UPDATE: September 30, 2019 – In the FCC’s official statement announcing that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has appointed Evan Swarztrauber as his policy advisor, Pai said, “I’m pleased to have Evan join our team. Having served in Commissioner Carr’s office, he brings a wealth of experience on telecom issues and is well positioned to advance our policy agenda.” Commissioner Brendan Carr …
T-Mobile stops paying its contractors, keeping its market managers in the dark
Commentary In late August, Wireless Estimator broke the story that T-Mobile had pulled many of their contractors’ purchase orders and would not be providing any additional fourth quarter builds throughout the nation, forcing wireless contractors to assess their financial position in order to maintain the additional crews that they staffed early in the year to meet T-Mobile’s promised projects. It’s …
Starks rips into Huawei, stating that a ‘rip and replace’ equipment program could cost $1 billion
In an address to attendees of the Competitive Carriers Association’s convention in Providence, Rhode Island yesterday, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said he’s focused on communications network security and slammed Chinese manufacturer Huawei, stating they pose a national security risk. His message was of great interest to the regional operators in the audience, many of them who have the suspect gear …
Journal retracts paper alleging RF dangers coverup; author says ‘Big Wireless’ made them do it
Magnetochemistry, a peer-reviewed international scientific journal, retracted an article they published on May 5, 2019 from a controversial New Zealand researcher who believes that scientists are suppressing evidence that people are being harmed by radiofrequency radiation. Susan Pockett, a psychologist at the University of Auckland in her paper titled “Conflicts of interest and misleading statements in official reports about the …
Crown asks court to rule on California county’s unlawful node application fees
Crown Castle Fiber LLC, in a U.S. District Court of Western California filing, is requesting that the court restrict Santa Barbara County, California from charging unlawful, unreasonable and excessive fees in order to deploy wireless infrastructure within the county’s rights-of-way. Crown said the county is putting it in the untenable position of having to pay fees in excess of what …
Climbing Commissioner Carr puts boots on the steel again in South Dakota
Last month, South Dakota picked up a monumental $705.5 million out of the FCC’s $5 billion rural broadband funding. And yesterday, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr was in the state getting an elevated view as to how those funds will benefit rural America. Carr climbed to the 100-foot level of a 330-foot guyed tower in Mitchell to view first-hand the installation …
NATE co-founder and former Chairman Snyder testifies at U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing
NATE Co-Founder and Former Chairman Craig Snyder, CEO at Vikor Teleconstruction, provided expert witness testimony at today’s U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet hearing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The hearing, “Transforming Rural America: A New Era of Innovation”, was convened by U.S. Senator John Thune, R-SD, who serves as chairman of the Subcommittee. During …
T-Mobile cancels 5G upgrades and new builds nationwide, possibly crippling some contractors
Beginning last Friday, contractors started getting calls from T-Mobile’s market managers informing them that most purchase orders they had for new builds and 5G upgrades were going to be put on hold until 2020 unless materials for the project were sitting in a warehouse. The news came as a shock to many wireless contracting companies that had been counting on …
Sprint lights up mobile 5G in Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.
Sprint said that its customers are among the first in the world to experience the power and performance of True Mobile 5G with the largest initial 5G coverage footprint in the U.S. In a press release they said, “The next generation of wireless service is here, delivering blazing-fast speeds in areas of Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. True Mobile 5G from Sprint is set to …
Color privilege, gen sets, graffiti used as ploys to deny 5G deployments: WIA
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify its rules to facilitate broadband deployment by promoting collocations on existing wireless facilities. As part of its request, WIA has asked the FCC to rectify an unnecessary barrier to broadband deployment due to the divergent treatment of compound expansions around wireless facilities. These petitions are based on the FCC’s explicit authority …
In America’s most barren broadband district, Congressman Mullin tours an ATC tower site
On Monday, U.S. Congressman Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) conducted a site visit to a communications tower located in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The tour was facilitated by representatives from the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), the Association’s Wireless Industry Network (WIN) and American Tower Corporation. The site visit was held at an American Tower-owned self-supporting cell tower site that is located in …
T-Mobile gets FCC’s nod to bid on 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz licenses
The FCC released an Order today granting T-Mobile’s request for a waiver of the Commission’s rules that prohibit an FCC spectrum auction applicant from being party to a joint bidding or similar arrangement. The Commission granted T-Mobile’s request for a waiver despite its ongoing attempt to acquire Sprint. On July 11, 2019, the Commission announced the application and bidding procedures …
South Dakota picks up monumental $705.5 million in FCC’s $5 Billion rural broadband funding
Taking further steps to close the digital divide, the FCC has authorized over $4.9 billion in support over the next decade for maintaining, improving, and expanding affordable rural broadband for 455,334 homes and businesses served by 171 carriers in 39 states and American Samoa, including 44,243 locations on Tribal lands. South Dakota was the largest beneficiary at $ $705.5 million. …
FCC is clueless on how many people don’t have broadband leads Fast-Forward Friday
FCC LIKELY COUNTS MILLIONS OF UNSERVED HOMES AS HAVING BROADBAND A new broadband mapping system is starting to show just how inaccurate the Federal Communications Commission’s connectivity data is. Research indicates that it’s likely that millions of homes nationwide have been wrongly counted as being served by broadband. Ars TECHNICA has the full details. Article Media Partnerships with cities lead …
El Paso border crossing signal crisis has Verizon reaching out to the FCC for a resolution
Verizon would like to tell a Mexican cell carrier’s signals to go back to where they came from in order to fix their spotty service in El Paso that they are blaming on new cell sites that have been activated in and around Juárez. Verizon acknowledged this week that after the Mexican carrier turned on new cell sites near the …
Mobilitie looks to foreign investment fund to fuel 5G wireless deployment – gets $1 Billion
Mobilitie has announced a $1B exclusive arrangement with an unnamed foreign investment fund to fuel the next five years of growth around 5G infrastructure. The partnership represents a tremendous opportunity for the company to speed both U.S. and international 5G growth and expansion and bring unprecedented connectivity to consumers. Christos Karmis, President and CEO of Mobilitie, stated, “We’re excited about the opportunity …
FCC concludes that 5G RF exposure is safe in America
The FCC has restated its conviction that 5G does not pose a health risk in America and it will not change its existing RF exposure limits, emphasizing that such limits are already among the safest in the world. “The available scientific evidence to date does not support adverse health effects in humans due to exposures at or under the current …
Tech’s workday half ‘heritage’ flag on a monopole isn’t a hit with a few Nebraskans
Call out someone for having too many groceries in a 10-item checkout line and you could be called a racist. No matter which side of the political aisle you’re on, there’s a chance that you might be called a race-baiter or you are weaponizing race in some manner. And it’s likely that the R word will be a frequent inclusion in …
DOJ greenlights T-Mobile-Sprint merger, requiring them to give up 20,000 cell sites
The Department of Justice today approved the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, allowing the $26 billion deal to move forward after years of exploration by the nation’s third and fourth-largest wireless companies. The merger required the approval of the DOJ which enforces antitrust law, and the FCC which directs the telecommunications industry. In May, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai broadcast his …
NATE members privileged to participate in ‘Pledge to America’s Workers’ White House event
A delegation of National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) leaders were invited to represent the Association in a workforce development-themed event today at the White House in Washington, D.C. The NATE members were invited to participate by President Donald Trump and Presidential Advisor Ivanka Trump. At the event, President Trump and Ivanka Trump both delivered remarks commemorating the One Year Anniversary …
