Crown Castle Inc., in a dramatic turnaround, has left its employees in Canonsburg, PA, scratching their heads after abruptly canceling plans to relocate them to the corporate headquarters in Houston, TX. The decision comes following activist investor Elliott Investment Management’s call for changes within the company as CEO Jay Brown prepares to step down in January. Interim CEO Anthony Melone, …
Crown Castle CEO Jay Brown announces retirement amid activist investor pressure to resign
Communications infrastructure provider Crown Castle Inc. is undergoing a significant leadership change as CEO Jay Brown has decided to retire, effective January 16, 2024. The announcement comes amidst pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, which has been advocating for leadership changes and strategic improvements at the company. Brown’s departure follows a series of scathing critiques from Elliott, known for its …
Thieves find it more profitable in India to steal the entire cell site instead of stripping cable
Thieves normally specialize in stealing batteries or transmission lines at communications sites in the U.S., but in an incident in India, thieves went for the full monty, stealing the entire cell site. The theft occurred last March but wasn’t reported to authorities until last week in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district, where a cell tower, standing at 165 feet and weighing …
Elliott Investment Management turns up the heat on Crown Castle with another scathing critique
Elliott Investment Management L.P. (“Elliott”), which manages funds that collectively have an investment of approximately $2 billion in Crown Castle Inc., on Wednesday submitted a Section 220 demand and accompanying letter to the Crown Castle Board, requesting inspection of the company’s books and records. This request follows the company’s adoption of shareholder-unfriendly amendments to its bylaws that compromise the fundamental tenets of the …
Delusional ‘Postmaster General’ serial coax thief Douglas Lee arrested again in North Carolina
In August, Yadkin County NC Sheriff’s Office investigators received a report that someone had climbed a tower in East Bend and cut off several hundred feet of coaxial cable that would likely be sold to a scrap metal firm. In October, another Yadkin County theft of copper cable was reported in Yadkinville. Detectives, with the assistance of AT&T Mobility Services, …
Big policy decisions loom over the future of America’s wireless networks, says WIA CEO Halley
By Patrick Halley, President and CEO, WIA – Wireless Infrastructure Association Access to broadband – fixed and mobile – is table stakes for participation in today’s Internet-driven economy. Hence the billions of dollars coming out of Washington to connect every unserved home in America. That’s good news for consumers who remain on the other side of the digital divide. Beyond a …
Dish Network stock dives following its CEO’s resignation, financial woes, and a steep drop in subscribers
Dish Network Corporation stock swung to a loss again this morning to $3.47 from yesterday’s close of $3.51, a severe loss from $17.16 where it traded last November. Dish reported a Q3 2023 loss of 26 cents per share on November 6, a surprise to Wall Street. Dish finished the quarter with 8.84 million pay TV subscribers, down from 8.904 …
DC Judge okays Dish Network’s additional time to buy 800 MHz licenses from T-Mobile
A U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia signed off on an agreement Monday to give Dish Network additional time to buy 800 MHz licenses from T-Mobile. Judge Timothy Kelly accepted a motion filed last week by the two companies and the Department of Justice. Judge Kelly granted the consent motion “with no party to this action opposing the …
Eric Chase resumes CEO leadership of Ontivity; Ian Stringfellow is appointed as its COO
Ontivity, a leading national provider of wireless infrastructure services, has reappointed Eric Chase as Chief Executive Officer. The company said in a statement that the leadership move will fuel the company’s culture of growth. In September, Ontivity acquired Infinity Construction Solutions of Buford, Georgia. The company was integrated into Ontivity member company CMS Wireless. Chase takes over the reins from …
SpaceX says AT&T and RWA’s opposition to satellite direct to cell is a ‘desperate 11th hour campaign’
AT&T and the Rural Wireless Association (RWA) have coordinated “a desperate, 11th-hour campaign” to prevent SpaceX from testing its mobile coverage from space in partnership with T-Mobile with “baseless procedural claims while offering no substantive reasons” for denying its special temporary authority (STA) approval, SpaceX said in a filing with the FCC. Although Dish isn’t a voting carrier member of RWA …
South Florida Broadband Careers Awareness Day is expected to set the national template for other states
