In a refreshing twist from the typical earnings call script, Viavi Solutions Inc.’s President and CEO, Oleg Khaykin, left analysts and investors buzzing with straightforward commentary during Thursday’s Q3 FY24 earnings discussion. Departing from the usually reserved tone of such calls, Khaykin’s blunt assertion, “Money talks and bullshit walks,” underscored his frustration with the prevailing cautious spending behaviors among Tier …
FCC targets AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon for illegal data sharing, fining them $200 million
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has imposed fines totaling nearly $200 million on leading U.S. wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon for unlawfully sharing customer location data without proper consent and adequately protecting this sensitive information. The fines stem from the carriers’ practices of selling access to this data to aggregators, who subsequently resold it to third-party service providers, …
Industry influencers Adelstein and Borghei make strategic moves to new company leadership roles
Two seasoned leaders, Jonathan Adelstein and Bernard Borghei, have announced new positions within the digital infrastructure industry. Adelstein has joined TWN Communications as the new Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and External Affairs Officer. He was previously a managing director at DigitalBridge. Borghei will now be Symphony Wireless’s Chief Executive Officer. He formerly served as the Chief Revenue Officer of Tower …
Tillman Infrastructure lands $1 billion in funding to drive its growth
Tillman Infrastructure, LLC, a leading provider of wireless communication infrastructure, announced this morning the completion of a financing package totaling $1 billion. The proceeds will refinance existing loans and provide additional growth capital to support the infrastructure needs of its wireless carrier and wireless infrastructure service provider (WISP) customers. “The Tillman Infrastructure team continues to deliver industry-leading solutions for our customers,” said …
NYC Comptroller Lander leverages pension fund clout for tower worker safety reporting, but is it necessary?
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, representing the five New York City pension funds, has successfully secured agreements with leading telecommunications infrastructure firms—SBA Communications Corporation (SBA), American Tower Corporation (American Tower), and Crown Castle—to improve their reporting on worker safety at communication tower sites. Lander emphasized the difficult conditions faced by tower workers, noting, “From dizzying heights to challenging …
Crown Castle’s $325 million cabinet door opening lease lawsuit against Dish is closed by a Denver jury’s verdict
A jury last Thursday found Crown Castle USA Inc. failed to prove Dish Wireless Inc. violated the parties’ 30-year master lease agreement (MLA) by taking up three extra feet of space on cell tower sites without paying an additional rent of approximately $8 million per year. Crown Castle said Dish owed $200 more monthly rent for approximately 3,339 sites. With …
Senator Cruz leads opposition to FCC’s plan to fund Wi-Fi on school buses, citing legal overreach and safety concerns
In a significant legal challenge, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz, along with several Republican senators, has filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit, opposing the Biden administration’s move to extend the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) E-Rate program to include funding for Wi-Fi on school buses. The lawsuit, titled Molak v. FCC, has been instigated by parents …
Crown Castle snags Steven Moskowitz as its CEO, the second former American Tower executive onboarded for growth
Crown Castle Inc., a leading communications tower company, announced a significant leadership change that is effective today. Steven J. Moskowitz will take on the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer and join the company’s Board of Directors. This appointment concludes an extensive search led by the CEO Search Committee and the Board and facilitated by global executive search firm …
Everest’s defense in Vertical Bridge’s trade secrets theft lawsuit is they weren’t even close to trade secrets
In an April 3, 2024, Western District of Pennsylvania court filing, Everest Infrastructure Partners moved to dismiss an amended complaint filed by Vertical Bridge, arguing that the trade secrets Everest is accused of stealing and benefitting from were not secrets. Vertical Bridge filed a lawsuit against competitor Everest last June, alleging that it ran an unfair “multi-million dollar scheme to …
FCC proposes opening 5GHz spectrum for drones to enhance emergency and commercial uses
The FCC is proposing to open a specific segment of the 5 GHz spectrum to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones, aiming to enhance their usability in critical applications like emergency response and commercial services. This regulatory initiative seeks to designate the 5030-5091 MHz band exclusively for drones, improving communications during wildfires, disaster recovery, and for first responders. Traditionally, most drones …
