A federal court for the Western District of Louisiana provided an insurer with a default judgment of over $112,000 against Vanguard Towers Inc. in its April 3, 2023, lawsuit over unpaid premiums after the company failed to enter a response to the insurer’s complaint. The court ordered the cell tower retrofitting and construction company to pay Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance …
FCC nominee Gomez advances to Senate floor despite Ted Cruz’s protests, Carr and Starks are renominated
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted today to bring nominations for the Federal Communications Commission to a floor vote against dissent from multiple Republican senators. The vote considered the renomination of commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks and the nomination of Democrat Anna Gomez, who currently serves as senior advisor for international information and communications policy in …
Doctor Joyce examines a tower site to appreciate how the industry can assist in curing the digital divide
Although Crown Castle’s safety protocols do not require having a medical doctor on a tower site when technicians are present, one was available for Novotech Construction’s safety-conscious tower techs recently should a medical emergency present itself during a recent tower compound visit by Pennsylvania Congressman John Joyce. Dr. Joyce has represented Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District since January 2019 and has …
QualTek is close to emerging from bankruptcy as stockholders lose all of their equity
QualTek Services, Inc., currently in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, knew that its stock would be delisted from the NASDAQ stock market after it was notified on January 5, 2023, that if its listed securities didn’t reach a minimum bid price of $1 for 30 consecutive days through July 5, 2023, the company’s shares would be delisted. NASDAQ made it …
Collecting $3 million from an ISP will be a tough road to hoe for American Tower and Crown Castle with its $386k
American Tower Corp. (ATC) has filed a lawsuit against a wireless and satellite internet, phone, and DISH television provider, alleging it stopped paying rent payments on 60 of its structures on November 24, 2021. ATC says it is due $2,891,885 plus attorneys’ fees and other costs from TPT SpeedConnect, LLC. SpeedConnect advertises that it is proud of the role it …
Nexius, owing $600 million to creditors, shoveled millions to a supplier in Beirut before filing bankruptcy
In 2001, brothers Nabil and Ned Taleb co-founded Nexius in a two-bedroom Virginia apartment. They continued to bootstrap their first year’s revenues of $1 million to a multi-corporation self-performing wireless industry enterprise that boosted revenues to $1 billion in 2022. But cash is king, and they ran out of it last year and sought Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection three weeks …
Ugandan carrier claims American Tower is discriminatory, but Kenyan official says ATC brings diversity and the internet
Smile, a carrier in Uganda is sneering at American Tower Corporation (ATC), asserting to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) that ATC illegally disconnected the power to its network and the company has been quoted in numerous media outlets stating that since 2018 ATC has been using discriminatory pricing practices, as well as unfair and illegal power billing practices. An ATC …
Still awaiting its first contract, the Tower Climbers Union/CWA’s first local set for a July 4 launch
According to an announcement on the Tower Climbers Union website today, the official union local of the Tower Climbers Union/CWA will launch on July 4th, 2023. The article read, “Having an official TCU/CWA local means access to membership benefits as well as being able to elect our own union leadership for our local. More information on elections is coming soon.” “Once …
In Pennsylvania, if the House approves a bill, holding your cell phone while driving could cost you $150
Pennsylvania’s state Senate wants to broaden a ban on texting while driving and approved legislation last week that would increase the penalties for motorists who have a cell phone in their hand for almost any purpose while driving. The bill, approved 37-11, goes to the state House of Representatives. In 2012, Pennsylvania banned texting while driving, an offense punishable by a …
Virginia broadband railroad crossing fee lawsuit says one price endangers site safety
The Association of American Railroads wants a new Virginia law streamlining broadband providers’ access to railroad property invalidated. In a federal court lawsuit, it alleges that it amounts to an illegal taking and violates both the state and U.S. constitutions. They said it treats railroads, unlike any other landowner, “seizing from them and giving broadband service providers a permanent easement …
Associations are swift with accolades for allocations after State-by-State BEAD funding is announced
