NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association was invited to participate in a roundtable event hosted today in Gulfport, Mississippi by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker. NATE Chairman Jimmy Miller and Member Services Chairwoman Jordyn Ladner from Gulfport-based MILLERCO represented the Association at the roundtable, which was held at the Mississippi Aquarium. During the event, …
Industry luminaries to be inducted into Wireless Hall of Fame
The Wireless History Foundation (WHF) will induct four honorees into the prestigious Wireless Hall of Fame during the Foundation’s Hall of Fame Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. on November 11th. This year’s inductees are: James Tracy: CEO of Legacy Telecommunications. Jim has been a leading force in tower and infrastructure construction, service and maintenance for decades. In addition to his …
TIRAP announces new advisory board members and leadership, salutes Sams & Hightower for their service
The Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program Advisory Board (TIRAP) honored the dedicated service of two of its leaders who were instrumental in the development and growth of registered apprenticeships in the wireless industry. David Sams, Vice President of Risk Management for SBA Communications Corporation, has served on the advisory board since 2014 and was Chairman from 2018-2019. Joel Hightower, CEO …
Fifth Circuit clears the way for an FCC rip and replace approval day
The FCC’s July 13 meeting will have commissioners voting on congressionally mandated changes to replace insecure network equipment from Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei. While Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel was busy last week putting the finishing touches on the rip and replace program, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday removed a judicial roadblock that could have prevented the program …
New interactive mapping service locator provides a ‘sobering view’ of nation’s lack of broadband
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a new publicly available digital map that displays key indicators of broadband needs across the country. This is the first interactive, public map that allows users to explore different datasets about where people do not have quality Internet access. The “Indicators of Broadband Need” tool puts on one map, …
Say sayonara to Sierra Wireless’ fraudulent tower tech dream job
A con artist is making the rounds targeting wireless construction workers and trying to enlist them into a Skype interview to wrangle unsuspecting applicants out of money. Wireless Estimator alerted viewers to a scam in 2019 where a tag-team of criminals would provide candidates with a fraudulent upfront check to purchase personal protective equipment and other gear necessary in order …
A 911 vertical location solution success might be better solved by Google and Apple, not a $300,000 fine
Commentary Earlier this month, FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington said that the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau (EB) erred in taking AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile to the woodshed and fining them $100,000 each for not meeting their obligations by April 3 to provide 911 location certifications by using Z-axis data that would allow first responders to know where the caller …
Kathy Stieler’s new role at NATE will help the industry navigate safety, health and compliance issues
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association has announced the hiring of Kathy Stieler as Director of Safety, Health & Compliance, a new staff position established by the Association. Stieler officially began her duties with NATE this morning. Stieler, a long-time industry subject matter expert and safety professional, joins NATE after serving as Director, ERI Installations and Safety since 2012. During …
Nokia and AT&T accelerate C-Band rollout with first commercial equipment call
Creating a connection is so much more personal than just devices and networks. For AT&T’s teams who are deploying their 5G network it’s about thinking and working ahead in the race to develop what their customers will need next before they know they need it, the company said in a blog yesterday. That anticipation is what allowed AT&T and Nokia …
SBA CEO Jeffrey Stoops elected WIA Chairman and Tom Kane joins Board of Directors
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) has announced that Jeffrey Stoops, President and CEO of SBA, was elected to serve as Chairman of the WIA’s Board of Directors. A new slate of officers was also elected. The new Chairman and officers include: Chairman: Jeffrey A. Stoops; President and Chief Executive Officer; SBA Communications Corporation Vice Chairman: Alex Gellman, Chief Executive Officer, …
Ohio’s lawsuit seeking public utility status for Google confuses tower owners
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a landmark lawsuit yesterday, asking the court to declare Google a public utility, reining in the ways the powerful search engine provides search results to Ohioans. “Google uses its dominance of internet search to steer Ohioans to Google’s own products–that’s discriminatory and anti-competitive,” Yost said. “When you own the railroad or the electric company or …
Colony Capital, Digital Colony rebrand under the umbrella of a ‘new’ DigitalBridge
Colony Capital, Inc. today announced a corporate rebranding of the company to DigitalBridge, effective June 22, 2021. Digital Colony, the Company’s digital infrastructure investment platform, will also change to operate under the DigitalBridge brand. In connection with the transition, the corporate name will be changed to DigitalBridge Group, Inc. and the Company will begin trading under a new NYSE ticker …
FCC, carriers asking SCOTUS to permanently put Portland’s ‘David & Goliath’ 5G order concerns to bed
The FCC, DOJ, carriers and wireless organizations strongly voiced their opinions last week to the U.S. Supreme Court that the high court should not consider the City of Portland, Oregon’s request to reopen challenges to the FCC’s 2018 orders that allowed the nation’s wireless operators to standardize the installation of 5G small cells on the local level in municipal rights …
San Antonio police seeking to solve Crown Castle monopole arson
San Antonio, Texas Police and Crime Stoppers are seeking the help of the general public to track down a suspected arsonist that set a fire at a Crown Castle monopole site in the 1800 block of Hunt Lane on May 24. Police issued the announcement on Sunday. Authorities said that the man, pictured, above, used an accelerant to ignite the …
Government watchdog says FCC needs its disaster response role clarified
In a report issued Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that although the FCC supported telecommunications restoration efforts following Hurricane Maria, future disaster recovery efforts by the agency could be improved. The GAO found that the FCC’s disaster response role was unclear in guidance published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), even though the guidance states that all …
President Biden’s budget tackles 1099 independent contractor misclassifications
President Joe Biden’s 2022 budget plan released Friday highlighted his administration’s commitment to employment protection to workers who have been classified as 1099 independent contractors. The budget calls for the U.S. Labor Department receiving $7.5 billion in the coming fiscal year to boost worker-protection efforts, including to root out misclassification. “The administration is also committed to ending the abusive practice …
American Tower is convinced Crown Castle’s early Dish builds is not a long-term concern
American Tower Corp. EVP, Treasurer and CFO Rod Smith said at Monday’s J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications conference call that he’s not concerned that a competitor is expected to get a larger than typical share of Dish Network colocations. Although J.P. Morgan Managing Director Phil Cusick did not mention Crown Castle as the competitor in his interview, he …
AT&T brings secure, automatic, friction-free public Wi-Fi to downtown Austin with OpenRoaming™
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) today announced that AT&T has successfully completed a proof-of-concept trial of its Wi-Fi network with WBA OpenRoaming™ in areas of downtown Austin, Texas along 6th Street and outside of Stubbs BBQ. The network showcases the future of public Wi-Fi, where OpenRoaming provides secure, automatic and friction-free access to any device using their public Wi-Fi network. AT&T …
Wireless pioneer Betacom secures $15M in funding, launches industry’s first managed private 5G network
Betacom, a longtime design and deployment partner for the world’s leading telecommunication companies including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, announced that it has secured $15M in funding from private investors including Braxton Carter, past CFO of T-Mobile. The funds will be used to drive adoption of Betacom 5G-As-A-Service, the industry’s first fully-managed private wireless service. US enterprises now have access to …
FCC Commish Carr says big tech should pony up after decades of enjoying a free ride
In a Newsweek op-ed, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr outlined a new approach to funding the federal government’s efforts to close the digital divide. The FCC’s current model for funding Internet builds and ensuring affordable access—the Universal Service Fund (USF)—relies on a charge that operates as tax on consumers’ monthly bills for traditional telephone services. USF is on the verge of …
