Bowing to community pressure, Sprint turned off a cell site at the Weston Elementary School in Ripon Calif. last week after community activists demanded its removal after four students were diagnosed with cancer over the past few years. Although three RF tests were made and the results showed that the site was well below federal compliance standards, as Wireless Estimator …
Bowing to PR pressure, Sprint turns off a cell site that passed RF tests three times
UPDATE – April 5, 2019 – Lawyers at the Cochran Law Firm said yesterday they’re investigating a link between cancer-causing chemicals used at the former Nestle decaffeination plant near the Ripon school site, and the high rate of cancer in the area, according to CBS 13. April 4, 2019 — Although a Sprint cell site at the Weston Elementary School in Ripon, Calif. …
Huawei CFO’s release requires her to show how she swapped out cell site circuit boards
Tina Glandian, the attorney for ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett, shocked the nation this morning when she announced that she has brokered a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to have all financial fraud charges against Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou dropped, her extradition hearing to the U.S. terminated, and all records sealed. Wanzhou was scheduled to have her first …
Widening student cancer concerns appear to be based upon inaccurate cell site RF test results
When a fourth child was diagnosed with cancer at a San Joaquin County, Calif. elementary school earlier this year, parents championed the need to have a Sprint cell tower removed from the Weston Elementary school campus since it could be causing harm to students. The Ripon Unified School District (RUSD) sent out a letter to parents stating that the RF …
Free Press: FCC broadband gains overstated leads Fast Forward Friday news
Article Media Free Press: FCC broadband gains overstated B+C Huawei sues U.S. as ‘last resort’ to fight government ban UPI Was a cell tower illegally built in an Atlanta neighborhood AJC South Korea delays commercial 5G service over phone and carrier issues VB AT&T expects to hit second FirstNet buildout Milestone by year-end Missiona Critical Interoperability debate dominates carrier-selection panel …
Preventing ‘rampant’ safety credentials fraud is a passion of QRedentials’ founder Clifford Wilcox
In a Frontline/ProPublica investigation in 2012 exploring the high fatality rate of tower techs, many hours of footage didn’t make the 30-minute Frontline broadcast. One such interview segment was with Wireless Estimator editor Craig Lekutis who was asked if he would be surprised to find out that a deceased worker had counterfeit training certificates in his wallet, had no training, …
High climbing tower techs bear the brunt of Artic blasts
A Georgia tower tech might be cursing the bone-chilling 26° temperature he’s working in this morning in Atlanta. At the same time, a Fargo, ND tower climber might be pleased with this morning’s weather report of -19° for most of the day in an environment that can see extreme cold temperatures of -70° as it was earlier this morning in Grand Fork. …
Mayor and FCC commish could be rumbling if Ninth Circuit gets broadband rule petition
The City of San Jose, Calif. joined by cities and municipalities within the state as well as in Washington state, Nevada, Oregon and Arizona, have filed a petition in the Tenth Circuit to move their petition to review court case over the FCC’s September ruling to deregulate small cell deployment, from Denver to San Francisco’s Ninth Circuit known for interpreting …
3Z’s antenna alignment tool with built-in camera is ideal for all carrier networks
A new antenna alignment tool that includes a built-in camera can now provide a visual line-of-sight image for each antenna in a mobile network is proving to be extraordinarily valuable for RF engineering teams when making coverage and capacity decisions for more exacting 5G networks, and to ensure that unseen challenges will be immediately known. 3Z Telecom, Inc., a leading …
Split House and Senate bodes well for NATE’s wireless industry lobbying efforts
Wall Street’s bulls were cheering midterm election results yesterday that saw Democrats on Tuesday take control of the House and Republicans hold control of the Senate, delivering a split Congress and prospects for legislative gridlock over the remaining two years of President Trump’s term. Today, enthusiasm was a little subdued and the market remained flat, although the communications sector was …
Mount failure being investigated in accident that killed a New Mexico tower technician
A 28-year-old tower technician was killed Friday afternoon in an industry accident that occurred off of NM 14 northeast of Albuquerque, N.M. According to sources knowledgeable of the incident, David Fernandez of Las Cruces, N.M., employed by Enertech of New Braunfels, Tex., was performing a Sprint antenna change-out on a water tower in an all-terrain man lift when he fell …
Fed’s findings could stymie new OSHA tower rule and lead to adoption of A10.48 Standard
An extensive 266-page report from The Small Business Advocacy Review Panel (SBAR) regarding a possible new OSHA standard that would apply to all work activities performed on cell, broadcast and all other communications towers was released this week with 10 key recommendations (below) for OSHA to consider if they’re going to introduce a new industry safety rule. OSHA is required …
FCC’s rules passage will serve to put the U.S. as a leader in the race to 5G
As expected, the FCC voted this morning to approve rules, available here, designed to speed up the deployment of small cells and other 5G network equipment by regulating in part the fees and timelines cities and states can impose on wireless network operators and other wireless players. Although Democrat FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel voted for the rules, she dissented in …
Two key organizations release an alternative to the FCC-directed small cell model code
In 2017, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai established the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) to draft a model code for municipalities that would provide guidance and assist local communities in authorizing wireless and wireline broadband deployment in the public rights of way. The 41-page draft – still a work in progress – was introduced July 19, 2018, while the National League …
Lighting manufacturers question why a severe FAA directive letter was hidden from them
In an unrelated Google search on Aug. 6, 2018, a lighting contractor found an FAA document with a somewhat ambiguous two-paragraph directive regarding non-original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) lighting system components that was published on June 27, 2018. It quickly spread throughout the obstruction lighting community because the industry wasn’t aware of it, and tower owners were asking their obstruction lighting suppliers …
Transparency bill ushered in to order early release of FCC’s draft documents
Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger has introduced H.R. 6422, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Transparency Act, which would require the FCC to publish on their website the documents to be considered by the Commission at least 21 days ahead of a vote, a pilot plan introduced by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai last year. Upon introduction of H.R. 6422, Kinzinger released this statement: “As a member of the …
Settlement of $4.25 million to a first responder’s family after telecom tower collapse
The family of a Nutter Fort, W. Virg. firefighter was awarded a $4.25 million settlement agreed to by the Harrison County Court System yesterday. The resolved lawsuit and details from the defendant’s bankruptcy also bring into question whether better vetting of a contractor could have prevented his death. Michael Garrett was responding to a tower collapse on Feb. 1, 2014 when the …
Kicking osprey nest off of tower riles neighbors, but not environmental police
A homeowner living off of Center Hill Rd. in Plymouth, Mass. contacted the Massachusetts Environmental Police (EP) on May 17, informing them that she was watching ospreys nesting near the top of a nearby cell tower when “I saw men in harnesses come up the tower and, whey they got to the top of the platform, kick the nests off.” …
NATE unveils Spanish edition of popular climber training standard
NATE today announced that the fourth edition of the NATE Tower Climber Fall Protection Training Standard (NATE CTS), one of the Association’s signature resources, is now available in Spanish. The Norma de Capacitación de Protección contra Caidas para Trepadores de Torres de la NATE establishes the minimum requirements to which all tower climbers should be trained. The NATE CTS outlines …
Bet on the Sprint/T-Mobile mega merger wounding towercos
If the proposed T-Mobile and Sprint merger announced Sunday is approved by federal regulators, both companies said that they expect the marriage creating the nation’s second largest carrier would be sometime in July 2019. However, it’s been identified by the carriers that fully combining the companies is another three to four years, possibly longer. Displaying their lack of fundamental industry …
