U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, joined with subcommittee chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and fellow members Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) to introduce the “Wireless Innovation Act of 2015” yesterday, a bill to reallocate spectrum used …
American Tower monopole destroyed following Virginia welding accident
Polyethylene insulation on coaxial transmission lines caught fire Tuesday in Newport News, Virg. when a crew was welding on a monopole behind Heritage High School. According to Newport News Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Pincus, the coaxial cable caught on fire as maintenance workers were welding on the tower just before noon. The flames quickly spread along the insulation of …
NWSA delivers a detailed overview of their tower worker certification program to OSHA
In response to OSHA’s request for information regarding communication tower safety due by Monday, the National Wireless Safety Alliance provided an emphatic ‘yes’ to the agency regarding its question: Is there a need for a standardized, industry-wide training or certification program? Provided by NWSA consultant Chuck Slagle, a former Sprint EH&S executive, the safety alliance said, “The NWSA will standardize …
Former Crown Castle chief and three key leaders to be inducted into Wireless History Foundation
The Wireless History Foundation (WHF) announced today that it will honor four individuals at its annual awards dinner on September 8, 2015 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas. The inductees are John Kelly, Brian McAuley, Larry Movshin and Sue Swenson. The key industry movers and shakers join wireless luminaries such as Marty Cooper, inventor of the cell phone …
NATE submits its OSHA tower safety comments as Monday’s deadline looms
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has submitted its formal comments to OSHA’s Request for Information on Communication Tower Safety which ends on Monday, June 15, 2015. The trade group’s response to the RFI ‘s questions can be viewed here. “The Association’s responses to the questions outlined in the RFI reflect NATE’s role as the industry leader in safety, standards …
CTIA & PCIA deployment lawsuit charge: 3000% small cell size structure increase is an ‘imagined horrible’
CTIA – The Wireless Association and PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association, have joined together to urge the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to reject a lawsuit filed April 24, 2015 by Cumberland County, Maryland and cities in California, Washington and Texas that is asking that the court vacate the FCC’s 2014 Infrastructure Order adopted last fall to …
Leading safety expert steps forward as the tower industry’s response to OSHA tanks
Whereas an embarrassing majority of industry safety professionals and tower climbers, as high as 99% or more, have ignored an opportunity to assist OSHA in assessing current practices and ways that will result in lowering fatalities and injuries in tower construction and maintenance, an Illinois State University professor, Dr. Thomas P. Fuller, while traveling in France, took the time today to …
Four new lawsuits claim tower owner and its engineer are liable in deaths and injuries
UPDATE: June 9, 2015 – Wrongful death lawsuits have been filed on behalf of the administrators of Kyle Kirkpatrick and Terry Richard, both of Oklahoma, who were both killed when an SBA Communications tower collapsed on February 1, 2014, and personal injury lawsuits were filed on behalf of Randall McElhaney, of Texas, and Jerry Hill, of Oklahoma, who also sustained …
Expensive earthquake tower design law passes following industry indifference during hearings
PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association came out against the City of Los Angeles’ newly passed ordinance requiring all new telecommunication towers to be designed as a Class lll Structure subject to an importance factor of 1.50 of the TIA-222 standard, a requirement that PCIA says could increase the cost of a tower between 30 to 200% and could stymie …
Verizon’s network and the nation’s towers to be tested for drone guidance experiment
NASA is developing technology to track commercial and civilian drones via cell coverage with the first tests of an air traffic control system set for this summer. The agency is enlisting help from Verizon which will assist in identifying whether the carrier can keep tabs on UAVs throughout the nation. Although articles about the exclusive story appearing in The Guardian …
Some tower landowners want their structures removed as fear strikes India over deaths
Most likely one of Ashwini Khillian’s first initiatives following his appointment to Chief Operating Officer for American Tower Corporation’s ATC India last week, was to inventory the towers the company owns in Jammu and Kasmir as thousands of towers are being compromised by terrorists in India. Telecom trade group Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) estimated today that around 2,500 …
Wireless safety alliance seeks tower techs to serve on its inaugural board of governors
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that it is seeking nominations from qualified tower technicians to serve in leadership roles by filling several available seats on the inaugural NWSA Board of Governors. The NWSA is a national non-profit assessment and certification organization that is under development to provide thorough, independent assessments of knowledge and skills and provide verifiable …
Industry’s 2015 fatality record still undecided as OSHA continues to investigate woman’s death
Whether or not the industry this year is close to having no fatalities for the longest period of time since deaths have been accurately tracked since 2003 will not be known until the OSHA Austin, Tex. Area Office makes a decision as to whether a fatality near Eden was training related or an unauthorized climb of a tower technician’s girlfriend. …
Former OSHA chief to discuss marijuana, e-cigarettes and other smoky things
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., former Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, will be presenting a free webinar on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. EST to discuss marijuana laws since some states have now legalized medical marijuana and other have approved them for recreational use. Although federal law still considers all marijuana use to be illegal, there is a …
Technician accused of stealing over 4,000 cell site batteries during Northeast crime spree
UPDATE – May 27, 2015 – According to Upper Merion Township Detective Andrew Rathfon, the technician was employed in the industry until September 2014 when he started stealing backup batteries from cell sites. In the past five years he has worked for World Link Inc., Clear Wireless, LLC, and Ericsson Inc. He was able to disarm tamper switches due to his …
New membership milestone of 800 for National Association of Tower Erectors
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) announced today that it has officially reached the 800 member mark, a milestone that continues to grow. SmartWave Technologies LLC, a Suwanee, Ga.-based company, has the special distinction of becoming the 800th NATE member company. The 800 member mark represents an all-time record for the Association in its 20 year history. “We are …
Wireless Estimator’s new face is coupled with a more responsive web experience
Welcome to Wireless Estimator’s new look, a work in progress that will ensure additional branding for our advertisers and more importantly, a more mobile and tablet-responsive site that will have all of the great tools our viewers are used to, and considerably more as we invest in our framework to offer improvements in performance, navigation and speed. Also, please check …
At 3:00 p.m. Monday, take a remembrance moment for the fallen
Tomorrow the nation will observe Memorial Day, but mostly by grilling, a day at the beach or capturing a bargain of a lifetime. Most folks will not take the time to remember the true purpose of Memorial Day, remembering the courage of those who have given up their lifetime to protect the freedoms we enjoy today. At 3:00 p.m. local …
ATC ‘s Taiclet named to Forbes’ 2015 Global 2000 CEO Hall of Fame
American Tower Corp. Chairman and CEO Jim Taiclet has been named to Forbes Magazine’s 2015 Global 2000 CEO Hall of Fame. In assembling its 2015 list, Forbes viewed companies that made the biggest move up its list of the world’s largest companies during the past ten years. Forbes narrowed that group down to 128 companies that had the same CEO for the entire period and …
Safety task force continues to make progress with numerous initiatives
Approximately 50 members of the Wireless Industry Safety Task Force, consisting of top safety and operations executives representing wireless carriers, tower owners, OEM’s, turnkey/construction management firms and NATE, met in Irving, Tex. yesterday to discuss the continued progress of the National Wireless Skills-Based Training Standard This premier skills-based worker standard is being created by the industry’s leading subject matter experts …
