SBA Communications (SBA), the nation’s third largest tower owner, has released the percentages of National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) certified climbers that contractors will have to maintain when doing work on their sites. Prior to climbing any SBA structure, all general contractors and lower tier subcontractors must meet the following guidelines and dates: Effective June 1, 2020: 25% of the …
Wireless industry’s veterans deserve a heartfelt double tip of the hard hat
When some veterans repeatedly hear “thank you for your service” they say at times they are slightly annoyed because it often comes across as an empty gesture, sort of like a knee-jerk “bless you” to a sneeze. If you truly want to thank a veteran, there are many tangible and substantive ways to do it. One opportunity to make a lasting …
No reason given after an expected slam dunk Mississippi site approval gets denied
Verizon Wireless was barred from erecting a sorely-needed cell tower in the southern part of Jackson, Mississippi, after a single resident raised concerns about RF dangers and the aesthetic value of a 150-foot monopole, according to a lawsuit filed by Verizon against the Jackson City Council for violating the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (TCA). In the complaint, Verizon said that …
California fires out of control, but carriers winning battle in service restorations
More than a dozen wildfires are currently raging across California and increased winds are expected to worsen the problem, but there’s a slimmer of good news as carriers’ cell site outages dropped in today’s FCC report to 1.8%, down from 3.3% yesterday. Marin County, the hardest hit of 32 affected counties, saw a 57.1% cell site outage yesterday down to …
AT&T exits the tower business with $680 million sale, eventual owners are still unknown
AT&T, the nation’s seventh-largest tower owner, slightly behind InSite Wireless Group, is exiting the business, selling more than 1,000 of their towers for $680 million to Peppertree Capital Management, Inc.(Peppertree) according to an announcement by the company preceding yesterday’s earnings call where Randall Stephenson, AT&T Chairman & CEO, discussed selling non-core assets. AT&T will lease back capacity on the towers as part …
Court documents state luxury hotel’s AT&T coverage should be excellent even with one bar
The Court of Appeals of the Second District of Texas at Fort Worth has upheld the ditching of an injunction caused by a wireless leasing dispute that blocked the owner of the historic Fort Worth Sinclair building’s rooftop renovation that included a bar for the reconverted office building that will open next month as a luxury Marriott Art Deco hotel. …
Mid band drives the dialogue at MWC LA 2019’s opening keynote
Former FCC Commissioner and current CTIA CEO Meredith Atwell Baker said during yesterday’s opening keynote at MWC Los Angeles that the U.S. has the first and fastest 5G networks in the world, reveling in the knowledge that “innovators now have a platform to create on,” with innovations that will move quickly from the lab to users’ lives in no time. …
Colorado bows out of T-Mobile merger lawsuit for promises of new employment and rural 5G network
The state of Colorado has removed itself from the lawsuit led by New York and California to stop T-Mobile’s $26 billion merger with Sprint. The move follows Mississippi’s recent departure from the lawsuit. Colorado struck a deal with T-Mobile and Dish Network , which is buying assets divested by the merger. Dish promised to bring 2,000 jobs to the state …
Cause of Arizona 495-foot tower collapse still unknown, anchor failure is a suspect
A 495-foot Verizon-owned guyed tower collapsed in Three Points, Arizona last Wednesday, but the reason the structure failed is still unknown. The multi-tenant tower’s collapse interrupted service for thousands of people in the small community located 30-miles from Tuscon in Pima County. There were no individuals at the tower site when it collapsed, according to authorities. The weather was not an …
The pink carrier continues to put contractors in the red as they withhold payments
When T-Mobile canceled 5G upgrades and new builds nationwide in late August, a spokesperson informed Wireless Estimator that they were managing capital expenditures “as we do every year, and we continue to invest billions to build out our network aggressively, expanding LTE coverage and performance while simultaneously laying the foundation for broad, nationwide 5G in 2020.” A month later, it was revealed that …
T-Mobile-Sprint merger passes along party lines at FCC, but deal is still in limbo until December
