UPDATE – February 18, 2020: Wireless Estimator has learned that the tower tech that died February 7 in Lumberton, Mississippi was Jim Tinsley, 59, of Baxter, Kentucky. February 16, 2020 — A Kentucky tower technician passed away on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 in Mississippi when a gin pole collapsed atop the tower he was working on, crushing the man and causing …
NATE’s quarter century show expected to be the best ever
Raleigh, North Carolina will host NATE UNITE 2020 beginning Monday as communications infrastructure contractors and suppliers come together to benefit from the association’s 25th conference and exposition, widely regarded as the premier wireless infrastructure show in the nation. Trying to identify the best educational or training sessions to attend is challenging because they’re all exceptional and are being presented by …
Readers question why Tennessee rescue required emergency services assistance
A Tuesday rescue of a tower tech in LaVergne, Tennessee ended successfully, but it started a slew of social media posts and emails to Wireless Estimator questioning why the individual could not have self-rescued himself or rely upon a co-worker bring him to the ground instead of waiting almost an hour-and- a-half. HIPAA compliance prevented officials from responding to requests for additional …
Long-desired pain-free certs tracking is free and can be easily administered by NATE members
With the ever-changing and ever-increasing safety compliance needs of its members, the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) announced today the launch of a new system offering free certification tracking for the association’s member companies. The ABIS Solutions’ ProSys Solutions tracking site is designed to assist members with managing their certifications to ensure that they are renewed, utilized, and provided …
Under pressure from a cemetery and a potential burial candidate, AT&T folds in New Hampshire
AT&T has asked the Vermont Public Utilities Commission to dismiss a plan for a new 140-foot cell tower in the Village of Derby Line, Vermont, a Canadian border community, even though it appears that another hearing six weeks later could have favored the carrier’s application. In correspondence with the commission, AT&T said it was backing out based upon opposition to the …
Mobile World Congress show canceled over virus concerns, reimbursements unknown
The world’s biggest wireless show, Mobile World Congress (MWC), is no longer taking place this year in Barcelona after the coronavirus threatened to throw MWC into turmoil. The GSM Association (GSMA), which organizes the show, has now canceled it. It comes after more than a week of exhibitors and companies pulling out. One of the more recent cancellations came from …
Borghei, Chase and Vink appointed to guide Tower Family Foundation’s visibility and outreach
The Tower Family Foundation announced today appointments to the non-profit organization’s leadership team. Bernard Borghei and Eric Chase have been chosen to serve on the foundation’s Board of Directors and Monica Vink has been appointed to the organization’s Endowment Committee. Borghei and Chase will help provide overall governance and stewardship to the Foundation and play a leading role enhancing the …
Judge’s T-Mobile merger okay expected to boost construction spending
A federal judge today ruled in favor of T-Mobile’s takeover of Sprint in a deal that would combine the nation’s third- and fourth-largest wireless carriers and create a new telecommunications giant to take on rivals AT&T and Verizon. United States District Court Judge Victor Marrero’s decision in Manhattan, was announced regarding the lawsuit filed in June by attorneys general from …
CommScope joins growing list of companies canceling plans to attend Mobile World Congress 2020
CommScope has announced that the safety and well-being of their employees is a top priority and with the continued global threat of the Coronavirus, the company has made the decision to cancel their appearance at Mobile World Congress 2020 (MWC) scheduled in Barcelona later this month. “This is not a decision our executive team took lightly, and although the likelihood …
DOJ says States thwarting T-Mobile deal disrupts U.S. merger policy as T-Mobile asks court to move forward
State officials will “wreak havoc” on companies’ ability to merge if they disagree with federal regulators and block deals on their own as 10 states are trying to do with the T-Mobile/Sprint marriage, the chief antitrust official of the Justice Department said during a speech to the Media Institute in Washington D.C. yesterday. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim’s surprising swipe at …
NCCCO and NWSA launch new Telecommunications Tower Rigger Certification
The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) and the National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today the official launch of the Telecommunications Tower Rigger Level I (TTR-I) Certification Program. Established collaboratively between NCCCO and NWSA, the new TTR-I certification was adapted from NCCCO’s Rigger Level I program and specifically addresses those with responsibility for handling and moving …
Third copper thief in a gang of five pleads guilty of stripping 80-plus towers
An Illinois man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge accusing him of shutting down power to more than 80 cellphone towers across Missouri and Illinois to steal copper from the sites. He was arrested in Pike County, Missouri when a County Sheriff’s Office deputy saw the lights go out on a guyed tower near Eolia, and was indicted on …
FCC approves rules for 10-year $20 billion broadband expansion fund
The FCC voted this morning to approve the process for handing out $20 billion in subsidies to assist in closing the digital divide. Democrats on the commission, who dissented in part, were critical of the plan that has most of the money being spent before the FCC had figured out where it was most needed. The Report and Order adopted …
New Jersey homeowner’s legal stand against a Verizon tower site collapses in his second appeal
An Alexandria Township, N.J. homeowner has lost his legal battle against Verizon placing cell antennas atop a power line tower adjacent to his property. Glenn Fodor, who lives on Route 579, appealed the approval of the township’s Land Use Board on December 21, 2017 before the Hunterdon County Superior Court, to allow 12 antennas on top of the 150-foot power …
NATE weighs in regarding FAA’s digital license plates in the sky, requesting relief on 400′ limitation
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has weighed in with their comments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the agency’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks to require the remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operating in the airspace of the United States, and the ability of people on the ground to determine the identity of …
Don’t thread or step (bolt) on me: Crown responds quickly to community’s tattered flag concern
The stars and stripes were flying whole again yesterday morning in Towamensing Township, Pennsylvania on a Crown Castle monopole after residents pressured the company to take down a tattered American flag that had been flying for months in the Carbon County community of 4,429 residents. Numerous local TV and news outlets championed the cause of township officials and residents who …
KATC tower crash: Pilot was troubled, erratic and tower lights were working
Scripps Broadcasting agreed to pay a $1.13 million fine to the FCC earlier this month for lighting violations on multiple tower structures. The settlement order adopted by the FCC started after an agency investigation began after a small plane crashed into KATC’s TV tower near Kaplan, Louisiana on August 31, 2018. Although the FCC Enforcement Bureau said that it found …
American Tower’s revenues will tank in India if government fees create a carrier duopoly
India, once the darling of tower companies looking to expand their international footprint, is not where towercos might want to be today with the potential for a considerable tenancy drop if Vodafone Idea collapses under the weight of government license fees totaling $6.2 billion that are due by January 23, 2020. Vodafone Idea may not be able to pay the …
Court to decide if City of Colorado Springs monopole can be beefed up by Vertical Bridge
Vertical Bridge Development, LLC has filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado for a ruling that the City of Colorado Springs is violating federal laws by not allowing the company to modify an existing tower that does not substantially change the physical dimensions of the tower. According to the complaint, Vertical Bridge manages a …
Miller digs into obstacles of broadband deployment, providing solutions to U.S. Senate committee
National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) Chairman Jimmy Miller, President at MillerCo, Inc. in Gulfport, Mississippi, provided expert witness testimony at this morning’s U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. regarding “The 5G Workforce and Obstacles to Broadband Deployment”. The hearing was convened by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) who serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, …
