FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, the remaining Democrat on the Commission, went head to head on the keyboard with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Friday, clashing over whether his actions were legal when he reversed a decision made late in the Obama administration to let consumers apply their telecommunications subsidies to broadband services. Clyburn, who served as the acting Chairman in 2013 …
FCC Commissioner contends more broadband subsidies may not be the best route
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been open to the idea of spending $20 billion in broadband funding as part of a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, as recently reported by Wireless Estimator, but one Republican Federal Communications Commissioner is arguing that the approach has “serious potential drawbacks.” “For the sake of efficiency and soundness, if new government money has to be …
AT&T sneakily buys FiberTower, a company they once inadvertently helped to cripple
Technology makes strange bedfellows and opportunities, as is the case when AT&T announced on Tuesday that it “entered into an agreement to acquire FiberTower Corporation, and its mmWave spectrum rights.” The one-sentence sale statement was tucked in at the end of an announcement that AT&T was in advanced discussions with power companies to trial Project AirGig, a patented broadband-over-power lines …
Pennsylvania mayor arrested for burying graves during cell site construction
Update: Feb. 19, 2017 – Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Matulewicz dismissed the case against the Mayor of Shamokin, Pa. yesterday of allegedly desecrating graves, citing a lack of evidence. In a statement, Mayor William Milbrand said, “I knew that I did nothing wrong, but I also knew that some members of the Shamokin Police Department were angry at me and they …
Pilot dies after clipping guy wire of Vertical Bridge Texas tower
The pilot of a small airplane was killed when he crashed in Rusk County, Tex. yesterday on a clear afternoon on County Road 497 after its wing reportedly clipped a 449-foot tall tower’s guy wire, according to Rusk County Office of Emergency Management spokesperson David Chenault. Chenault informed Wireless Estimator that the plane was an older Cessna. The guyed tower, …
Chairman Pai forms broadband deployment committee to close digital divide
At Ajit Pai’s first open meeting as the Federal Communications Commission’s Chairman, he emphasized the need to close the digital divide, and he believes the creation of a broadband deployment advisory committee that will be active for two years will assist in that effort. However, he didn’t discuss how he would proceed on key rules that he opposed under the …
Up to 50 gazillion terabytes of data could be used at Super Bowl 51
The Patriots and Falcons will match up in Houston Sunday at NRG Stadium, and the nation’s wireless carriers are kicking off their public relations campaigns this week to show how they’ll be capable of handling whatever their subscribers throw their way. But unlike today’s odds where New England is installed as a three-point favorite over the Falcons, the odds of …
AT&T: Viva Mexico, President Trump, and FirstNet selecting them
Although the almost daily political question in America is Who will pay for the Mexican border wall?, AT&T knows who is paying to assist with its bottom line, Mexico. And it has been a “remarkable success story,” according to AT&T CFO John Stephens. In its quarterly conference call last week, Stephens accented the company’s strong growth in Mexico, stating, “In …
U.S. broadband infrastructure spending consensus is at $20 billion
With President Donald Trump’s “America’s Infrastructure First” policy calling for $1 trillion in new investment to improve the nation’s infrastructure, broadband will play a critical role in connecting the country’s citizens, communities and businesses, and according to an all-star panel brought together by USTelecom that spoke before the National Press Club in Washington yesterday, that need will most likely require …
Rivada’s 4G bid rigging allegations overflow with plots expected in a Grisham novel
In November, Rivada Mercury, a consortium led by Rivada Networks, which includes Harris, Fujitsu, Black & Veatch, Nokia, Intel and Ericsson, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over what it says is the illegal and “wrongful exclusion” of the consortium from the First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet) procurement process. Rivada’s latest lawsuit involves a $7 billion contract to operate …
Goodman Networks expects to file prepackaged bankruptcy next month
Financially troubled Goodman Networks Incorporated of Frisco, Tex. said that it expects to file its prepackaged Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in February in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. Prepackaging its bankruptcy plan allows Goodman to shorten and simplify the bankruptcy process in order to save the company money in legal and accounting fees, as well as …
NATE brings to life new ANSI/ASSE A10.48 standard with a polished video presentation
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released a safety video highlighting the new ANSI/ASSE A10.48 Standard. The video is the first to debut as part of Volume 2 of the NATE Climber Connection series. The A10.48 Standard – Criteria for Safety Practices with the Construction, Demolition, Modification and Maintenance of Communications Structures has been described as a game-changer …
FCC chief appoints a new top cop and other staff leaders
Michael Carowitz, who has been deputy chief of the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, was named by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai as his acting chief of the Enforcement Bureau, which had been headed by Travis LeBlanc. FCC observers expected that LeBlanc would be replaced since Pai has oftentimes complained about the enforcement group’s management. The enforcement bureau is the …
AT&T’s end run around municipalities might have put Mobilitie out of the game
DAS-provider Mobilitie LLC’s petition to the FCC for a declaratory ruling to promote broadband in the U.S. by prohibiting excessive charges for access to public rights of way was championed by AT&T, at least in Ohio, where the carrier last month lobbied for and successfully sneaked in an amendment inside a bill regulating puppy mill providers. The questionable legislative procedure …
Reports were correct, President’s pick is Pai to head the FCC
UPDATE: January 23, 2017 – In sync with his new boss’ Twitter affection, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai Tweeted today, “This afternoon, I was informed that #POTUS @realDonaldTrump designated me the 34th Chairman of the @FCC.” Pai, 44, a Republican, steps into Tom Wheeler’s position. Wheeler stepped down from his chairmanship on Friday. The industry came out in force to congratulate Pai, with …
MacEntee named safety alliance’s executive director, Trego and Cook join staff
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Duane MacEntee has been selected as the organization’s new Executive Director. MacEntee replaces Chuck Slagle who has retired from his position as NWSA Executive Director and is transitioning to a consultancy role within the alliance. “NWSA is thrilled to welcome Duane MacEntee as our new Executive Director,” stated President Don …
It’s a one-woman show against Mobilitie’s rights of way crusade
Mobilitie might have met the one woman in America who has the best chance with the FCC to have the agency bridle, what she describes as, the distributed antenna system (DAS) provider’s desire to “run roughshod over local communities” as it attempts to reduce rights of way fees that they say will impede future 5G growth. But Mobilitie has the …
FCC’s forward auction clears $10 billion threshold, allowing spectrum transfer
The FCC’s forward auction to reallocate broadcasters’ spectrum licenses to wireless providers marginally cleared its $10 billion clearing target Wednesday, setting the stage to transfer broadcast spectrum for wireless broadband use and the development of new wireless technology. With the results of yesterday’s rounds of the FCC’s forward auction, the bidding has satisfied the requirements of the incentive auction’s Final …
FCC fines Straight Path $100 million for failing to deploy wireless service
The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau today announced a settlement valued in excess of $100 million with Straight Path Communications to resolve an investigation of Straight Path’s failure to deploy wireless services as required under its FCC spectrum licenses. The Enforcement Bureau investigated allegations that Straight Path violated the Commission’s buildout and discontinuance rules in connection with approximately 1,000 licenses …
Judge: American Tower can’t evict tenant owing over $500,000
A U.S. bankruptcy court judge in Utah has ruled that American Tower Corporation (ATC) cannot kick its tenant off of a number of their towers until March 8, 2017 if ATC and Rich Broadcasting Idaho, LLC (RB) do not reach an agreement on amended or new leases – an action that is highly unlikely. According to court documents, RB owns radio …
