While performing maintenance on a 300-foot guyed tower in Navasota, TX, yesterday afternoon, a tower tech was overcome by heat stress and had to be rescued in a coordinated effort by multiple agencies. According to a City of Navasota press release, the Navasota Fire Department (NFD) responded to the Mid-South Synergy facilities off of Highway 6 North around 4:39 p.m. when a …
Dish meets its 70% buildout deadline with assistance of three major towerco partners
Dish Wireless announced yesterday that as of June 14, the carrier is offering 5G broadband service to over 70 percent of the U.S. population, giving more than 240 million Americans access to its technology. This marks a significant milestone for Dish and the U.S. telecom industry, as Dish designed, built, and deployed a first-of-its-kind 5G network in three years. Dish …
Tripped up by their trail, methheads await charges for Verizon cell site break in
Three Livingston, TX residents remain in the Polk County Jail, and another is still at large after they were accused of stealing from a Verizon 200-foot self-supporting cell tower compound and also exposing a toddler to methamphetamine and fentanyl. Polk County Sheriff’s deputies responded on June 6 to a report of a theft from the tower off of U.S. Highway 59 just north …
FCC’s systems have been down for the past week and may be unavailable for the foreseeable future
The FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) is currently down and not accessible to the public. This includes the Commission’s License Manager, License Search, Application Search, Tower Construction Notification System, E-106 System, Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) Online Filing, ASR Application Search, ASR Registration Search, TOWAIR, and all ULS Specialized Searches. The systems are anticipated to be down until at least next …
Aggravated over aggregator Everest’s ‘multi-million dollar scheme’, Vertical Bridge files a lawsuit
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC has filed a lawsuit against competitor Everest Infrastructure Partners (EIP), alleging that it ran an unfair “multi-million dollar scheme to unlawfully improve its market share” at Vertical Bridge’s expense through trade secret misappropriation, interfering with existing contractual relations and false advertising. Vertical Bridge, the tower arm of Digital Bridge, requests that EIP provide an accounting of …
FCC’s report shows Guam’s cell site outage at 20%, three weeks after Typhoon Mawar crippled the island’s power
After Typhoon Mawar tore through Guam, the second largest U.S. territory, on May 24, the FCC identified that 60% of its 327 cell sites were down. Two days later, it increased to 70%. However, in today’s report, that number has considerably improved, with the agency showing that only 19.9% are out of service. Seven were due to damage, ten due …
Contractor Dan Combs takes the bragging rights of having the best ‘Tough Tower’ techs in America
Fourteen tower technicians representing seven companies competed this weekend for the first place prize in the inaugural Tough Tower competition in North Jackson, OH, where they went head-to-head in a battle of skill and agility that included climbing, rigging, safety, installation, rescue, and speed challenges. Knot tying, crane maneuverability, and other skills were also judged. STG Communication Services and Tri …
While burning contractors and suppliers, Nexius’s facade exposed a possible terrorist cell site security hole
As Nexius used ‘every trick’ to keep contractors working, although the company knew they would never pay them, the wireless infrastructure developer reportedly continued scamming T-Mobile by using a Nexius-aligned company in Lebanon that was prohibited from accessing T-Moble’s network – possibly exposing a network security threat to the nation’s second-largest mobile operator, according to sources familiar with the ruse. When …
FCC issues a $5,134,500 penalty for illegal robocalling; a whopping $4,500 for each call made
The Federal Communications Commission has adopted a $5,134,500 fine against John M. Burkman, Jacob Alexander Wohl, and J.M. Burkman & Associates LLC for making 1,141 unlawful robocalls. In this unanimous decision, the FCC rejected the arguments asserted by the parties in their response to the Commission’s 2021 proposed fine in this case. The robocalls, in this case, made on August …
New Jersey Wireless Association commemorates Marty Cooper’s first call and takes a glimpse into the future
The New Jersey Wireless Association (NJWA) commemorated the 50th anniversary of the first cellular call on May 23 with an educational program, “A Celebration of the First 50 Years… and a Glimpse into the Future,” held at the global headquarters of Nokia Bell Labs in Murray Hill, NJ. Keynote speakers at the event were Peter Vetter, President of Bell Labs …
Not a typical gin pole, Matt’s Arm provides a safer, quicker and more profitable pick at any level
