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 …
Wireless infrastructure workers are the ‘unsung heroes’: FCC Chairman Pai
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai gave a double-tip of the hardhat to America’s wireless infrastructure companies and their workers during his keynote speech before the New York State Wireless Association on Friday, citing them as the ‘unsung heroes of the digital revolution.’ “Without your work, there would be no app store; no Uber; no 24- hour health monitoring. You not only …
T-Mobile tried tower siting twice in Wichita, now it will be tried in court
T-Mobile and APC Towers have filed a lawsuit against City of Wichita over a denied conditional use application to construct an 80-foot wireless communication facility near 18th and Woodland. T-Mobile says it suffers from a significant gap in its ability to provide service in the North Riverside neighborhood, driven primarily by inadequate network capacity to serve consumer demand. The carrier …
Michael Sandifer elected President of Alabama Wireless Association
Michael Sandifer has been elected by the Board of Directors of the Alabama Wireless Association (AWA) to serve as the organization’s next president. Sandifer, who has served as the co-vice president of the AWA for more than ten years, will assume the role in June 2019. He has served in various leadership roles spanning more than 25 years in wireless, and …
Small cell deployment highlighted in NATE’s newest Climber Connection video
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released a video entitled “Small Cells: Here, There and Everywhere” designed to showcase the prominent role next generation technologies and the Association’s member companies are playing to densify networks on the road to 5G. The fast-paced video was unveiled at the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Safety 2019 Conference in New Orleans, …
Shareholders invited to participate in Addendum 1 of industry standard ANSI/TIA -222-H
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) TR-14 engineering committee on structural standards for communication and small wind turbine support structures has issued a call for interest for document ANSI/TIA-222-H-1 titled Structural Standard For Antenna Supporting Structures, Antennas and Small Wind Turbine Support Structures- Addendum 1. This will update the amplification forces on antenna supporting structures supported by buildings or other supporting structures as well …
Nebraska streamlines small cell installations with bill passage
Industry trade associations applauded Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts’ signing the state’s small cell deployment legislation, available here. “On behalf of NATE’s 12 member companies in Nebraska, the association applauds Governor Ricketts and members of the Nebraska State Senate for getting this important legislation across the finish line,” stated NATE Wireless Industry Network Director Scott Krouse. “NATE’s Wireless Industry Network worked …
Tower techs, it’s your day in the sun tomorrow; Walk and climb proudly
NATE today unveiled a commemoration declaring tomorrow, May 8, 2019, as Tower Technician Appreciation Day. For the third consecutive year, a day has been set aside by NATE to coincide with OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down Week in order to pay tribute to the important work that tower technicians conduct on a daily basis to enable a mobile society. “NATE is …
WIA and PCCA announce workforce training collaboration; “More good news for 5G” says Commissioner Carr
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) and the Power and Communication Contractors Association (PCCA) announced today that they will work together to expand training initiatives to establish a stronger wireless workforce with the skills needed to deploy 5G networks. PCCA has developed successful utility technician training programs at community colleges and plans to enhance them with WIA’s wireless curricula to teach workers skills they need …
Telecom tower and infrastructure veteran Dudley Norman passes at 85
Dudley Norman, 85, husband, father, friend and Vice President of Subcarrier Communications, passed away April 25 in Houston, Tex. Norman, a veteran of the US Marine Corp, was a leader in the telecommunications and tower industry. He was responsible for the acquisition of tower sites and the procurement of rooftop management contracts in the Southwest region. Norman possessed decades of …
NATE and OSHA encourage participation in National Safety Stand-Down next week
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) is urging its members and all wireless industry companies and stakeholders to actively participate in next week’s OSHA National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. NATE and OSHA are requesting that employers set aside time throughout this week to facilitate safety meetings and activities in order to have an open discussion with their workers about industry safety …
Dozens of industry professionals take advantage of free advanced rigger training, next course is May 17
Congratulations are being offered to the graduates (top group) of Monday’s Advanced Rigging Principles Training Course hosted by NATE in Urbana, Iowa The free training was made possible due to a U.S. Department of Labor-OSHA Susan Harwood Grant (SH-05018-SH8) that the Association has received. Industry professionals also took advantage of an April 18 course that was held in Phoenix, Ariz. …
Grant Seiffert to Lead WIA’s workforce development team and TIRAP
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced that Grant Seiffert has joined WIA as Vice President of Workforce Development and Executive Director of Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP). “We are excited that Grant has joined the WIA team to help implement our vision of developing a stronger wireless workforce to build and maintain 5G networks,” said WIA President and CEO …
OSHA sets aside May 6-10 for its 6th national fall prevention safety stand-down
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is joining with occupational safety organizations for the 6th annual National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-Down, May 6-10, 2019. The week-long event will focus attention on preventing falls in construction, the leading cause of fatalities in the industry. The national stand-down encourages employers and workers to pause voluntarily during the workday …
The 5G status quo is clearly not good enough: T-Mobile’s Neville Ray, who slams Millimeter-wave
Editor’s note: Instead of paraphrasing T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray’s comments in his blog today, we’ve published it in its entirety. Of interest, he doesn’t comment about any of Sprint’s 5G comments that could be seen as embellishments. 5G is at the height of the hype curve right now. There’s a lot of buzz and froth about this vital, important …
FCC issues EAS test report showing improvement and recommendations
In a report released earlier this week, the FCC has spent a half-a-year analyzing what it learned from its nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System on Oct. 3, 2018. The purpose of the test was to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the nation’s alert and warning infrastructure, or the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), as well …
After reaching the Big 30, Sioux Falls Tower & Communications is VIKOR Teleconstruction
As Sioux Falls Tower & Communications celebrates its 30th anniversary, the South Dakota-based company has announced it has changed its name to VIKOR Teleconstruction. “It has been exciting to watch our growth and expansion over the past 30 years,” said Craig Snyder, founder, and CEO of VIKOR. “With that expansion, Sioux Falls Tower has felt the need to change our name to …
Legacy Telecommunications elevates Brierly to Vice President
Industry veteran JM Brierly has been promoted to Vice President of Legacy Telecommunications, LLC. Brierly has served as the Branch Manager of the Eastern, WA for the wireless infrastructure, RF solutions, standby power and remote services firm for the past 5 years. Brierly has been a true leader within Legacy Telecommunications for the past 14 years, Legacy stated in a …
