For almost three weeks, a Nebraska painting contractor was prepping a 997-foot guyed tower in Woodberry, MD, to be repainted by either pressure washing or grinding off existing layers of paint on the structure, according to residents. In the process, paint chips, some as large as a palm of a hand, have rained down from the candelabra structure on residential …
New New York broadband map sports a high 78% coverage
The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) has released a first-of-its-kind, interactive broadband map to provide the most detailed depiction of broadband infrastructure in New York to date. The map, available here, along with an accompanying report, is the result of months of field assessments conducted by the Commission in the state’s most remote areas, covering more than 80,000 …
D.C. Circuit will not reverse FCC’s ruling that Dish controlled AWS-3 spectrum bidders
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled in favor of the FCC that two companies aligned with Dish Network were ineligible to receive $3.3 billion in bidding credits available to small businesses in the 2014 AWS-3 spectrum auction. Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless were established by Dish as designated entities (DEs) which entitled them to $3.4 …
Towerco stocks tank as Communication Services Sector declines 33% and REIT Index shaves 23%
Towerco stocks notched a slight increase on Friday, but they’re still way off their 52-week highs. All four of the publicly traded companies saw significant declines beginning in December 2021, with considerable losses last week. DigitalBridge Group is down a reeling 45%, while Crown Castle Int. Corp. declined 26%, and SBA Communications Corp. saw a 25% drop. American Tower Corp. …
After decades of leadership, SBA’s Bagwell and Hunt are retiring, Cane and Koenig to succeed them
SBA Communications Corporation (SBA) today announced that Kurt L. Bagwell, Executive Vice President and President – International, and Thomas P. Hunt, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, will retire from their current titles and roles effective January 1, 2023. Succeeding Bagwell and Hunt will be two long-time SBA officers and industry veterans. Richard Cane, currently Senior Vice …
Vodafone trials harvesting the wind with the UK’s first live ‘self-powering’ cell tower in Wales
Vodafone has switched on the UK’s first live wind- and solar-powered cell tower in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The mast will provide 4G coverage to the surrounding community The specially designed tower, which potentially removes the need for a connection to the national electricity grid, could provide connectivity to ‘not-spots’ in the UK’s most remote and inaccessible locations – helping the industry …
Telecom advocate Patrick Halley to lead WIA as its President and CEO
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today named communications policy veteran and association leader Patrick Halley as the organization’s incoming President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2022. Halley joins WIA from USTelecom – The Broadband Association where he serves as Senior Vice President of Policy & Advocacy and General Counsel and leads the association’s policy development and advocacy efforts before …
It’s official: Dish Network meets the FCC’s 20% U.S. coverage deadline as it turns on 5G in 128 cities
Yesterday morning, some media reports suggested that Dish Network might not be able to meet its FCC-mandated June 14 deadline to cover 20 percent of the US population with its 5G network. One report said that the nation’s newest carrier was “poised” to fail and could possibly see its spectrum licenses being revoked and feasibly have to pay fines of up to …
‘Fall’ is a 2,000-foot tower thriller dropping in a movie theatre near you
Airplanes, trains, buses and even chainsaws have been unwitting protagonists in horror and thriller movies. An abandoned communications tower has finally reached stardom. Thrillers typically highlight the failures of governments, institutions, and society as a whole. On August 12, Fall, a Lionsgate-distributed feature-length film will most likely not expose the callousness of the owner of a radio tower that abandoned the 2,000-foot …
Immediate stop use recall issued on specific 3M DBI-SALA lanyards
3M Fall Protection has announced a stop use/recall of specific 3M™ DBI-SALA® ShockWave™2 Arc Flash Shock Absorbing Lanyards. 3M determined that, for a limited number of devices, a potential manufacturing issue could result in the lanyard not performing properly in the event of a fall, which could result in severe injury or death. There have been no reports of injuries, …
White House yawns after GAO criticizes 100 scattered federal broadband funding programs
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is criticizing the “fragmented, overlapping patchwork” of federal efforts to expand broadband internet access throughout America. The GAO report, titled Broadband National Strategy Needed to Guide Federal Efforts to Reduce Digital Divide, was based on interviews with and questionnaires from federal and nonfederal stakeholders and based on a review of statutes, …
Skyway Towers’ 400-plus structures acquired by Basalt Infrastructure Partners for undisclosed price
Basalt Infrastructure Partners LLC (“Basalt”) announced that the third flagship Basalt fund (“Basalt III”) has acquired Skyway Towers, LLC (“Skyway”) from Tinicum L.P. and affiliated entities (“Tinicum”). Skyway is a nationwide telecommunications infrastructure developer that owns and operates multi-tenant communications towers across the United States. The company’s existing portfolio consists of over 400 high quality communications towers spanning 30 states, …
Union video accuses AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile of risking tower technicians’ lives
Associations have refined the art of using internet media to present their organizational messages to a broad audience. Last year, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association released a compelling white board that took carriers to task for offering matrix pricing, forcing contractors to possibly cut corners on safety and quality to remain sustainable. Yesterday, the Tower Climbers Union/CWA released a …
Senators Blackburn and Hagerty champion technologies other than fiber in NTIA’s $42 billion in funding
During a February hearing on broadband expansion and internet access, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Alan Davidson informed representatives that “sunlight is the best disinfectant” and transparency will be a “huge” part of his agency’s administration in doling out over $42 billion in broadband funding. On May 26, he again emphasized the importance of transparency during the Mountain …
CWA gets its first Tower Climbers Union crews, but an agreement with QualTek could be stalled for 14 months
A majority of 11 wireless tower technicians at QualTek have voted for union representation with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in an election conducted this week in Henderson, NV. Their next step after National Labor Relations Board certification will be to negotiate a contract with the QualTek Nevada location, a 2021 BACOM acquisition. The company has approximately 60 other locations …
FCC Commissioner Carr slams Commerce Department for putting its thumb on the scale for fiber
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said that the U. S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA) was being myopic with fiberoptic when it released its new rules that will govern the expenditure of $42.5 billion in grants authorized by Congress in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Carr is concerned that the NTIA’s guidelines are not focused on …
Industry engineers are now able to identify best practices for tower mount analysis, courtesy of TIF
The Telecommunications Industry Foundation (“TIF”) announced the publication of a new White Paper on tower mounts that involved the efforts of many individuals from across the industry. As mounts continue to support existing equipment and the deployment of new technology including 5G hardware, the quantity, size, and weight of equipment on towers and mounts continues to increase. These loading increases combined with …
Broadband industry questions NTIA fiber czar’s $42 billion dollar priority that might be illegal
At a hearing on February 16, 2022, Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator, informed House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology members that “…we need a technology-neutral approach to funding broadband projects and the focus on fiber will only get us so far.” Explaining how NTIA would ensure that States would take …
Dish must again face lawsuit that it used two sham companies to save billions of dollars in spectrum buys
Dish Network Corp. will be required to face a whistleblower’s False Claims Act (FCA) spectrum license lawsuit for the second time following a Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruling yesterday. The carrier is alleged to have used sham small businesses to win FCC licenses worth billions of dollars. A three-judge panel agreed that Vermont National Telephone Co. showed …
Biden favoring fiber in $42 billion broadband funding could kick other technologies and contractors to the curb
The Biden administration formally started its $42.45 billion initiative on Friday to bring reliable and affordable high-speed broadband internet to everyone in the U.S. by the end of the 2020s. “In the 21st century, you simply cannot participate in the economy if you don’t have access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who is overseeing the distribution …