Ecstatic industry associations were quick to applaud Monday’s White House announcement concerning BEAD allocations for broadband infrastructure deployment, where five states snagged over $10 billion of the $42.5 billion in available funding. State by State funding amounts are available here. “Today is another milestone step in the process to ready the states and territories for the deployment of this generational …
Five states snag over $10 Billion of $42.5 Billion available in broadband funding
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced how it has allocated funding to all 50 states (VIEW ALLOCATIONS BELOW), the District of Columbia, and five territories to deploy affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America. This “Internet for All” initiative is a key component of President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda. States, D.C., …
Rescued tower tech is showing some improvement but needs the industry’s prayers and financial support
Jared Farley, a 31-year-old Plantersville, TX tower technician, remains in critical condition after he became unconscious following a heat stroke last Thursday while working on a 300-foot guyed tower in Navasota, TX, in 98 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures that remained in the mid-90s during a three-hour rescue by emergency responders. Farley’s mother, Tracy Phifer, who traveled with her husband from Tennessee …
Unconscious tech’s condition is unknown after a three-hour rescue in sweltering high 90 degree temperatures
While performing maintenance on a 300-foot guyed tower in Navasota, TX, yesterday afternoon, a tower tech was overcome by heat stress and had to be rescued in a coordinated effort by multiple agencies. According to a City of Navasota press release, the Navasota Fire Department (NFD) responded to the Mid-South Synergy facilities off of Highway 6 North around 4:39 p.m. when a …
Dish meets its 70% buildout deadline with assistance of three major towerco partners
Dish Wireless announced yesterday that as of June 14, the carrier is offering 5G broadband service to over 70 percent of the U.S. population, giving more than 240 million Americans access to its technology. This marks a significant milestone for Dish and the U.S. telecom industry, as Dish designed, built, and deployed a first-of-its-kind 5G network in three years. Dish …
Tripped up by their trail, methheads await charges for Verizon cell site break in
Three Livingston, TX residents remain in the Polk County Jail, and another is still at large after they were accused of stealing from a Verizon 200-foot self-supporting cell tower compound and also exposing a toddler to methamphetamine and fentanyl. Polk County Sheriff’s deputies responded on June 6 to a report of a theft from the tower off of U.S. Highway 59 just north …
FCC’s systems have been down for the past week and may be unavailable for the foreseeable future
The FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) is currently down and not accessible to the public. This includes the Commission’s License Manager, License Search, Application Search, Tower Construction Notification System, E-106 System, Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) Online Filing, ASR Application Search, ASR Registration Search, TOWAIR, and all ULS Specialized Searches. The systems are anticipated to be down until at least next …
Aggravated over aggregator Everest’s ‘multi-million dollar scheme’, Vertical Bridge files a lawsuit
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC has filed a lawsuit against competitor Everest Infrastructure Partners (EIP), alleging that it ran an unfair “multi-million dollar scheme to unlawfully improve its market share” at Vertical Bridge’s expense through trade secret misappropriation, interfering with existing contractual relations and false advertising. Vertical Bridge, the tower arm of Digital Bridge, requests that EIP provide an accounting of …
FCC’s report shows Guam’s cell site outage at 20%, three weeks after Typhoon Mawar crippled the island’s power
After Typhoon Mawar tore through Guam, the second largest U.S. territory, on May 24, the FCC identified that 60% of its 327 cell sites were down. Two days later, it increased to 70%. However, in today’s report, that number has considerably improved, with the agency showing that only 19.9% are out of service. Seven were due to damage, ten due …
Contractor Dan Combs takes the bragging rights of having the best ‘Tough Tower’ techs in America
Fourteen tower technicians representing seven companies competed this weekend for the first place prize in the inaugural Tough Tower competition in North Jackson, OH, where they went head-to-head in a battle of skill and agility that included climbing, rigging, safety, installation, rescue, and speed challenges. Knot tying, crane maneuverability, and other skills were also judged. STG Communication Services and Tri …
