Crown Castle Fiber has accused Illinois utility Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) of breaking FCC rules by charging excessive pole attachment fees and denying the company access to hundreds of poles. In its complaints filed with the FCC, Crown Castle alleges that ComEd refuses to recognize that wireless attachments are subject to FCC rules, and as a result, the utility has charged …
5G’s future could literally be full of hot air…and drones leads Fast Forward Friday articles
Article Media 5G’s Future Could Literally Be Full of Hot Air… And Drones LightReading Verizon competing with telecom company to replace Chico water tower Enterprise-Record New network for first responders raises concern among media The Washington Post FCC Chairman cautions India, says 5G can impact national security Inc42 Senators debut bill to boost broadband map accuracy MeriTalk Maine bill to …
Tower Infrastructure Deployment bill introduced by Representatives Walberg and Clarke
Update: June 14, 2019 – Commenting on the bill he co-sponsored with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke to establish a Telecommunications Workforce Development Advisory Council, Congressman Tim Walberg said in a statement today, “As the telecom industry deploys next generation technologies, there are tens of thousands of good-paying, highly-skilled jobs but nobody to fill them. Developing a skilled workforce needs to be …
Small cell deployment highlighted in NATE’s newest Climber Connection video
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released a video entitled “Small Cells: Here, There and Everywhere” designed to showcase the prominent role next generation technologies and the Association’s member companies are playing to densify networks on the road to 5G. The fast-paced video was unveiled at the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Safety 2019 Conference in New Orleans, …
Dems don’t want T-Mobile/Sprint merger, 10 States Attorney Generals state in lawsuit
Late last month Moffett Nathanson Research analysts set the odds of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger going through at 50/50. Today, it’s likely that the smart money is on the $26.5 billion mega deal failing after a lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan by a group of state attorneys general seeking to block the marriage of the third and …
FCC believes bank fraudster turned shock-jock illegally controls four AM radio stations
St. Louis radio shock-jock Robert Romanik is being investigated by the FCC to identify if he has a controlling ownership in radio stations that carry his show which would be a violation of federal law since he had been convicted of felony offenses – more specifically – in 1997 he obstructed justice by lying 150 times to a grand jury …
FCC names winners who spent $2.7 billion in millimeter wave auctions
The FCC has released the names of companies (see full list of Auction 101 and Auction 102 below) that won licenses in the recently completed auction of spectrum suitable for 5G deployments in the 24 GHz and 28 GHz millimeter wave bands. In the $2.7 billion raised, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Windstream, Starry and U.S. Cellular were the big winners. Each …
Callous disregard for tower lighting regs could result in a $25K-plus fine
A Long Island, NY tower owner is expected to face several fines for violations observed by an FCC investigator of Merdarler Enterprises’ Lake Butler, Fla. tower. The FCC issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) on May 20, 2019 for an obstruction lighting violation claiming that on May 7, 2019 the FCC’s Miami enforcement bureau received information indicating that none of …
Commissioner Starks disses broadband report as ‘fundamentally at odds with reality”
After the FCC revealed its 2019 broadband deployment report yesterday, identifying a healthy accounting that the digital divide has closed by more than 18% from the end of 2016 through 2017, Commissioner Geoffrey Starks called the report “fundamentally at odds with reality,” citing an embarrassing error in the development of the report itself. Starks said the fundamental disconnect between the report …
T-Mobile/Sprint merger heading towards the finish line with open arms from the FCC
Today, T-Mobile US, Inc. and Sprint Corporation committed to the Federal Communications Commission that they would take a series of significant steps if the companies’ merger application is approved. That move caused Chairman Ajit Pai to recommend to his colleagues that the FCC approve the proposed $26 billion deal. Commissioner Brendan Carr agreed, stating: “Approving this combination will help the …
Threatening to kill FCC chief’s family lands caller in jail for 18 months
A California man was sentenced today to more than one and a half years in prison for threatening to kill the family of Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. “Threatening to actually kill a federal official’s family because of a disagreement over policy is not only inexcusable, it is criminal,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the …
Commish’s push for rural broadband was scripted 122 years ago
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the agency’s point man for encouraging why and how the country should unite in order for the US to become the world’s leader in rolling out 5G, retweeted a 122- year-old article (below) from The Daily Northwestern lamenting phone dependency, a “disease from which friends or those afflicted suffer.” Fast-forward to 2020 and the irony of …
NATE industry advocates hit the Hill running at full speed
With new members of the 116th Congress having had the opportunity to settle in, NATE members reached out to them as well as seasoned legislators to inform them of their company’s efforts and roadblocks in building out 5G as well as maintaining the nation’s communications networks. The inaugural fly-in was initiated by NATE Executive Director Todd Schlekeway. Prior to being …
5G was rushed to market – It shows, leads Fast-Forward Friday
Article Media 5G was rushed to market – It shows Light Reading Syracuse takes steps to address uncertainty over 5G wireless network Syracuse.com FCC: Lack of coordinantion extended hurricane-related wireless outages Multichannel Broadband internet looms large in county commission election Government Technology Montana Governor vetoes bill creating tax abatement for high-speed broadband KPAX CenturyLink focused on fiber strategy, advisors hired …
School cancer concerns routed from RF to PR blunder then carcinogens in H2O and vapor
When four children were diagnosed with cancer at a San Joaquin County, Calif. elementary school earlier this year, parents – rightfully concerned – went for the usual maligned suspect – RF radiation from a cell tower on a school campus. However, after the Ripon School District tested the RF levels at Weston Elementary school three times, and found exposure levels …
Sprint and T-Mobile’s urge to merge extended to July 29
According to an SEC filing, T-Mobile and Sprint have extended the deadline for completing their merger to July 29 as they continue to seek the regulatory approvals they need to complete a deal. The previous deadline had been Monday. The No. 3 and No. 4 wireless carriers announced their proposed merger on April 29, 2018. The Department of Justice’s antitrust …
Serious workforce shortage has the wireless industry and FCC pulling together to solve it
Although it’s difficult to assess exactly how many additional trained tower technicians America needs to build out 5G, it’s clear that there is a shortage of skilled workers and Aiken Technical College (ATC) in South Carolina is helping to fill that gap with the nation’s most successful tower and wireless installation training program. After observing the ATC program in Graniteville …
Tin foil hat testing and junk science being used to possibly remove 35 towers from Utah schools
Motivated by Sprint caving in to demands in California to remove a school cell tower, a South Jordan, Utah resident protesting the existence of two towers at the Jordan Ridge Elementary School has prompted a school board member to ask the community whether all 35 towers at school sites should be removed. Armed with recent inaccurate testing at an elementary school …
Belting up inside the Beltway is seen by millions of viewers
$20.4 billion opportunity fund and third auction announced President Trump’s 5G press conference from the Roosevelt room (video below) in the White House on Friday spotlighted the nation’s tower climbers as they surrounded him with support during his and FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai’s presentation. It was a proud industry moment as President Trump complimented infrastructure builders, as many millions of …
NATE members stand behind President Trump and FCC Chairman Pai in White House to support 5G
A delegation of NATE leaders, consisting of personnel ranging from tower technicians, foremen and company owners, participated in a 5G technology themed event at the White House in Washington, D.C. this afternoon. The NATE members were invited to participate by President Donald Trump, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and key officials at the White House. At the event, President Trump delivered …
