependable
The Hybrid ColoCoil® joins the most widely applied, self-contained family of ColoCoil® AM isolation systems offered by LBA Technology, Inc., a unit of LBA Group, Inc. This next generation of the patented LBA ColoCoil® provides seamless integration and isolation of hybrid cable on “hot” AM radio towers. The nature of an AM radio tower requires that any metallic cable running …
Oklahoma Congressman Mullin’s American Tower site visit captured in NATE video
NATE today released a video highlighting U.S. Congressman Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) recent site visit to an American Tower-owned communications tower located in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Congressman Mullin represents Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District and is a member of the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee where he has championed important communications and workforce development legislation. The video shines a spotlight on the …
Carr applauds tower climber program that will expand America’s 5G workforce
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr lauded the announcement that the South Dakota Board of Technical Education has approved the creation of a new Wireless Infrastructure Technician Certification program at Southeast Technical Institute in South Dakota in partnership with VIKOR Teleconstruction. “Earlier this year, I announced a jobs initiative to expand America’s 5G workforce. Industry estimates that it needs to fill another 20,000 …
Safety advocate, mentor to many, William “Bill” Vance passes at 72
Active in the wireless construction industry for many years and a strong safety advocate, William Leon “Bill” Vance, 72, of Taylor, MO passed away on Oct. 6, 2019. Vance had been selling pagers and entered the industry when he joined Rhodes Tower Services. Vance retired from Midwest Underground Technology Inc., where he served as Vice President of Operations. He was …
TIRAP’s Board adds T-Mobile’s Gastelum and MUTI-Sabre Industries’ Brewer
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) has announced that Heather Gastelum, T-Mobile’s senior manager for national site safety & T-Mobile for Business Development, and Stephanie Brewer, Compliance Coordinator for MUTI-Sabre Industries Telecom Services, were elected to serve on WIA’s Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) Advisory Board. “The TIRAP Board welcomes Heather and Stephanie and appreciates their vision toward building a …
Five indicted for stealing copper wire from 80 cell towers
Christina Weaver, 40, of Collinsville, IL; Wendell Ragsdale, 45, of Springfield, IL; Bradley Quinelle Warren, 32, of Collinsville, IL; Taylor D. James, 20, of Collinsville, IL; and Haley S. James, 21, of Collinsville, IL; were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to maliciously interfere with communication lines by entering onto cellular tower sites. According to the Indictment, between April 3, …
AT&T Names Stankey President & Chief Operating Officer and McElfresh CEO of AT&T Communications
AT&T announced today that John Stankey has been appointed president and chief operating officer of AT&T Inc., effective Oct. 1, a new position reporting to Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO. Stankey will also continue serving as CEO of WarnerMedia. The company also named AT&T executive Jeff McElfresh CEO of AT&T Communications LLC effective Oct. 1, replacing John Donovan, who …
Sprint lights up mobile 5G in Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.
Sprint said that its customers are among the first in the world to experience the power and performance of True Mobile 5G with the largest initial 5G coverage footprint in the U.S. In a press release they said, “The next generation of wireless service is here, delivering blazing-fast speeds in areas of Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. True Mobile 5G from Sprint is set to …
Honeywell issues stop use notice for three Miller self-retracting lifelines
Honeywell is alerting the industry to immediately stop using certain Miller self-retracting lifelines of some MightEvac and MightyLite Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRLs) ranges manufactured within a specific time frame. Honeywell said that although there have been no reported incidents due to non-conforming brake components, continued use of the product could result in serious injury or death. The stop use notice and …
T-Mobile gets FCC’s nod to bid on 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz licenses
The FCC released an Order today granting T-Mobile’s request for a waiver of the Commission’s rules that prohibit an FCC spectrum auction applicant from being party to a joint bidding or similar arrangement. The Commission granted T-Mobile’s request for a waiver despite its ongoing attempt to acquire Sprint. On July 11, 2019, the Commission announced the application and bidding procedures …
As Apollo courts Tegna, InSite takes on role of managing Tegna’s towers
Last week, InSite Wireless Group, one of the largest privately-owned tower and wireless infrastructure companies in the U.S., announced the expansion of its broadcast tower portfolio by entering into a management agreement with Tegna Inc., a TV broadcast group, to provide operational support as well as marketing services for Tegna’s wholly owned broadcast towers. However, at the time, it’s not known if …
2019 WIA awards to honor AT&T’s Susan Johnson with Distinguished Service Award
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced that it plans to recognize Susan Johnson, Executive Vice President of Global Connections & Supply Chain, AT&T, with its Distinguished Service Award. The WIA Foundation will present the honor at the 2019 WIA Awards on Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C. “Susan’s accomplishments represent the very embodiment of this year’s WIA Awards theme – wireless …
3M issues recalls for rope grab plus edge and wrap back twin-leg self-retracting lifelines
In back-to-back announcements, 3M Fall Protection has announced an immediate stop use and product recall of the 3M™ DBI-SALA® Nano-Lok™ edge and Wrap Back Twin-Leg Self-Retracting Lifelines as well as incorrectly stamped 3M™ PROTECTA® Cobra Mobile/Manual Rope Grabs. The twin-leg Nano-Lok edge is part of a personal fall protection system and connects two self-retracting lifelines/devices (SRL’s/SRD’s) directly under the dorsal d-ring of …
Leaked docs allege Huawei helped build North Korea’s wireless networks: WAPO
Huawei Technologies Co., the Chinese tech firm blacklisted as a national security threat, secretly helped the North Korean government build and maintain the country’s commercial wireless network, according to internal documents obtained by The Washington Post. Huawei partnered with a state-owned Chinese firm, Panda International Information Technology Co Ltd, on a number of projects in North Korea over eight years, …
C-Band auction plans seen as ‘fiendishly complex’: AT&T
The FCC issued a notice Friday in search of new comments on what to do about the 5G-friendly C-band airwaves currently held by satellite operators. The agency is seeking suggestions on how to manage the co-existence of terrestrial stations with earth stations during any band transition where differing amounts of spectrum might be cleared during different time periods for nearby …
Wesley Weis passes, leaving a legacy of advancing safety throughout America
Services will be held tomorrow for a Northern New Jersey industry icon, Wesley Weis, CEO of Mikab Corporation who passed away on Saturday at age 78. A resident of Old Tappan, he was a founding member of the National Association of Tower Erectors and helped the trade group from its first meeting in 1995 to move forward with a unified …
It’s never too soon to sign up for the Tower Family Foundation golf event
You can get an early start to your 2020 golf season by hitting the links and participating in the Tower Family Foundation Golf Event! This exciting golf outing will take place on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, North Carolina. This event is powered by NATE’s Wireless Industry Network (WIN) and all proceeds raised …
Monopole manufacturer or installer can’t be too proud of their shroud that hit vehicle
When driving on a highway it’s normal to keep an eye on the road to ensure that you don’t run over construction debris, especially in Orlando, Florida along I-4 as it undergoes a 21-mile facelift in a multi-year transformation project. However, an I-4 motorist on July 1 could not have anticipated cell tower rubble raining down on their car as …
Income and race seen holding back California’s broadband adoption rates
In California, income and race are key factors contributing to low broadband adoption rates, according to a study released this month by the California Public Utilities Commission. Their analysis found that income is the most critical factor affecting adoption where only 52.9% of households in census tracts where the median annual household income levels are less than $20,000 have in-home …
