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 …
Omaha stakeholders’ roundtable addressed the state of broadband connectivity at all levels
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association was invited to participate in a roundtable event hosted today in Omaha, Nebraska by U.S. Senator Deb Fischer and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. NATE President & CEO Todd Schlekeway represented the Association at the roundtable, which was held at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce Headquarters. During the event, Senator Fischer and Commissioner Carr …
Scott Krouse who chaperoned the success of NATE’s Wireless Industry Network, passes at 69
UPDATE – April 9, 2024 – A Celebration of Life is being planned for Saturday, June 29, 2024, at Elkhart Indian Motorcycle, 3016 Brittany Ct, Elkhart, IN, where family and friends are welcome to gather in celebration of Scott Allen Krouse, who passed away on April 1, 2024. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be sent to …
Tower Family Foundation scholarship application deadline extended to May 1
The Tower Family Foundation recently expanded the non-profit organization’s scholarship program, which includes enhanced eligibility criteria and a new application form that supports more students on a merit basis. The application deadline to apply for scholarships for the fall 2024 semester has been extended to May 1, 2024. The Tower Family Foundation is opening the program to the broader NATE …
For those unaware of the Climber Rescuer Training Standard, a guided tour is available in new NATE video
Two years ago, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association released the Climber/Rescuer Training Standard (CRTS) to establish uniform fall protection and rescue training guidelines for the tower and communications infrastructure sector. Now that the standard is well-established and welcomed by NATE and non-NATE members for its novel evaluation methods for employers to identify qualified climbers/rescuers and provide guidance on developing …
Award recipients honored at annual NATE UNITE for their untiring dedication to the industry
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association honored a distinguished group of leaders for their contributions to the organization and industry on Wednesday. The following honorees were presented their awards at the NATE UNITE 2024 Awards Recognition Luncheon sponsored by DISH Wireless in Memphis, Tennessee: Bill Carlson Lifetime Service Award Gordon Lyman (eSystem Training Solutions) Gordon Lyman has over 55 years …
Drouin, Scott and Dougherty will again serve as NATE’s executives to guide the organization’s continued success
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that Board of Directors members Victor Drouin, Randy Scott, and Kevin Dougherty were selected by their peers to continue serving on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The Association announced on the first day of the NATE UNITE 2024 Conference and Trade Show in Memphis, Tennessee. Victor Drouin, President of …
Newly minted NATE UNITE customer diversification workshops will help its members thrive in today’s uncertain telecom landscape
With severe carrier capex cuts resulting in depressed earnings for many industry companies because they are too reliant on just a few customers, diversification becomes a critical strategy for sustainability and growth. NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, aware that many of its members are dependent on a limited client base, wants to assist them by presenting the organization’s 1st …
If you’re a tough tower tech, you have four months to get ready for some serious competition
North Jackson, Ohio is set to host the adrenaline-pumping 2nd Annual Tough Tower Competition on June 8 and 9, promising a record turnout and an electrifying showcase of prowess and agility. This year, the competition intensifies with eight dynamic teams of two tower technicians each, hailing from across the United States, ready to face off in a thrilling display …
Tower Family Foundation expands scholarship program to assist eligible students with education expenses
The Tower Family Foundation announced today the official expansion of the non-profit organization’s scholarship program, which includes enhanced eligibility criteria and a new application form that supports more students on a merit basis. The Tower Family Foundation is opening the program to the broader NATE community by offering a limited number of merit-based scholarships that will be available annually to …
NATE’s registration opens for PPE for Telecom Workers: Hazard ID, Selection, and Use Training Courses
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that the registration process is officially open for the PPE for Telecom Workers: Hazard ID, Selection, and Use Training Courses that will be facilitated by the Association in 2024. Overall, twelve training courses will be available nationwide to industry employers and their employees through NATE and a Susan Harwood Training Grant (SH-000003-SH3) …
In a crowded field of candidates, Banner, Hightower, Paulette and Scott elected to NATE’s Board
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association unveiled the official results of the 2024 Board of Directors election today. The Association announced that Randy Scott, CEO/Owner of Texoma Contracting, Inc. in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and Aaron Paulette, President of Elevated Services, LLC in Carrollton, Ohio, were re-elected and will retain their respective seats on the NATE Board of Directors. NATE also reported …
OSHA ditches hard hats for helmets, possibly leading to a requirement for all construction workers to adopt their move
With data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealing that head injuries accounted for nearly 6 percent of non-fatal occupational injuries involving time away from work in 2020, OSHA is taking proactive steps to protect its employees. Traditional hard hats, in use since the 1960s, primarily safeguarded the top of a worker’s head but offered limited side impact protection and …
SEMC’s new 310-pound drop test torso creates a sleeve failure that would have likely been a fatality
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association unveiled a video highlighting the safety sleeves testing events held by the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Committee (SEMC) at the University of Dayton Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio. The video conducts a deep dive into the SEMC’s protocols and procedures that were implemented to test safety sleeves by replicating how they are utilized by technicians …
Thanks for an industry that exemplifies the spirit of giving
Climbing towards two decades, Wireless Estimator has been privileged to reach your computer screen or smartphone daily, providing information and advocacy to an industry we proudly serve. For that, we are thankful. More importantly, we are thankful for those men and women who don’t look for thanks – our country’s volunteers, the spirited folks who genuinely make this industry great. Unfortunately, recognizing everyone …
An excellent way to support many of the nation’s veterans is to listen to their story and fly Old Glory
Veterans Day, every November 11th, honors all Americans who have served our country in war or peace. It is a day set aside to thank the living veterans for their service and sacrifice made to a grateful nation. It is a day of remembrance with parades, services, ceremonies, and, most of all, to honor all those who have served our …
NATE highlights 192 companies that are participating in the STAR Initiative and NATE-OSHA-FCC Partnership
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today announced the member companies who have been formally approved to participate in the STAR Initiative program and the NATE-OSHA-FCC Partnership program for the 2023-2024 year. NATE has proudly accepted 192 participating companies in this year’s STAR Initiative program and 157 participating companies in this year’s NATE-OSHA-FCC Partnership. The STAR Initiative will be entering …
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 …
Four honorees will be inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame tonight: Baker, Gellman, Whitacre and Mechaley
Tonight’s 2023 Wireless History Foundation’s (WHF) Hall of Fame Awards Dinner in Washington, DC, is sold out. Still, thanks to The Grampion podcast, available here on YouTube, viewers can get a sneak preview of the event and the history of the WHF from Wireless History Foundation Executive Director Jenifer Snyder. Inductees this year are Meredith Attwell Baker, President and CEO of …
Following a tech’s death, the industry unites for best practices for wire mesh grips in new NATE advisory
After a 32-year-old tower technician passed away last December in Texas and Wireless Estimator identified that a hybrid cable hoisting grip failure might have caused the fatality, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association engaged a Hoisting Grip Task Team to examine the use of wire mesh grips (WMG), and they provided initial guidance. Those subject matter experts within the industry, …
