Commentary — Making subsidies more flexible and removing legal hurdles are two of several changes the Federal Communications Commission should make to advance wireless infrastructure development, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said Wednesday at the Competitive Carriers Association conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Another adjustment they should consider is providing their Commissioners with research that they’ve unearthed to provide direction rather than …
131 STAR Initiative companies recognized for their higher safety standards
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today announced the member companies who have been formally approved to participate in the prestigious STAR Initiative program for the 2015-2016 year. The Association made the announcement at the 2015 Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) Annual Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “We are thrilled with both the quantity and caliber of companies who have …
CM refuses $100,000 in back overtime as Crown Castle asks to put her case on hold
A former construction manager was offered $100,000 plus her attorneys’ fees by Crown Castle USA, Inc. to settle claims for back overtime wages she said she was due after she worked for 43 weeks that ended February 9, 2015, but she didn’t accept the offer and may now be responsible for her attorneys’ costs moving forward in a case that …
T-Mobile battles Sirius cell site interference claims and an FCC dispute resolution proposal
After a number of Sirius XM customers complained to the satellite radio company last year that they were losing their radio signal in some urban markets, Sirius did some drive-by tests and said they found the guilty party, T-Mobile. The company said T-Mobile was interrupting its service to the point that it was “alarmingly severe, extensive and frequent,” but T-Mobile …
Industry experts readying testing process for tower technicians’ certifications
FDH Velocitel’s Don Doty Selected as Presiding Chairman of Test Development Task Force The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) convened a distinguished group of the industry’s leading subject matter experts in Dallas, Tex. this week to begin the test development process for the Telecommunications Tower Technician I (TTTI) and Telecommunications Tower Technician II (TTTII) certification programs. The NWSA is a …
Prophetic wireless kick start statement was made by AT&T 100 years ago today
A transcontinental radio telephone demonstration transmitted from the U.S. naval radio station in Arlington, Va. to the naval radio station 2,500 miles away in San Francisco, Calif. and then relayed to Honolulu, for a total of 4,900 miles was sent today a century go. Its impact was revolutionary since the First World War was in progress in Europe and it would be …
Tech’s death in Pennsylvania is the industry’s third work site fatality in 2015
UPDATE: Sept. 28, 2015 – Visitation services for Matthew J. Vance, 37, will be held today from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Sorge Funeral Home in Hollidaysburg, Pa. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Duncansville. Vance, a tower technician, fell approximately 90 …
Broadband tower tech is severely shocked in Indiana incident
UPDATE: Sept. 24, 2015 – John Richardson, 24, was identified as the man who was severely shocked while installing internet services yesterday. He is in a medically induced coma and will likely be so for many more weeks, according to a GoFundMe page that has been set up for his recovery which may take months. His wife, Elaina Richardson, will have to leave her …
American Tower topples an Oklahoma tower while its sole tenant was broadcasting
UPDATE: Sept. 25, 2015 – Dale Bolton, High Plains Public Radio’s director of programming and operations, said today that he has been informed that an American Tower Corporation representative had called another individual within his organization on Friday afternoon prior to taking the KGUY tower down the following morning for safety reasons. However, Bolton said,”They were unable to get to Guymon to …
A conversation with TIRAP’s chief on human dignity and following industry standards
Although Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program Chairman Scott Kisting embraces every opportunity available that will assist wireless technicians in working safer, he believes that there are two key components that ride above all others: human dignity of all within the workforce and the proper awareness, planning, education and application of existing standards. While there are many people at work trying …
Lawmakers’ RF concerns are on target, but media inflates dangerous site totals
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D. Calif.) have raised concerns to the FCC in regards to radio frequency radiation and the impact such exposure can have on tower technicians and other workers not involved in wireless work such as HVAC technicians and electricians. They’re also concerned about residents who might be exposed to excessive RF exposure on …
Deceased tower techs’ signatures were forged to falsely state they were W-9 contractors
A U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Administrative Law Judge has found that a Louisiana tower erector’s owners, during a hearing to vacate a $7,000 Serious OSHA fine received following the death of two of the company’s workers in 2013, purposely misled the court, fraudulently altered documents and were deceitful in a number of representations, and he denied their …
New content rich Daily News Briefs now available from Wireless Estimator
Known for its original feature news content, Wireless Estimator has expanded its editorial offerings with its Daily News Briefs, industry stories that are too important to miss, and oftentimes are not covered by industry media. The new section, separate from Wireless Estimator’s featured articles, is light on NIMBY news which is important for readers of local newspapers and other suburban …
Many wireless contractors will be required to provide a week of paid sick leave in 2017
Based upon an executive order signed by President Obama last week, wireless contractors with contracts from the federal government, as well as their subcontractors, will be required to provide up to seven days of paid sick leave a year starting January 1, 2017. It is likely to affect the cost of FirstNet’s deployment of the $7 billion 700 MHz nationwide …
Carabiner’s use in lieu of shackle could have caused tower tech’s decapitation
The Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (KY FACE) has released a comprehensive examination of an industry fatality that happened last year when a 28-year-old Indiana worker died in Cynthia, after he was decapitated by a cable when a 5/8” shackle failed while his crew was lifting a 1800-pound boom with antennas on it. One of the key findings was that …
Man who fell from tower is stable, but news reports aren’t healthy with facts
On Sunday, weekend anchor Andrew Havranek for WDTV in Clarksburg, W.Va. provided a 29-second news story on a man that fell from a “cell phone tower” in Summit Park in Harrison County Friday afternoon. The incident, Havranek said, according to Harrision County EMS officials, required the worker to be flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital with a head injury, but he …
Clear Channel Outdoor Americas and Vertical Bridge announce landmark partnership
Vertical Bridge, the largest U.S. private owner and manager of wireless telecommunication infrastructure and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of iHeartMedia Inc., today announced the signing of an exclusive multi-year agreement for the management and marketing of wireless deployment on Clear Channel Outdoor America’s (CCOA) billboards and other out-of-home assets in 45 of the top 50 U.S. markets. …
FCC’s Wheeler says he’s banking upon 600 MHz auction taking place in March 2016
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler committed today to a March 29, 2016 start date for an incentive auction of 600Mhz wireless spectrum now under the control of the nation’s broadcasters. He told a packed audience at CTIA Super Mobility 2015 that the auction, which he described like a Swiss watch with many moving parts, has never been done before, …
Going beyond compliance standards and use of SAUCE could curtail tower-site accidents
Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) board chairman Scott Kisting today urged members of the wireless infrastructure industry to watch a newly produced video aimed at strengthening workplace safety, enhancing workplace quality, and improving worker health and safety training. Initiated by TIRAP and produced by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the video released today, the first of a planned ongoing series, …
Tower Family Foundation highlights founding donors at Vegas CTIA conference
Companies, organizations and individuals recognized for distinguished level contributions The Tower Industry Family Support Charitable Foundation today announced the list of founding donors who have made distinguished level contributions to the Foundation since the organization’s official launch in September 2014. The Foundation made the official announcement at CTIA’s “Super Mobility Week” in Las Vegas, Nev. The non-profit Foundation has been …
