Michael Carowitz, who has been deputy chief of the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, was named by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai as his acting chief of the Enforcement Bureau, which had been headed by Travis LeBlanc. FCC observers expected that LeBlanc would be replaced since Pai has oftentimes complained about the enforcement group’s management. The enforcement bureau is the …
AT&T’s end run around municipalities might have put Mobilitie out of the game
DAS-provider Mobilitie LLC’s petition to the FCC for a declaratory ruling to promote broadband in the U.S. by prohibiting excessive charges for access to public rights of way was championed by AT&T, at least in Ohio, where the carrier last month lobbied for and successfully sneaked in an amendment inside a bill regulating puppy mill providers. The questionable legislative procedure …
Commuters use NYC’s new subway cell coverage to castigate the MTA for delays
Almost all underground subway stations in New York City had cell phone coverage from the nation’s top four carriers on Monday, a year ahead of service, according to state and city officials. In addition, Wi-Fi has been installed a full two years ahead of schedule. Commuters welcomed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) early delivery that was made possible by Governor Andrew …
Bankrupt Limitless Mobile wants to reject 140 cell tower leases; creditors cry foul
UPDATE: January 27, 2017 – The bankruptcy court has agreed to a revised motion to reject the leases of Limitless Mobile. It stated, “For each Lease, any Tower Equipment remaining on or at the Tower or the associated premises is hereby deemed abandoned pursuant to section 554 of the Bankruptcy Code, effective January 30, 2017.” Tower owners can now remove …
Wind gusts found Aquila’s Achilles heel in “cell site” solar plane crash
On June 28, 2016, Facebook Connectivity Lab launched its solar powered Aquila aircraft to set the company’s ability to provide broadband coverage to a 60-mile-wide area on the ground in underconnected regions. Three weeks later, Facebook acknowledged that the operation was successful, but the patient died – or was severely injured — when their airplane had a structural wing failure …
Corrupt owner dipped into $27 million of FCC broadband funds to support his lavish lifestyle
While the FCC announced Tuesday that it is freeing up an additional $51 million annually in subsidies for 35 companies to build out broadband infrastructure in rural areas, it was also anxious to see if Sandwich Isles Communications, Inc., (SIC) of Hawaii had paid its $50 million fine due by Jan. 4, 2017 for receiving $250 million in funding with “substantial amounts of that …
CenturyLink’s $25 billion deal to buy Level 3 puts it at #2 behind AT&T
CenturyLink on Monday announced that it would buy Level 3 Communications for approximately $25 billion, a move that will allow one of the country’s largest providers of data, voice and video transmission for large enterprises to continue to be competitive with AT&T and Verizon. The deal will make Century Link the second largest provider to business in the U.S., behind …
AT&T plans to give towers and fiber competition with plastic antennas using the power grid
Towers and fiber may have a serious competitor if AT&T’s Project AirGig is successful in spreading internet service wirelessly through the country’s power grid, with the company believing, “where there are power lines, there can be broadband”. AT&T said its transformative technology from AT&T labs allows for affordable antenna units to be able to redistribute wireless and wireless signals around …
FCC chief throws in the towel as his agency accepts municipal broadband defeat
The Federal Communications Commission will not appeal a ruling by the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appelas striking down its move to prevent states from blocking the expansion of broadband service offered by local governments. “The FCC will not seek further review of the Sixth Circuit’s decision on municipal broadband after determining that doing so would not be the best …
Court strips the FCC of its power to preempt state laws
A circuit court of appeals dealt a severe blow to the Federal Communications Commission when it ruled today that the agency could not preempt state laws that restrict the growth of municipal broadband networks. In February 2015, the FCC voted to block laws in North Carolina and Tennessee that prevent municipal broadband providers from expanding outside their service areas. Chairman Tom …
Hillary Clinton’s goal is to close the digital divide by 2020
In a major tech policy speech, Hillary Clinton on Tuesday promised to work toward providing broadband access to all US homes by 2020, backed investments in next-generation wireless systems and supported the new Title II rules for net neutrality. “I intend to make sure we do what we did with electricity in my grandparents’ generation — we connect every home …
Vermont’s legislators asking the Feds to audit $116 million telecom project
Vermont’s lawmakers are asking federal regulators to conduct an audit of a $116 million grant and loan provided to VTel Wireless, stating that the company has passed by many communities with the broadband service it was paid to provide in Vermont. With similar resolutions, the House on Thursday passed H.R.19, and the Senate’s version was referred to the Finance Committee. …
FCC auction has kicked off with NAB and NATE still ticked off
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) auction to buy spectrum from television stations, repack the spectrum, and then sell it to wireless providers, kicked off yesterday with broadcasters having to make a commitment as to whether and how they would participate. But a 39-month post auction deadline is seen as too compressed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). And the …
In order to ensure continued growth, AT&T gets ready to test employees and 5G
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is pushing his employees to take five to 10 hours of courses to remain current with industry technology and trends or risk being passed over for promotion. “There is a need to retool yourself, and you should not expect to stop,” Stephenson said in an interview Friday with The New York Times. In a corporate education …
Misleading Re/code Sprint story is long on conjecture, short on facts
Facts that would have made better reading and more sense By Ken Schmidt After reading Wireless Estimator’s article, “Towercos tank after radical unconfirmed report of government competition,” and seeing the original article from Re/code on Friday, I felt compelled to respond. It seemed reckless to me that a website like Re/code could publish an unconfirmed report, have it copied by …
Wireless workforce and supplier requirements for 2016 continue to be mostly upbeat
To project whether 2016 will be a banner, bust or somewhere-in-between year for wireless construction, and service and supplier providers, one has to simply search for the devil or angel that’s always in the details. Unfortunately, conflicting details and limited industry information clouds accurate projections. But the industry overall appears to be still creating jobs and there should be a robust …
CTI jumps back into tower ownership with a 120 structure deal with Vyve Broadband
Massachusetts-based CTI Towers, Inc., a wireless tower operating company in which Comcast Ventures is majority owner, has jumped back into the tower space following their announcement today that it has acquired 120 communication towers from Vyve Broadband, a Rye Brook, N.Y.-headquartered mid-sized MSO with towers in Okla., Kan., Ark., and Wyo. The deal, expected to close by year-end, will provide …
Eshoo, Walden introduce “Dig Once” broadband deployment bill
Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, and Congressman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), Chairman of the Subcommittee, introduced today the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2015, commonly referred to as ‘dig once’ legislation. This bipartisan, commonsense legislation would mandate the inclusion of broadband conduit—plastic pipes which house fiber-optic communications cable—during the construction of any road …
PCIA Chief urges Senate committee to alleviate barriers to broadband development
The head of PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association this morning urged the Senate to help alleviate the barriers hindering wireless broadband deployment so that the U.S. can continue meeting the “nearly insatiable and increasing demand” for mobile data and strengthen its capacity to compete in the global marketplace. “Wireless infrastructure enables the economic growth and technological innovation that is delivered …
White House: Like water, broadband is a core utility required in homes
Similar to water, electricity and sewer in terms of importance to homeowners, the White House has declared that broadband Internet is also a “core utility,” in a 40-page report published by the Broadband Opportunity Council, which was created by President Barack Obama. “Broadband has steadily shifted from an optional amenity to a core utility for households, businesses and community institutions,” …
