On Thursday afternoon, Ericsson’s U.S. field services employees were informed via a live webcast that the company will be shuttering its self-performing installations group by September 29, 2023, since the current market demand will no longer allow the company to justify the cost of maintaining crews. A Friday memo from the company’s People Operations Team made it official. Approximately 750 …
One size PPE can’t fit all, says OSHA chief Douglas Parker, requesting to hear from all sizes of stakeholders
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to clarify the personal protective equipment standard for the construction industry. The current standard does not state clearly that PPE must fit each affected employee properly, which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s general industry and maritime standards do. The proposed change would clarify that PPE must fit each …
Crown Castle consolidates offices and axes 750 employees, many of them providing construction management
Crown Castle Inc. initiated a restructuring plan this week as part of the company’s efforts to reduce costs to better align the company’s operational needs with lower tower activity, as discussed in Crown Castle’s second quarter 2023 earnings release. The plan includes reducing the company’s total employee headcount by approximately 15%, discontinuing installation services as a product offering within the …
Incline acquires GME Supply as the company positions itself for additional product lines and growth
Platte River Equity, a Denver-based private equity firm, announced the sale of GME Supply Co. to Incline Equity Partners. GME is a premier critical worker safety and productivity supplier distributor to field-deployed technicians serving multiple infrastructure end markets. “Platte River’s investment played a pivotal role in the acceleration of our growth and development. We are confident that Incline shares our dedication …
Fentanyl water bottle death hoax hits home about not accepting water or food from strangers
Last Wednesday, San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) sent out a warning to its contractors that claimed that a stranger gave two workers on a solar project a water bottle, and the incident alert said: “Apparently, the water bottles were laced with Fentanyl. Sadly, one of the flaggers died, and the other is in critical condition after ingesting the water.” …
AT&T says Mississippi county is stiffing it for relocation costs after they were forced off private property
AT&T is suing Rankin County, MS, in U.S. District Court for Southern Mississippi, for relocation expenses incurred when the county required the carrier to move its distribution and other equipment for a road expansion project from a leased easement from a private property owner that it had acquired in 1991. AT&T alleges that after Rankin County announced that it would widen …
As telecom infrastructure builds stall, some carriers are faced with a new dilemma, toxic lead cables
Shares of AT&T Inc fell more than 5% yesterday, reaching their lowest level in thirty years, after analysts downgraded the stock following a Wall Street Journal report last week that said the telecommunications giant left toxic lead cables buried across the United States. The investigative article said that Verizon and other carriers also abandoned the underground lead cables, possibly contaminating …
Insurer wins $112K default judgment for unpaid audit premiums owed by Vanguard Towers
A federal court for the Western District of Louisiana provided an insurer with a default judgment of over $112,000 against Vanguard Towers Inc. in its April 3, 2023, lawsuit over unpaid premiums after the company failed to enter a response to the insurer’s complaint. The court ordered the cell tower retrofitting and construction company to pay Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance …
FCC nominee Gomez advances to Senate floor despite Ted Cruz’s protests, Carr and Starks are renominated
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted today to bring nominations for the Federal Communications Commission to a floor vote against dissent from multiple Republican senators. The vote considered the renomination of commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks and the nomination of Democrat Anna Gomez, who currently serves as senior advisor for international information and communications policy in …
Doctor Joyce examines a tower site to appreciate how the industry can assist in curing the digital divide
Although Crown Castle’s safety protocols do not require having a medical doctor on a tower site when technicians are present, one was available for Novotech Construction’s safety-conscious tower techs recently should a medical emergency present itself during a recent tower compound visit by Pennsylvania Congressman John Joyce. Dr. Joyce has represented Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District since January 2019 and has …
QualTek is close to emerging from bankruptcy as stockholders lose all of their equity
QualTek Services, Inc., currently in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, knew that its stock would be delisted from the NASDAQ stock market after it was notified on January 5, 2023, that if its listed securities didn’t reach a minimum bid price of $1 for 30 consecutive days through July 5, 2023, the company’s shares would be delisted. NASDAQ made it …
Collecting $3 million from an ISP will be a tough road to hoe for American Tower and Crown Castle with its $386k
American Tower Corp. (ATC) has filed a lawsuit against a wireless and satellite internet, phone, and DISH television provider, alleging it stopped paying rent payments on 60 of its structures on November 24, 2021. ATC says it is due $2,891,885 plus attorneys’ fees and other costs from TPT SpeedConnect, LLC. SpeedConnect advertises that it is proud of the role it …
Nexius, owing $600 million to creditors, shoveled millions to a supplier in Beirut before filing bankruptcy
In 2001, brothers Nabil and Ned Taleb co-founded Nexius in a two-bedroom Virginia apartment. They continued to bootstrap their first year’s revenues of $1 million to a multi-corporation self-performing wireless industry enterprise that boosted revenues to $1 billion in 2022. But cash is king, and they ran out of it last year and sought Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection three weeks …
Ugandan carrier claims American Tower is discriminatory, but Kenyan official says ATC brings diversity and the internet
Smile, a carrier in Uganda is sneering at American Tower Corporation (ATC), asserting to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) that ATC illegally disconnected the power to its network and the company has been quoted in numerous media outlets stating that since 2018 ATC has been using discriminatory pricing practices, as well as unfair and illegal power billing practices. An ATC …
Still awaiting its first contract, the Tower Climbers Union/CWA’s first local set for a July 4 launch
According to an announcement on the Tower Climbers Union website today, the official union local of the Tower Climbers Union/CWA will launch on July 4th, 2023. The article read, “Having an official TCU/CWA local means access to membership benefits as well as being able to elect our own union leadership for our local. More information on elections is coming soon.” “Once …
In Pennsylvania, if the House approves a bill, holding your cell phone while driving could cost you $150
Pennsylvania’s state Senate wants to broaden a ban on texting while driving and approved legislation last week that would increase the penalties for motorists who have a cell phone in their hand for almost any purpose while driving. The bill, approved 37-11, goes to the state House of Representatives. In 2012, Pennsylvania banned texting while driving, an offense punishable by a …
Virginia broadband railroad crossing fee lawsuit says one price endangers site safety
The Association of American Railroads wants a new Virginia law streamlining broadband providers’ access to railroad property invalidated. In a federal court lawsuit, it alleges that it amounts to an illegal taking and violates both the state and U.S. constitutions. They said it treats railroads, unlike any other landowner, “seizing from them and giving broadband service providers a permanent easement …
Associations are swift with accolades for allocations after State-by-State BEAD funding is announced
Ecstatic industry associations were quick to applaud Monday’s White House announcement concerning BEAD allocations for broadband infrastructure deployment, where five states snagged over $10 billion of the $42.5 billion in available funding. State by State funding amounts are available here. “Today is another milestone step in the process to ready the states and territories for the deployment of this generational …
Five states snag over $10 Billion of $42.5 Billion available in broadband funding
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced how it has allocated funding to all 50 states (VIEW ALLOCATIONS BELOW), the District of Columbia, and five territories to deploy affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America. This “Internet for All” initiative is a key component of President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda. States, D.C., …
Rescued tower tech is showing some improvement but needs the industry’s prayers and financial support
Jared Farley, a 31-year-old Plantersville, TX tower technician, remains in critical condition after he became unconscious following a heat stroke last Thursday while working on a 300-foot guyed tower in Navasota, TX, in 98 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures that remained in the mid-90s during a three-hour rescue by emergency responders. Farley’s mother, Tracy Phifer, who traveled with her husband from Tennessee …