Matt’s Arm is the newest tool in the tower industry, and contractors say there is no other tool that is so versatile since it adapts to most all tower types and lifting needs. It’s quickly becoming an essential tool for contractors’ crews. For decades, there had yet to be a serious design change in an industry stalwart, the venerable but cumbersome …
Valmont records longest beyond visual line of sight flight on the wings of T‑Mobile 5G
Valmont has completed an industry-first, piloting an unmanned 77-mile beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operation, enabled by T-Mobile 5G. Traditional methods for infrastructure monitoring typically require extensive manpower, manned aircraft operations or ground-based inspections, which involve significant safety risks, more time and more money. But not anymore, states Valmont, especially now that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is …
FCC updates national broadband map to fix nationwide accuracy challenges
The FCC took another step forward in its effort to develop the best and most accurate broadband maps ever built in the United States. In a note, to understand why requires a bit of history, said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “For decades, the Commission produced broadband maps based on census blocks. In practice, this meant that if there was high-speed internet …
QualTek Services files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with hopes that its debt can be cut almost in half
Wireless infrastructure developer QualTek Services warned earlier this month that it would need to obtain alternative sources of capital or otherwise meet its liquidity needs and/or restructure its existing indebtedness through the protections available under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The Blue Bell, Pennsylvania company filed for bankruptcy today in the Southern District of Texas, identifying that it had …
Driver is electrocuted while unloading aerial lift for California cell site project
According to authorities, a 37-year-old Fresno, CA, equipment rental delivery driver was electrocuted Wednesday while offloading an aerial lift in Parlier, CA, that would be utilized by a tower crew performing services on a nearby cell tower. Officials say that Jaun Abriz was employed by H&E Equipment Services and struck an electrical wire at about 9:00 a.m. Those responding to …
Towerco execs hint at a future slowdown, but for many wireless contractors the future is now
Last week at WIA’s View From the Top panel session at Connectivity Expo 2023, the top towerco executives hinted that they are aware of a dip in carrier capex and a turn towards fiber, possibly cutting into site builds. Still, they championed the industry and said 5G would be a constant and maybe a ten-year driver, although it would be …
Biden plans to pick NTIA lawyer Anna Gomez for FCC to end agency deadlock: Bloomberg
President Joe Biden plans to select veteran government lawyer and former National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) acting Administrator Anna Gomez to serve on the Federal Communications Commission and give the agency its first Democratic majority of his presidency, according to Bloomberg. Gomez will fill the long-vacant fifth FCC seat. The timing of a formal announcement appeared to be imminent, …
Sadly, the first fatal fall in 2023 took the life of a 33-year-old tower technician in Kansas
Burial services were held today in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, for 33-year-old tower technician Frankie Rivera-Rivera who succumbed from his injuries after falling from a 350-foot tower in Andover, Kansas, on May 9. According to individuals knowledgeable of the incident, Rivera and a co-worker were reportedly performing maintenance services for AT&T on a tower off Zenith Rd., owned by Harmoni …
New TIF white paper examines the regulations and best practices to be obstruction lighting compliant
Since proper marking and lighting of telecommunications infrastructure is critical to support navigable air space, the Telecommunications Industry Foundation (TIF) has published a new TIF white paper, US Regulatory Compliance and Air Navigation Safety. The aim of the white paper, according to TIF, is to provide a summary of U.S. federal regulatory oversight, describe the FAA determination process for constructing …
NATE members Capitol Hill Fly-In event strengthened support by legislators for key industry priorities
Ninety representatives from NATE member companies converged in Washington, D.C., this week to participate in the Association’s 2023 Congressional Fly-In event on Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, May 17, NATE members demonstrated their grassroots prowess by participating in approximately 120 individual meetings with Members of Congress and their respective policy staff. During the meetings, NATE members advocated for the industry’s priorities, …
