Crown Castle CEO Ben Moreland said yesterday during the company’s Q3 conference call that Crown’s executives used to refrain from speaking with any specificity about carrier deployments, but “over the last couple of years, we’ve sort of relaxed that standard, and probably spoken a little bit too much occasionally around specific carrier deployment plans.” But Crown’s easing of carrier build …
Ernie Jones succumbs following tragic tower elevator-related accident in Oklahoma
An industry icon who helped shape and advance structural and safety initiatives during his service to the tower industry was killed yesterday in an elevator-related accident on a broadcast tower in Oklahoma City, Okla., according to individuals knowledgeable of the incident. Although there are few verifiable details, Ernest “Ernie” Jones had reportedly been working with a crew on KOCO’s broadcast …
GCI fined $620,500 by FCC for not registering 118 towers and lamping three structures
In what appears to be the highest fine ever levied against a tower owner, the Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau announced a $620,500 settlement with General Communication, Inc. (GCI), parent company of The Alaska Wireless Network, for failing to register numerous communications towers through the agency’s Antenna Structure Registration system. Prior to constructing or upon acquiring these towers, the Alaska-based …
One towerco to own a mind-boggling 1.5 million towers in China in a $34 billion deal
Every large tower owner dreams of the day when they can boast that they’re the largest in the world. Those hopes were dashed yesterday with the announcement that the big three telecommunications operators in China have agreed upon an infrastructure-sharing joint venture, China Tower Corp. According to Barclays, the total tower count will be a staggering 1.5 million towers. The …
NATE establishes committee on unmanned aerial systems
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has announced the formal establishment of an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Committee. The newly minted committee will be tasked with monitoring the trends and regulatory environment associated with rapidly evolving UAS technologies and making recommendations to NATE members and the wireless infrastructure community on best practices when it comes to UAS integration. The committee …
FCC Commissioner’s new tower builds is based on a hazy crystal ball
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 …
TIRAP urges employers to embrace career training, safety and quality
The Chairman of the private/public Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP), Scott Kisting, today urged telecommunications employers to fully embrace an industry-wide effort to train new workers and instill higher standards in the workplace. In a presentation before the Environmental, Health & Safety International Communications Conference, Kisting said, “If the telecom industry is going to meet soaring consumer demand, we’ll …
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 …