The FCC approved the controversial T-Mobile-Sprint $26.5 billion merger along party lines today, closing the FCC’s review. Democratic Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks voted against the deal, with Rosenworcel being the most vociferant. “We’ve all seen what happens when markets become more concentrated after a merger like this one. In the airline industry, it brought us baggage fees and …
South Dakota’s wireless technician training program will assist in connecting the state to 5G
The South Dakota Board of Technical Education has approved the creation of a Wireless Infrastructure Technician Certification program through a partnership with Southeast Technical Institute (Southeast Tech) and VIKOR. VIKOR, formerly Sioux Falls Tower & Communications, is one of the leading providers of wireless infrastructure in South Dakota. The company saw a growing need to establish this educational program in …
CommScope alleges competitor Rosenberger stole trade secrets
Seventy-seven days after CommScope filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against Rosenberger’s worldwide companies, CommScope issued a short press release yesterday announcing the complaint that alleges Rosenberger misappropriated CommScope’s trade secrets related to base station antennas, including trade secrets related to CommScope’s proprietary software programs and CommScope’s base station antenna hardware. In its …
Broker’s certificate of insurance ‘boilerplate’ loses in T-Mobile’s lawsuit against contractor’s insurer
Selective Insurance Company of America (SICA) must cover T-Mobile’s costs in a lawsuit alleging the carrier’s antenna installation contractor damaged a building in the Bronx, NY, a split State of Washington Supreme Court said Thursday, settling a critical issue at the center of a Ninth Circuit coverage dispute that may shape how the standard Accord insurance form is viewed from …
Carriers hiding 5G maps from the FCC as it readies 130 construction permit auctions and 22 more articles
ARS Technica says AT&T and other mobile carriers are trying to hide detailed 5G maps from the public despite constantly touting the supposed pace and breadth of their 5G rollouts, while Inside Radio reports that the FCC is preparing to dole out 130 construction permits for new FM stations via an online auction. Article Media AT&T and other carriers want …
160 NATE STAR Initiative companies accorded the safety ‘Gold Standard’ clients are seeking
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today announced the member companies who have been formally approved to participate in the STAR Initiative program for the 2019-2020 year. NATE has proudly accepted 160 participating companies in this year’s STAR Initiative which represents a record number of companies since the inception of the program. The STAR Initiative will be entering its …
AT&T to exit Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands for $1.95 billion, will support FirstNet
AT&T has announced that it plans to sell its wireless and wireline operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Liberty Latin America. The transaction includes network assets, including spectrum; real estate and leases; customers, including 1.1 million wireless subscribers; and contracts. Under the terms of the agreement, AT&T will receive $1.95 billion in cash. The transaction is …
Fraud felony agreed to by contractor whose worker’s death started insurance investigation
A 2016 fatality of a 19-year-old West Virginia tower technician in Kentucky has resulted in the young man’s employer and the company’s owner entering pleas to the felony offense of engaging in a scheme to defraud Brickstreet Mutual Insurance Company, now known as Encova, of approximately $186,700 in insurance premiums. Kanawha County, West Virginia Prosecuting Attorney Charles T. Miller, in …
Rooftop safety complacency and best practices highlighted in NATE’s newest video
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released a video entitled “Rooftop Safety: Don’t be Complacent” in order to shine a spotlight on the specific hazards, guidelines and best practices associated with wireless rooftop deployment activities. NATE has taken an active industry role in ensuring that workers are safe in any environment and has tackled the often overlooked complexities and …
WIA awards raise over $400,000 for wireless workforce development
The second annual WIA Awards generated over $400,000 for wireless workforce education and training initiatives. The awards honored champions of the wireless workforce by celebrating members of Congress, the FCC, and industry who have made major contributions to develop the wireless workforce needed to build America’s 5G wireless networks. The event was held last night at the Conrad Hotel in …
