In a sampling of 16 attendees and two exhibitors at yesterday’s Connect (X) All Access virtual conference that replaced the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) COVID19-cancelled Miami Beach event that was to begin on Monday, they all gave rave reviews to Wireless Estimator. Although the still available virtual event was missing what the Florida show publicized as a huge benefit, the …
FCC Commissioner Carr announces order to upgrade wireless infrastructure, reduce bottlenecks
Yesterday at the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) free, virtual conference, Connect (X): All Access, Federal Communications Commissioner (FCC) Brendan Carr announced the FCC’s plans to clarify its rules to promote network upgrades on existing towers and other wireless sites. His comments are available here. The ruling will address state and local approval of wireless equipment modifications and clarify the definition of “substantial change”. …
AT&T has ad group recommending that Verizon should throttle its faulty 5G message
The advertising industry’s self-regulatory organization has suggested that Verizon should stop claiming that it has America’s first 5G network, but Verizon claims that its “first to 5G” commercials are not misleading and is appealing the decision. The National Advertising Division (“NAD”) determined that, in the context of two challenged television commercials touting Verizon’s rollout of 5G service in sports venues, the claim that …
Feds warn of attacks against towers and techs that maintain them
The nation’s telecommunications companies are being warned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that extremists, fueled by a conspiracy theory linking 5G cellular networks and the coronavirus, may escalate attacks against employees and infrastructure. “We assess conspiracy theories linking the spread of COVID-19 to the expansion of the 5G cellular network are inciting attacks against the communications infrastructure globally …
A fourth Crown Castle tower is torched by arsonists in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee police and the city’s fire department are investigating a cell phone tower fire that occurred Monday night that is currently being considered to have been set by vandals. The structure, a 300-foot self-supporting tower located behind 3513 Southern Ave., is owned by Crown Castle. It is the fifth cell tower fire that has reportedly been set by arsonists …
Next week’s keynote starting lineup for Connect (X): All Access outlined
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced its keynote lineup and its annual View from the Top: Tower Executive Roundtable for Connect (X): All Access – a free, global, virtual conference launching May 19 that is taking the place of WIA’s in-person, annual Connectivity Expo, or Connect (X). “We are excited for Connect (X): All Access to offer a top-notch lineup …
T-Mobile plans for 15,000 new macro sites and $60 billion in CAPEX over the next five years
Even with COVID-19 constraints, T-Mobile is upgrading 1,000 existing sites per month and will be expanding its nationwide macro base station footprint by 15,000 towers during the coming years, said Neville Ray, the carrier’s president of technology during a J.P. Morgan investor conference Tuesday. “So far, so good,” he said. “We are ramping up in this environment and not actually slowing …
If found to be “essential” workers, tower techs would get a $13 hourly pay boost under HEROES Act
Yesterday, House Democrats unveiled their coronavirus assistance bill, which will include measures to keep families online through the duration of the pandemic and possibly provide a huge pay increase to telecom field workers. It will also provide a new direct cash stimulus check for $1,200. The 1,800-plus page HEROES Act with $3 trillion in funding, will have about $5.5 billion …
Melody picks up over 500 of Uniti’s towers for $220 million
During their Q4 earnings call in early March, fiber and tower owner Uniti Group announced that it was selling 486 of its 672 towers for $190 million to an unnamed company. At yesterday’s Q1 call, CEO Kenny Gunderman announced improved terms for the deal and the identify of the acquirer, Melody Investment Advisors. Uniti’s new agreement has them selling 90% of …
Model and rapper charged with Canadian cell tower fires will get world-wide sentencing attention
A Quebec couple in their twenties, a model and a novice rapper, were arrested Thursday morning in Sainte-Adèle, a town about 50 miles outside of Montreal for allegedly setting fire to seven cell sites in Canada. Quebec provincial police arrested Justin-Philippe Pauley, 28, and Jessica Kallas, 25, after surveillance cameras were able to capture a photo of the license plate …
Terrorism Task Force investigating collapse of 382-foot ATC guyed tower in Nevada
