A news article that doesn’t have as many views as another story doesn’t mean that it wasn’t important to industry readers. It just meant that it appealed to a more select group of viewers. The below articles had the most views on Wireless Estimator from the more than 694,00 unique viewers that visited the site in 2015. Articles are in calendar order from January …
FCC’s wireless competition report has its Commissioner and association adversaries
The Federal Communications Commission released its 18th report to Congress on competition in the wireless industry which sheds little light on whether or not carriers are competitive. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau said in its report that the goal of the Commission is to promote competition and it “must continue to play an essential role in the mobile wireless industry,” hopefully …
AT&T work is a top Christmas wish list item for contractors and suppliers
Last year’s holiday gifts from AT&T came in the form of canceled construction purchase orders bandaged in cheerfully-colored stress-relieving bubble wrap, painstakingly selected by CEO Randall Stephenson. And although Stephenson told investors last week that “there’s going to be a continual downward pressure on our capital spending,” possibly signaling another coal stocking stuffer, some analysts believe that AT&T is going …
Appeals court rules FCC didn’t abuse its discretion with its wireless siting order
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled today that the Federal Communications Commission was within its rights to interpret legal terms in its Wireless Siting Order which adopts new environmental exemptions for DAS and small cells and gives a detailed interpretation of Section 6409(a) of the Spectrum Act that includes a new 60-day shot clock designed to …
Tractel fall arrest product alert in the U.S. proves to be a false alarm
Tractel North America says that an industry news report that triggered Facebook posts today identifying that the company sent a “product alert to the tower industry” stating that their retractable fall arrester Blocfor 10AES should be checked for a possible device problem in the U.S., is inaccurate since the affected products that were manufactured in the U.K., not in Germany …
Free February train-the-trainer and fall prevention worker training courses readied by NATE
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today announced the opening of the registration process for the first two Susan Harwood Training grant-enabled courses the organization will be hosting in 2016. NATE, in conjunction with curriculum and training provider Safety Controls Technology (SCT), is offering a five-day Train-the-Trainer Course from Feb. 21 to Feb. 25 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in New Orleans, …
FCC and DOL announce second workshop on tower climber safety and apprenticeship program
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Employment and Training Administration (ETA) have announced preliminary details of a second workshop on tower climber safety and the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP). The first joint FCC-DOL workshop on these subjects was held on October 14, 2014. The upcoming workshop, to be …
Wi-Fi discreet street furniture finds a new home underground
Antenna manufacturer Kathrein, in collaboration with Switzerland’s Swisscom, introduced its manhole antenna solution in a PR blitz last week to emphasize that additional street furniture isn’t always necessary to provide increased city coverage. Virgin Media, however, has already struck gold underground in the UK and is installing its ‘Smart Pavements’ free public Wi-Fi in manholes in Chesham, England through wireless …
New FAA tower lighting standard will cut costs and cut down on avian deaths
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published its newest Obstruction Marking and Lighting advisory circular that became effective Friday. It includes significant changes to the telecom industry’s lighting requirements since the last time the agency revised Advisory Circular 70/7460K in 2007. A key change in the new document — that has been proposed by the industry for a number of years …
Industry expert is banking upon AT&T ramping up spending for its U.S. wireless network
AT&T CapEx – No more guessing! By John Celentano AT&T’s capital expenditures (capex) have been in the tank for the past year, and tower owners and installation contractors along with the original equipment manufacturers that support AT&T’s network all continue to feel the pain of the company’s significant capex cutbacks since mid-2014. Many marketers across the supply chain still are trying …
NATE members elect four incumbents and one new director to its board
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released the results of the 2016 Board of Directors election. The Association announced that candidates John Paul Jones, President of Tower & Turbine Technologies LLC in Cedar Park, Tex.; Bryan Lee, President of Lee Antenna & Line Service, Inc. in Springtown, Pa.; Jimmy Miller, President of MillerCo, Inc. in Gulfport, Miss. and Don …
Mt. Wilson’s iconic Poole complex acquired by InSite Towers
A deal to buy the multi-tower Poole Tower complex on Mount Wilson in California that was expected to be close to being inked in April, according to a report in Wireless Estimator, took another seven months, but finally closed last week, according to Media Services Group’s Bob Heymann, Jr. who served as the broker for Poole Properties, in announcing the …
Removing five diagonals and loosening 12 others cited for causing deaths, injuries
Four lawsuits that were filed in June against a tower owner and the contractor it hired to design and manage a structural reinforcement project in West Va. where two tower technicians died and two were injured after a tower collapsed, have worked their way from circuit court to federal court, and the defendants are alleging that it was the tower …
NWSA introduces Rigger and Signalperson certification programs
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today the official introduction to the wireless industry of CCO Rigger and Signalperson Certification programs. The programs have the distinction of becoming the first two assessment and certification offerings available to the wireless industry’s workforce through the NWSA. Training and certification, when done correctly, have been shown to improve productivity, reduce accidents, save …
Court tosses tech’s appeal that his RF burns were the fault of prime contractor
A California Court of Appeal in Sacramento has ruled that a tower technician who was injured while doing site audits for AT&T cannot sue the company that subcontracted work to his employer since he was not working for them, and because the primary contractor only trained the subcontractor on how to properly fill out paperwork, and it did not retain …
New York subway system’s DAS expansion welcomed in troubling times
With New York City going to high alert in response to the release of a new ISIS video that sets Times Square in the terror group’s bombing or chemical-warfare sight, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s announcement last Thursday that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Transit Wireless have launched the Phase 4 expansion of wireless, public safety and Wi-Fi services …
FCC hits two carriers with $85,000 in fines for RF exposure rooftop violations in Arizona
Two carriers were cited by the Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau for similar violations for failing to comply with the FCC’s radio frequency exposure limits after the owner of a building at 4040 E. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, Ariz. complained to enforcement agents that his building staff have difficulty gaining RF exposure safety assistance from the carriers that use his rooftop. …
Three people are rescued safely, but one still needs assistance
At about 1:00 p.m. yesterday, Tooele County, Utah and Marion County, Oregon emergency services were called into action to save three people who needed their assistance at two tower sites. One weather-related incident could have been avoided, the other event was an unpredictable action taken by a teen that thought her only option to end her unsolvable problems was suicide. …
Nation mourns the passing of Connie Durcsak who moved wireless forward
Utilities Telecom Council President and CEO Connie Durcsak, 50, passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 14, and heartfelt tributes to the truly visionary leader from colleagues and friends are providing a glimpse of the many challenges and opportunities that she tackled head on, always going beyond the norm to expand the reach of the wireless industry. Durcsak earned her Master’s degree …
AT&T offers $7,500 reward to catch those who felled a Texas guyed tower
AT&T is offering a reward of up to $7,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the destruction of the carrier’s tower located at 1901 W. Crawford in Denison, Tex. on Nov. 12, 2015, according to the Denison Police Department. According to authorities, the destruction of this tower affected cell service for AT&T, Sprint, and …
