NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Labor – OSHA to receive a $160,000 Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grant for the 2022-2023 program year. The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program awards grants to nonprofit organizations competitively. Awards are issued annually based on Congressional appropriation. The new curriculum to be …
Liberty and Claro offer limited information regarding severe cell site outages in Puerto Rico
CORRECTION – An earlier publication of this article stated that AT&T had not issued a press release about their network’s resiliency and actions to keep the island connected following Hurricane Fiona. In 2020, AT&T sold its wireless and wireline operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Liberty Latin America. Wireless Estimator apologizes for the misstatement. However, AT&T still …
The backstory of a teen tower climber rescue: It took a village
A Fox 8 News viewer yesterday afternoon sent Wireless Estimator an email with a link to an article on the Ohio TV station’s website that a 15-year-old boy had been rescued off of a 190-foot cell tower. With few details, it stated, “As the fire department’s ladder was not tall enough, rescuers had to put together a climbing crew, which took a …
As power is crippled by Hurricane Fiona, Puerto Rico cell service remains somewhat stable
Hurricane Fiona roared over the Dominican Republic this morning after knocking out power across all of Puerto Rico, causing damage that Governor Pedro Pierluisi said was “catastrophic.” In addition, many thousands of people were left without water service. No deaths had been reported. However, authorities said it was too early to know the full scope of damage from an expansive …
Lawsuit hastens NJ borough’s approval of Verizon’s 20 sites on Belmar’s beachfront property
The Borough of Belmar, NJ has agreed to let Verizon Wireless erect 20 small wireless sites along its boardwalk after the carrier filed a lawsuit last year accusing the borough of delaying approval for the proposal. According to a consent judgment filed in federal court, Belmar and Verizon struck a deal that will enable the telecom company to install 20 …
Fatal fall of a 29-year-old tower tech from a 300-foot Louisiana tower is industry’s first 2022 death
OSHA is investigating the death of a 29-year-old tower technician who fell from a guyed tower in Florien, LA, late Friday afternoon. According to multiple sources interviewed by Wireless Estimator, Jose Garcia, a resident of Mexico, fell from an unknown elevation off of a 300-foot tower owned by SBA Communications of Boca Raton, FL. The site is located off of …
New iPhone 14 provides emergency services everywhere and lets them know if you crash
Apple unveiled its new iPhone 14 devices yesterday, promoting a new emergency service via satellite feature starting in November that enables the phones to connect and send messages when the devices are in areas with no cell phone coverage. The emergency service hardware requirements are built into all iPhone 14s sold worldwide, although the service will currently only be available in …
AT&T sues T-Mobile over false senior discount ad campaign that could impact sales
When carriers are concerned that their competitors have misleading ads, the normal way to resolve it is to file a complaint with the National Advertising Review Board. However, AT&T is suing T-Mobile in Texas’s Eastern District Court, accusing the Uncarrier of uncaring about accuracy and publishing false advertising. They’re demanding that they are awarded T-Mobile’s profits earned through its advertising …
Verizon to take switches off commercial power to prevent CA rolling blackouts
Verizon is taking extraordinary steps to help prevent rolling blackouts in California as temperatures rise to extreme levels this week. The carrier said in a statement the following actions will provide meaningful relief to reduce the impact on the state’s power resources while minimizing the risk to their customers and employees. In a rare move, during today’s Flex Alert from …
Louisiana is first State to receive a broadband planning grant for an expected $1 billion in future funding
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced that Louisiana is the first state to receive broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) he helped author and pass into law last year. This $2,941,542 grant is for the planning of the deployment and adoption of affordable and reliable high-speed internet throughout the state. During the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill negotiations, Cassidy …
Verizon signs lease deal with American Tower to boost 5G deployment
American Tower Corporation and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) announced today that they have signed a new overarching lease agreement, facilitating Verizon’s on-going 5G network deployment across American Tower’s extensive U.S. portfolio of communications sites, with over 11,000 of them on Verizon towers that American Tower acquired the rights in 2015 to lease and operate through 2045. The agreement …
Cell tower collapse kills seven children outside of a school in Jakarta
Police say at least ten people, including seven children, were killed in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, this morning after a truck crashed into a telecommunications tower near a bus stop and toppled the structure in a busy area where school children were on the street during a morning recess. The children’s ages ranged from 7 to 11 …
FCC Commissioner Carr honors a tower foreman who turned his life around: Robert Gallegos
America’s tower crews are a mainstay in the country’s buildout of 5G and other next-generation infrastructure. Their work helped millions of Americans stay connected through the COVID-19 pandemic—as people relied on these networks for everything from working to learning to connecting with family and friends. Their work has also played a critical role in securing and preserving America’s 5G leadership. FCC …
Harmoni Towers’ acquisition of Parallel’s structures raises them to U.S.’s second largest private towerco
Harmoni Towers (“Harmoni”), a portfolio company of Palistar Capital LP (“Palistar”), an alternative asset manager focused on mission-critical communications infrastructure, today announced that it has agreed to acquire Parallel Infrastructure (“Parallel”), a leading tower platform and build-to-suit provider, from funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO) (“Apollo”). Terms were not disclosed. The transaction creates the seventh-largest …
NATE, American Tower Corporation and MILLERCO Host U.S. Senator Roger Wicker
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and member companies American Tower Corporation and MILLERCO hosted U.S. Senator Roger Wicker on a communications tower site visit in Gulfport, Mississippi yesterday. Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes also attended the event. During the site visit, Senator Wicker and Mayor Hewes toured the communications tower compound with event participants to learn about all the on-site …
T-Mobile and Starlink link up to ‘end mobile dead zones’
T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert and SpaceX founder Elon Musk said that their companies are working to “end mobile dead zones” and will launch a new mobile service enabled by Starlink second-generation satellites and T-Mobile bandwidth. Sievert and Musk announced coverage to bring cell phone connectivity everywhere. Leveraging Starlink, SpaceX’s constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, and T-Mobile’s wireless network, …
Carr comes out swinging as he slams the FCC’s Starlink funding reversal
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr attacked a move by the FCC earlier in August to deny Starlink $885.5 million it won in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction, stating: “I am surprised to find out via a press release – while I am on a work trip to remote parts of Alaska – that the FCC has made this significant …
QualTek contests Washington regulators’ $12,000 fine for safety violations following employee’s death
QualTek Wireless LLC of Blue Bell, PA, is contesting two serious Washington State Labor and Industries (LNI) safety violations issued after an employee fell to his death in Arlington, WA, on December 4, 2021. Tower technician Michael Vasquez, 24, was working on an installation on a Crown Castle monopole when he suddenly fell from about the 140-foot level, according to authorities. The …
Low budget ‘Fall’ is far from believable, but it’s certainly a high-octane thriller
Tower erectors and maintenance purists will likely give the low-budget thriller Fall a failing one star for accuracy. However, critic reviews are favorable for the movie released on Friday, where two young women are stranded on top of a 2,000-foot abandoned tower in an absurd but undeniably effective nightmare. The New York Times described it as a “nerve-shredding thriller.” If you …
Tower Family Foundation and Warriors4Wireless are benefactors of $2 million from T-Mobile’s golf tourney
T-Mobile recently announced a jaw-dropping $2 million distribution to be shared equally by the Tower Family Foundation (TFF) and Warriors4Wireless (W4W) following the 9th Annual T-Mobile Golf Tournament. With more than 50 corporate sponsors supporting the 2022 event (listed below), the two industry non-profit benefactor organizations have now received more than $5.2 million from the annual fundraiser. “The tournament has …