Over 3 feet, Dish and Crown Castle’s MLA marriage is on the rocks and a Denver trial will decide its fate
When Dish Wireless announced its infrastructure partnership with Crown Castle to lease space on up to 20,000 towers in 2020, it was an engagement arranged by Dish’s EVP of network development, Dave Mayo, that married the two companies to a 30-year commitment. However, marriage vows aren’t always everlasting, and Crown Castle has decided to move on – into a Denver …
Alabama contractor’s tower crews to share in an expected $120 million windfall from an unexpected fine art find
All 22 employees of a four-crew wireless contracting firm in Bessemer, Alabama, are about to get a financial windfall so huge that they wake up each morning rereading a letter from Sotheby’s to ensure it’s not a dream. Each is on the verge of claiming at least $5.45 million, thanks to the auction of an Edvard Munch masterpiece, “The Scream.” …
Tillman Fiber will light up Florida with cutting-edge broadband internet access
Tillman FiberCo, LLC, a leader in fiber optic broadband infrastructure, announced the expansion of its 100% Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) network in Florida. Tillman Fiber’s network will serve the Tampa Bay, Panhandle, South and South West, regional areas, including the cities of St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, Naples, Pensacola, Miami, Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Kissimmee. In collaboration with a tier-one U.S. mobile operator, Tillman Fiber will deliver symmetrical gigabit broadband internet access …
WTB grants exemption to Vertical Bridge and Drake Services for quarterly inspection requirements
The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday granted Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC, and Drake Services, Inc., an exemption from the mandatory quarterly inspections of antenna structure lighting systems stipulated under existing regulations (see below). The exemption specifically pertains to the requirements under 47 CFR § 17.47(b), which mandates owners of antenna structures to conduct …
DigitalBridge’s corporate move to downtown Delray Beach will provide an uptown setting for its employees
When a large corporation moves to a new headquarters, it’s often a problem for employees who have to relocate. Still, DigitalBridge’s announcement today that it is moving its entire staff north to a new mixed-use complex is being welcomed by employees since the move to Delray Beach from its Boca Raton, FL headquarters is less than six miles further or …
‘Mentally stressed’ RF expert bails on Roswell, GA in the final days of a T-Mobile lawsuit costing $1 million-plus
This week, T-Mobile continued its 14-year battle with Roswell, Georgia, to erect a 108-foot monopine near Lake Charles Drive that was denied multiple times. The ongoing lawsuit is the costliest and most protracted siting litigation in the United States, with both parties shelling out well over a million dollars in legal fees since T-Mobile filed the complaint in 2010. It is also …
Crown Castle co-founder Miller says the company deserves better and needs ‘people who live and breathe towers’
Ted B. Miller, co-founder of Crown Castle Inc. and his investment vehicle Boots Capital Management, LLC, issued an open letter yesterday to the Crown Castle Board of Directors, the company’s employees, and its shareholders. Miller said he believes Crown Castle’s stock can be worth at least $150 in the next 18 months if the board takes immediate action to restore …
Former T-Mobile tech president Neville Ray elected to American Tower’s board of directors
American Tower Corporation announced that its Board of Directors had elected Neville R. Ray as a director. Ray most recently served as T-Mobile’s President of Technology until 2023. He joined T-Mobile (then VoiceStream) in April 2000, and from December 2010 to November 2019, served as its Chief Technology Officer. Prior to that, Ray served as Network Vice President for Pacific …
New ADA lawsuit tells American Tower, T-Mobile and AT&T to relocate their tower or reconfigure their network with beamforming antennas
After American Tower, AT&T, and T-Mobile did not respond by February 1, 2024, to Duluth, Minnesota resident Marcia Haller’s request to mitigate RF levels that continued to make her ill at her home (as detailed on February 29, 2024, by Wireless Estimator), and caused 51 strokes, her attorneys, being paid by the Children’s Health Defense’s Electromagnetic Radiator & Wireless program, filed …
Verizon’s Fresno faux brick building cell site is a slight to the community and an eyesore, residents say
OPINION — “What the’ x&!*’ is that monstrosity?” a member of the “For the Love of Downtown Fresno” Facebook group asked. “Looks like low-quality brick wallpaper,” commented another member. “This looks like crap, and if this is the finished version, I cannot believe the forward, thinking people who designed that,” a third member remarked. “It needs advertisements,” a fourth post …
