AT&T’s CEO John Stankey said yesterday at a technology conference that tests conducted at several sites where the carrier has abandoned lead-clad cables have shown no risks of a public health crisis. His statement comes shortly after AT&T and Verizon investors filed similar securities fraud lawsuits after The Wall Street Journal published articles exposing that toxic cables are still in …
Lawsuit relies upon Wall Street Journal reporting about toxic lead-sheathed cable buried underground
UPDATE – August 2, 2023 – On Tuesday, Verizon investors filed a similar lawsuit in Pennsylvania federal court to AT&T’s securities fraud lawsuit, stating the carrier lied about the health and safety risks associated with its network of lead-sheathed cables, leading to a decline in Verizon stock after The Wall Street Journal’s articles exposed the toxic cables that are still in …
As telecom infrastructure builds stall, some carriers are faced with a new dilemma, toxic lead cables
Shares of AT&T Inc fell more than 5% yesterday, reaching their lowest level in thirty years, after analysts downgraded the stock following a Wall Street Journal report last week that said the telecommunications giant left toxic lead cables buried across the United States. The investigative article said that Verizon and other carriers also abandoned the underground lead cables, possibly contaminating …
Verizon and Vertical Bridge agreement creates new profit share model while speeding deployment
Verizon and Vertical Bridge have agreed to build cell towers nationwide to expand Verizon’s 4G and 5G Ultra Wideband services. Vertical Bridge has agreed to construct these towers to-suit with Verizon as the anchor tenant. The towers will be held in an LLC formed by Vertical Bridge in which Verizon has a profits interest. The new towers will add to the …
Savior of the City of Troy pleads guilty to vandalizing cell towers to ‘stop the aliens’
Christopher A Daniels, 36, of Piqua, Ohio, pleaded guilty to seven felony counts on April 12, 2023, of causing extensive damage to multiple communications towers in Troy and the surrounding area. Daniels allegedly vandalized at least five towers. According to initial information released by authorities, two were AT&T towers, and one was a Verizon site. The other two structures were …
Until there’s a consensus standard, industry experts provide initial hoisting grip guidance following fatality
When a 32-year-old tower technician passed away on December 15, 2022, in Weatherford, TX, while engaged in an installation project for Verizon, Wireless Estimator identified shortly after that that a secured cable grip failure might have caused the death. Huber+Suhner provided the hybrid cable and factory-installed hoisting grip, which was later identified as a FIOMA grip. OSHA investigated the accident and has not …
Private wireless forecasts slashed, but Verizon and Dell’Oro still believe it’s a massive opportunity
Verizon CFO Matthew Ellis signaled during an earnings call last month that their anticipated 5G private networks growth was “a little slower than we would have liked,” blaming it on businesses adopting the technology. Still, he said when the adoption curve changes, the upside “looks very good.” A newly published forecast report issued today by Dell’Oro Group agrees with Ellis …
Following a December fatality, Huber+Suhner issues an urgent notice prohibiting pre-laced hoisting grips
Huber+Suhner has issued an urgent notification not to use pre-laced hoisting grips installed on all Masterline Classic Hybrid 12×24 cable that came attached to the hybrid cable when reels were delivered to installers or may be sitting in stock at customer warehouses. The notice was prompted after a pre-laced hoisting grip on a Huber+Suhner hybrid cable failed on December 15, 2022, …
Either Mother Nature or a deficient design caused a New York American Tower monopole to collapse
UPDATE: February 3, 2023 – An American Tower representative has informed Wireless Estimator that the Fred A. Nudd monopole that collapsed in Depew, NY, during a winter blizzard was not subject to the litigation with Nudd and would have been out of scope for any remedial work required to ensure that it complied with design standards. This site was part of …
NY board knocks down wealthy residents’ cries that Richard Gere’s monopine will depress property values
The planning board of the Town of Bedford, NY, appears to be ready to approve a 130-foot monopine on the grounds of Richard Gere’s tony Bedford Post Inn. Gere and real estate developer Russell Hernandez have offered land on their 14-acre estate for a Verizon cell site to fill service gaps for emergency responders in town. Wealthy residents Rooney and …
