In advance of Thursday’s FCC open meeting, where the Commission will consider an order and notice of proposed rulemaking that would protect the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure from threats in a national security and law enforcement landscape, a former FCC Chairman and Commissioner have registered their concerns that one area is to stringent and could affect investments in their company. Former …
Communication worker safety zone cost questioned as FCC sweeps old pole standard ‘under the rug’: Duke
Duke Energy is claiming that the FCC improperly used its authority to award AT&T “significant rate reductions and massive (though incalculable) refunds” in its opening brief filed last week with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in its petition for review of an FCC November order denying it reconsideration in a pole attachment rate dispute with AT&T. Duke’s petition stems …
TIA’s BEAD summit will thread the way for contractors and suppliers to take advantage of $42 billion in funding
Recent trade shows have explored opportunities that will become available through the Broadband Access and Employment Program’s (BEAD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), providing States approximately $42 billion to deploy broadband in America where it is not located. However, they were typically 45-minute sessions that often scratched the surface, leaving many unanswered questions. Fortunately, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is …
Savior of the City of Troy pleads guilty to vandalizing cell towers to ‘stop the aliens’
Christopher A Daniels, 36, of Piqua, Ohio, pleaded guilty to seven felony counts on April 12, 2023, of causing extensive damage to multiple communications towers in Troy and the surrounding area. Daniels allegedly vandalized at least five towers. According to initial information released by authorities, two were AT&T towers, and one was a Verizon site. The other two structures were …
Until there’s a consensus standard, industry experts provide initial hoisting grip guidance following fatality
When a 32-year-old tower technician passed away on December 15, 2022, in Weatherford, TX, while engaged in an installation project for Verizon, Wireless Estimator identified shortly after that that a secured cable grip failure might have caused the death. Huber+Suhner provided the hybrid cable and factory-installed hoisting grip, which was later identified as a FIOMA grip. OSHA investigated the accident and has not …
TESSCO will be partnered up with Alliance and GetWireless in an all cash deal valued at $161.4 million
TESSCO Technologies announced that the company has entered into a definitive merger agreement with entities affiliated with Lee Equity Partners and Twin Point Capital, which also own Alliance Corporation (“Alliance”), a value-added distributor of equipment for the wireless industry, and GetWireless, LLC (“GetWireless”), a value-added distributor of cellular solutions that connect the Internet of Things (IoT). Under the merger agreement’s …
Alabama state agency is saddened by a tower tech’s death, but it appears that they caused it
Some of the Alabama Forestry Commission’s (AFC) key roles are to protect wildlife, such as inventorying gopher tortoise burrows to improve their habitat. However, its overriding mission is to protect forests from harm. Unfortunately, the state agency failed miserably to protect a Deatsville AFC communications technician last year. As a result, Brett Savage died when a guyed tower that was …
Deutsche Telekom captures majority control of T-Mobile U.S.