South Florida will host the first national Broadband Careers Awareness Day, a broadband industry coalition led by Broadband Careers and supported by Junior Achievement of South Florida and Neptuno USA, Corp. Open to the public at no charge (REGISTER HERE), the promoters have provided an opportunity for telecommunication companies, education providers, industry associations, and representatives of state, local, and federal …
Nation’s largest-ever lawsuit filed against DoD and Commerce for $39 billion by Ligado in spectrum fight
Satellite company Ligado Networks is seeking up to $39 billion in compensation from the U.S. government for spectrum rights it claims were unfairly denied, alleging that the Pentagon and Commerce Department used a false pretext of GPS interference to deny its use of wireless spectrum licenses. In its Hail Mary attempt to stay solvent as bankruptcy looms for Ligado, and …
Telecoms get rip and replace extension, but China-controlled equipment may be with us past 2024
The FCC has granted five telecom companies’ requests for additional time to “rip and replace” Chinese-manufactured equipment due to a shortfall of funding, supply chain issues, and workforce shortages due to factors beyond their control. The agency agreed to delay their deadlines, extending them all into 2024 with the following new dates: WorldCell, May 20, 2024; Mediacom, January 15, 2024; …
TechDash Telecom shutters its doors, swelling unemployment, but some companies are still hiring
After Fredericksburg, TX, TechDash Telecom ran out of cash when investment funding fell through, and they were aware that one of their lenders would be shortly filing a lawsuit since a note for $4,000,000 had matured, and the company was in default for nonpayment, the turnkey infrastructure company closed its doors on September 11, 2023, according to information obtained by …
‘Real world’ lanyard testing video shows concerns that will be detailed in upcoming NATE SEMC white paper
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association unveiled a video today highlighting a recent fall arrest lanyard testing event that the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Committee (SEMC) held at the University of Dayton Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio. The #ClimberConnection video conducts a deep dive into SEMC’s protocols and procedures that were implemented to test fall arrest lanyards by replicating how they …
Karmen Rajamani joins WIA as VP of Government Affairs, bringing a wealth of towerco experience
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today announced that Karmen Rajamani has been hired as Vice President, Government Affairs, effective September 5, 2023. Rajamani joins WIA from Crown Castle where she was Vice President of Government Affairs working with state and local governments to drive tower, fiber, and small cell deployments nationwide. At WIA, while supporting all advocacy efforts, she will …
State of industry contracting and numerous topics on agenda at NATE WIN Rocky Mountain conference
NATE Wireless Industry Network (WIN) is has announced the speakers and sessions for the upcoming NATE WIN Rocky Mountain Regional Conference to be held on Wednesday, October 4, in Centennial (Denver), Colorado. The agenda is crafted to address key issues occurring in the industry right now, and how companies can adapt in these uncertain times. Topics discussed at the conference will …
It’s a big no from T-Mo to Dish’s extension request to lower its interest rates for spectrum funding
T-Mobile US and parent Deutsche Telecom told the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that Dish Network can’t shove off its requirement to finance a $3.6 billion divestiture of T-Mobile simply because interest rates are considerably higher today than they were three years ago, T-Mobile informed the federal court Friday. Dish had asked the court to amend the …
San Antonio cell tower arsonist faces up to 140 years after he pleads guilty to eight counts
A San Antonio, Texas man pleaded guilty in federal court in San Antonio on Thursday to eight charges in two indictments related to arson and felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, Sean Aaron Smith, 29, maliciously attempted to damage and destroy, by means of fire, multiple cellular telephone towers around San Antonio between April 2021 and …
Vertical Bridge lawsuit says 30-foot tower near Finley Point, Montana won’t fly
Vertical Bridge filed a lawsuit last week against Lake County, Montana, stating that there is a well-known gap in mobile coverage near the Finley Point area of Polson, Montana, and an unnamed carrier wants to fix it. Still, Vertical Bridge claims that Lake County’s onerous restriction of only allowing a 30-foot tall tower violates the towerco’s “federal rights” under the …