A 382-foot American Tower Corp. guyed tower collapsed early Tuesday morning in Nye County, Nevada, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO). Authorities said the tower fell just before sunrise at approximately 5:00 a.m and the NCSO believes that vandals may have been responsible for the structure’s failure. An investigation has been launched by the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task …
Legacy’s tower techs lauded in video that can be applied to all of the nation’s techs
With yesterday being Tower Technician Appreciation Day, Legacy Telecommunication went the extra mile to thank their technicians by airing an excellent tribute to tower techs video that was introduced during an all hands safety call. The company has over 75 climbers and approximately 35 support staff members. Legacy is a member company of Enertech Holdings which also includes EasTex Tower, …
NATE sets aside May 6 for the nation to appreciate and thank tower technicians
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association unveiled a commemoration declaring Wednesday, May 6, 2020 as Tower Technician Appreciation Day. For the fourth consecutive year, a day has been set aside by NATE in order to pay tribute to the important work that communications infrastructure technicians conduct on a daily basis to enable a mobile society. “NATE is excited to declare Wednesday, …
Lawsuit challenges FCC’s C-band reorganization, broadcasters want COVID-19 costs considered
Video programming provider PSSI Global Services LLC (PSSI) is taking the FCC to court over the agency’s controversial reorganization of the C-band spectrum, arguing that the agency is crippling an entire industry. In February, the FCC adopted new rules to auction and make available 280 Megahertz of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band available for 5G Services while relocating existing satellite operations …
Labeled as ‘suspicious’, two more cell towers set ablaze in Quebec
Police are investigating two more cell tower fires that occurred early this morning in towns near Montreal, Canada. Wireless Estimator reported on Friday that a multi-tenant Rogers Communications monopole was completely destroyed, possibly by anarchists protesting misguided beliefs that 5G transmissions are dangerous. This morning’s fires are also being viewed as “suspicious” by authorities. Firefighters were first called to a cell …
FCC debuts new ‘safer’ seal that is more representative of current technologies
In anticipation of its upcoming move to Washington’s NoMa district, the Federal Communications Commission has adopted a new FCC Seal. The redesigned seal is the product of an agency-wide contest that solicited proposals from Commission employees and contractors. The winning design was submitted by Umasankar Arumugam and selected by a vote of the agency’s employees and contractors. The revised design incorporates the …
Officials unsure whether Canadian cell tower fire was the work of anarchists industry was looking for
Fire officials in Laval, a city north of Montreal, Canada, have not yet identified whether a multiple-tenant Rogers Communications monopole was purposely set on fire early Friday morning by anarchists protesting misguided beliefs that 5G transmissions are dangerous, although it has been rebutted throughout the world, especially in Canada where a private/public collaboration recently published an excellent report to dispel 5G …
High winds blamed for Texas tall tower collapse, but corossion appears to be the culprit
A 988-foot TV broadcast tower collapsed in Robstown, Texas yesterday morning as a result of a rusted guy wire that detached near its anchor. No tower techs or station personnel were on site when the structure failed. A transmitter building was slighting damaged on one corner after the guyed tower fell at approximately 8:30 a.m. The tower is owned by …
American Tower expects accelerated T-Mobile work beginning in Q3, manages COVID-19
American Tower Corporation reported steady financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, emphasizing how the company is responding to the ever-changing coronavirus landscape. Tom Bartlett, American Tower’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we delivered a solid first quarter, including U.S. organic tenant billings growth of 5.6%, consistent international leasing activity and a 20% …
Tested across the country, FirstNet’s Push-to-Talk arrives with high marks
Developed from the ground up specifically with and for public safety, FirstNet Push-to-Talk (PTT) is the first-ever nationwide mission-critical standards-based push-to-talk solution to launch in the U.S. The agency said they tested the FirstNet PTT solution with public safety agencies across the country, including the Cranford Police Department in New Jersey. “Reliable communication is critical. It must work. It must be there …