A secured cable grip failure appears to have caused the death of a Texas tower technician
After a 32-year-old tower technician passed away on December 15, 2022, in Weatherford, TX, while engaged in an installation project for Verizon, the limited information provided by the Parker County Sheriff’s Office and the technician’s employer, Neticom of Arlington, TX, appeared to indicate that the Fort Worth technician was killed after a hybrid cable came loose while it was being …
Verizon tagged with a $950,000 FCC fine partially because an employee lacked NEPA/NHPA expertise
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has entered into a Consent Decree to resolve its investigation into whether Verizon Wireless constructed wireless sites without complying with the FCC’s environmental and historic preservation rules, including rules implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). As part of the decree, Verizon will have to pay $950,000 …
Hybrid cable is severed from its rigging, causing the death of a Fort Worth tower technician
Clarification: An earlier version of this article said that a hybrid cable being raised fell on a technician causing, fatal injuries. According to the technician’s employer, the cable had been secured to the tower with a cable manufacturer-installed hoisting grip that failed. An update is available here. A 32-year-old Fort Worth, TX tower tech died on December 15, 2022, when …
ProPublica’s ‘recycled nonsense’ is likely to reinforce the conviction of some residents that 5G causes illnesses
Award-winning investigative journalists at ProPublica have spotlighted wrongdoing since 2008, such as Ryan Knutson and Liz Day’s extensive piece in 2012 about the men and women who climb cell towers who “pay with their lives” in a joint investigation with Frontline. They broke new ground since no other major media dared to expose the high industry death count and how, …
Ian’s Florida cell site outages still critical in some counties with a 28% average as deaths continue to mount
According to the FCC, the cell site outage average on Sunday dropped to 28% in the most affected Florida Counties that saw outages of 20% or higher. Although it’s a severe concern for residents and first responders still performing rescue missions, service had increased considerably since Thursday when half of the state’s cell sites were down. At least 89 people …
With 50% of Florida’s cell sites out, ‘deadliest hurricane’ prediction has loved ones on edge
“This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history,” President Joe Biden said at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington on Thursday regarding Hurricane Ian. “The numbers are still unclear, but we’re hearing early reports of what may be a substantial loss of life,” Biden said. Although there have been 21 confirmed deaths reported, the deadliest hurricane on …
Liberty and Claro offer limited information regarding severe cell site outages in Puerto Rico
CORRECTION – An earlier publication of this article stated that AT&T had not issued a press release about their network’s resiliency and actions to keep the island connected following Hurricane Fiona. In 2020, AT&T sold its wireless and wireline operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Liberty Latin America. Wireless Estimator apologizes for the misstatement. However, AT&T still …
Lawsuit hastens NJ borough’s approval of Verizon’s 20 sites on Belmar’s beachfront property
The Borough of Belmar, NJ has agreed to let Verizon Wireless erect 20 small wireless sites along its boardwalk after the carrier filed a lawsuit last year accusing the borough of delaying approval for the proposal. According to a consent judgment filed in federal court, Belmar and Verizon struck a deal that will enable the telecom company to install 20 …
Verizon to take switches off commercial power to prevent CA rolling blackouts
Verizon is taking extraordinary steps to help prevent rolling blackouts in California as temperatures rise to extreme levels this week. The carrier said in a statement the following actions will provide meaningful relief to reduce the impact on the state’s power resources while minimizing the risk to their customers and employees. In a rare move, during today’s Flex Alert from …
Verizon signs lease deal with American Tower to boost 5G deployment
American Tower Corporation and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) announced today that they have signed a new overarching lease agreement, facilitating Verizon’s on-going 5G network deployment across American Tower’s extensive U.S. portfolio of communications sites, with over 11,000 of them on Verizon towers that American Tower acquired the rights in 2015 to lease and operate through 2045. The agreement …