Germany’s Deutsche Telekom now has majority ownership of T-Mobile U.S., Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hottges said Wednesday during the company’s annual in Bonn. “We have the majority and are the largest shareholder of the world’s most valuable telecommunications company, T-Mobile U.S.,” Hottges said. An SEC filing dated March 31, 2023, shows that Deutsche Telekom and its subsidiaries hold 53.9 percent …
After a month-long outage, PerfectVision’s website woes appear to be ending
A little over four weeks ago, PerfectVision’s website and its internal network went down, a failure frequently occurring in many companies when servers malfunctioned. However, a robust backup system can seamlessly recover data, and the system is back online, often with employees never realizing there was a problem. However, IT personnel quickly let management know that there were severe problems …
Little Rock monopole bows to a tornado as its side-by-side neighbor continues to stand tall
An EF-3 twister ripped through Little Rock, AR on Friday, folding over a monopole, but a sister structure remained erect on the property of the Agape Academy off of Napa Valley Drive. The owner of the structures is unknown, and the monopoles are not registered in the FCC’s database. The tornado, with wind speeds between 136 and 165 mph, left …
Pathwave and Safety LMS announce purpose-built integration for verifying and automating certifications
Pathwave, a purpose-built tool for the telecom industry, announced an integration with Safety LMS, a training partner and certification provider for tower climbers and riggers, for verifying and automating certifications in real time. This new collaboration between Pathwave and Safety LMS is the first to provide Certification Verification to the telecommunications industry within a purpose-built tool for crews and their …
Fathered by Marty Cooper, his cell phone turns 50 today at an adjusted for inflation cost of $12,066
Fifty years ago today, Martin (Marty) Cooper, an engineer for Motorola, stood nervously along 6th Avenue in New York City, about to trigger America’s love affair with mobility. He reached into his pocket for a little telephone book and dialed a landline number on the cell phone he had invented. It was part of his plan to razz his archcompetitor, …
National Wireless Safety Alliance announces new Board appointments and election of executive officers
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced today that Gemma Frock, Ph.D., NATE Workforce Consultant, and Dave Hallowell, President of the Connectivity, Commercial, and Industrial Sector at Black & Veatch, have been appointed as new members of the organization’s Board of Directors. NWSA also announced that Don Doty, VP of Broadcast Services at Broadcast Construction Solutions, LLC, Mark Ciarfella, EVP, Domestic Operations …
Liberal, Kansas most likely wasn’t up to par if they had to defend AT&T’s golf course siting lawsuit
In a court filing today, all claims and defenses between AT&T and the City of Liberal, Kansas, are dismissed without prejudice, according to a joint application filed with the District Court for the District of Kansas in Wichita. In addition, the parties agreed that each party would bear its own attorney’s fees, costs, and expenses. In its November 23, 2023 …
Reading isn’t required for FCC enforcement agents tracking down pirate radio broadcasting
It appears that an FCC’s Portland, OR-based Enforcement Bureau agent might benefit from a quick course on using internet search tools and a little leg work to locate a pirate radio broadcaster instead of threatening a Baptist church property owner with a $2.3 million fine. The FCC said last week that their Enforcement Bureau is investigating a complaint about an …
OSHA is warned that their 2024 deadline requiring tower climbers to use powered ascenders is in jeopardy
Eleven powered ascender manufacturers, the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), and NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association have petitioned Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker to extend the December 31, 2024 deadline set by OSHA requiring all tower climbers to be equipped with a powered ascender. The enforcement agency cautioned contractors during a panel discussion at the South …
Interagency squabble ends with OSHA requiring the nation’s revered raptors to harness up
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) severed all relationships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) today, announcing that both agencies were at an impasse regarding the best option to use that will ensure the continued safety of bald eagles while they are working or resting at heights. The clash between both organizations surfaced in August 2007 when …
NATE debuts video highlighting fixed wireless deployments throughout America
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association this week announced the release of a video on Fixed Wireless Deployments. The video, the first to debut in Volume 6 of the Association’s popular #ClimberConnection series, premiered at the 2023 South Wireless Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. The video highlights the importance of Fixed Wireless Deployments to the nation’s goals of closing the digital divide. NATE has …
Texas court will likely give AT&T a hollow victory in its $1.44M lawsuit against former golden child Goodman
Contractors and suppliers that have had to sue clients, such as Nexius, for past due payments know that it’s an expensive legal and often fruitless process that can take a year or two since attorneys aren’t adverse to the defendant’s counsel delaying the process as long as possible as they pile up billable hours. So when AT&T’s attorneys filed a lawsuit …
Canadian firm might help American Tower with its financial struggles in once-vibrant India
Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et Placement du Québec (CDPQ) is in talks with American Tower Corp (ATC) to buy a 50% stake in its Indian unit, according to multiple news reports. The valuation of the India arm is estimated at $1.5-$2 billion. On February 23, in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ATC said …
