U.S. Congressman John Curtis (R-UT) yesterday conducted a site visit and climbing experience at a communications tower located in Moab, Utah. The tour was facilitated by representatives from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and member companies Triple M Enterprises and VIKOR. The site visit was held at a Royce Electronics owned monopole site that is located in the Sand …
IG provides sane and compelling reasons for going postal to deploy America’s 5G networks
The United States Postal Service currently leases space at 62 locations to telecom providers for their wireless towers that provides $1.4 million in annual revenue, but according to a report from the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General, there’s no reason that can’t be easily expanded to many of their 8,000 facilities that they own nationwide. The report also promotes their …
Carr’s tower compound additions plan would allow for a streamlined review process
Update: September 6, 2020 — The FCC has released its 40-page draft of its plan to streamline review of requests to add limited space at the bottom of existing towers for backup power, low-latency computing, and multiple providers to be housed at one site. September 5, 2020 — FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr announced this afternoon the next step in the FCC’s …
LBA reaches milestone with 100% technician CBRS certification
Lawrence Behr Associates, Inc., the RF consulting services unit of LBA Group, Inc. (LBA), is ready to provide the FCC required installation certification for Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) deployments across the country. The company’s technical team consisting of both field and office personnel has completed the course work and obtained the Certified Professional Installer (CPI) credentials required to set up and …
FCC chief lauds the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals for their denial of a stay of the FCC 6GHz order
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai took to Twitter today with two thumbs up after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied emergency stays sought by AT&T and others of the the FCC’s decision to open the 6GHz ban for unlicensed WiFi. The FCC passed an order in April to open the band which is primarily used by broadcasters, …
FCC fines Sandwich Isles and its founder $50 million for fraud
The Federal Communications Commission has fined Sandwich Isles Communications, Waimana Enterprises, and Albert S.N. Hee of Hawaii $49,598,488 for violations of Universal Service Fund program rules that resulted in millions of dollars in improper payments. The agency issued the Notice of Apparent Liability in 2016. However, the fine might be more emblematic than enforceable against Hee, 67, who appears to …
DoL gives WIA million$ of reason$ to develop the wireless workforce
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced today that the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) awarded it a major contract to perform as the 5G Industry Intermediary to develop the wireless workforce. DoL provided WIA a multi-million-dollar contract as the National Sponsor of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP). The objective of the funding is to expand the industry’s multi-employer …
NATE’s DoL training grant will assist in developing 5G small cell deployment training
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Labor – OSHA to receive a $160,000 Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grant for the 2020-2021 program year. The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program awards grants to nonprofit organizations on a competitive basis. Awards are issued annually based on Congressional appropriation. The …
After five-year legal battle, Berkeley must end extra radiation warning requirement
A federal judge ruled last week that Berkeley, California cannot require cell phone retailers to warn customers about the possible radiation dangers from holding phones close to their bodies, a conclusion that was largely based upon the FCC’s assessment that the warnings are unneeded and would be injurious to business. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen wrote in an 18-page order …
DoD pushes industry for 5G spectrum sharing prototype ideas
The Department of Defense (DoD) issued a request Friday for the wireless industry to develop information papers on dynamic spectrum sharing. The request for information (RFI) seeks insight into innovative solutions and technologies for dynamic sharing of the department’s current spectrum allocation to accelerate spectrum sharing and 5G deployment. The intent is to ensure the greatest effective and efficient use …
Verizon to deploy indoor 5G mmWave sites with Corning, Samsung by year’s end
Verizon has recently completed lab trials with Corning and begun lab trials with Samsung on new 5G mmWave in-building solutions which, when commercially launched, will provide 5G mmWave coverage inside facilities such as hospitals, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, schools, ports, retail stores and more. The launch of these indoor cell sites will not only extend the footprint of Verizon’s 5G Ultra …
T-Mobile inks a 15-year tower deal with American Tower
T-Mobile and American Tower Corporation announced today that the companies have signed a new long-term agreement designed to drive significant value for both parties over its nearly 15-year term. The new agreement enhances T-Mobile’s access to American Tower’s U.S. sites while locking in synergies and facilitating T-Mobile’s continued rapid, efficient deployment of broad and deep nationwide 5G. The agreement also …
FCC’s full day full-court press to develop O-RAN sported key industry experts
The FCC convened the top experts in the field yesterday in a ground-breaking virtual event to discuss the benefits of an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), the challenges of implementing it, and the lessons learned from recent deployments. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai lead the all-day sessions that included aroster of public- and private-sector experts who discussed the current state of …
Dish gets green light for more time to build out its licenses, but must stay in 5G lane
The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) officially gave the green light to Dish Network to reset the clock to June 14, 2023 to meet build-out requirements for its AWS and lower 700 MHz spectrum holdings. The WTB has also changed the license terms so that Dish has waived its rights to use their licenses under the Commission’s flexible-use policies. Each …
NARB: Verizon should nix “Building the most powerful 5G experience for America”
A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB), a division of BBB National Programs, has recommended that Verizon Communications, Inc. discontinue the claim that “Verizon is building the most powerful 5G experience for America.” This claim appeared in two television commercials — “NFL: 5G Built Right,” which focused on Verizon’s installing its 5G network in the home of the …
U.S. ends up in last place in the race for 5G download speeds
Compared to other countries, the U.S. has lost the race to 5G regarding download speeds offered, so much so that in some countries 4G speeds are faster than two of the three major carriers that are touting their 5G offerings. Last week the BBB took T-Mobile to task, stating that it should modify its claims to more clearly identify the metrics …
Providing no details President Trump touts a new 5G network
Just before the election for his second term, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the interstate highway system in 1956. In President Donald J. Trump’s campaigning for his second term on Monday he floated his idea for establishing “a national high-speed wireless internet network” in a campaign ad. President Eisenhower’s vision came to fruition and is an integral part of …
T-Mobile advised to stop some of its 5G claims but gets selected NAD marketing support
The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that T-Mobile US, Inc. supported claims that its 5G service is faster than a competitors’ 4G, as well as its own 4G, but recommended it discontinue express and implied claims that its 5G network is more reliable than competing 4G or 5G networks. Similarly, NAD determined that T-Mobile supported claims …
Vertical Bridge acquires last big broadcast tower portfolio for $213 million: Cumulus Media
In February, Cumulus Media said that the company was considering selling its tower portfolio of 250 sites across 32 states to increase its liquidity and pay down debt. On Friday, the deal was inked with Vertical Bridge picking up the assets for $213 million. Previously, CFO John Abbot said that he believes that the multiples being paid as the tower industry …
FCC releases updated speed test app to gather data on cell carrier performance
The Federal Communications Commission announced the release of an updated version of its FCC Speed Test app, continuing its commitment to ensure consumers have the tools and resources to evaluate how well their mobile broadband connections are performing. This app, available from the Apple App Store and Google Play, has been updated to work the with latest versions of the …
