Drones are excellent for mapping towers and providing inspections, but they haven’t had a serious impact on tower technicians’ work on structures. However, window washing companies and pressure cleaning businesses might see a drop in income since Lucid Drone Technologies has teamed up with T-Mobile to have the carrier provide the IoT connectivity for their fleet of industrial spraying drones. In …
Board of Health issues Verizon a cease-and-desist order for ‘unfit’ tower but now needs $84k to defend it
Tomorrow, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Board of Health (BoH) officials will ask the City Council to back up their cease-and-desist order against Verizon Wireless to discontinue their use of a cell tower at 877 South Street, requesting $84,000 in legal fees for two outside attorneys, although some members believe their attempt will be futile. The BoH issued an emergency order on April …
Biden’s ‘USA only’ steel mandate seen by tower and mount manufacturers as surmountable
On Monday, the Biden Administration issued guidance relating to the “Buy America” sourcing requirements under the “Build America, Buy America” portion of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will provide $65 billion in funding to build out America’s broadband. The requirements in the Buy America Preference guidance, in part, states: “All iron and steel used in the project are …
QualTek tower climbers file for CWA union representation as the industry closely monitors the outcome
QualTek tower technicians in the company’s Nevada office have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a union election for admittance to the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union. The news was announced on CWA’s Facebook page on Friday, stating: “Breaking! Tower climbers at QualTek in Las Vegas just filed for their election to join CWA! …
FCC sets out the nation’s new guidelines for obtaining accurate broadband map data
The need for accurate data pinpointing where broadband service is available and where it is lacking, has never been more important, the FCC said on Thursday when it provided details to state, local and tribal entities with guidance on submitting broadband coverage data as the agency goes full-throttle to develop new maps of high-speed service across the nation. The FCC …
Fengate grabs undisclosed number of U.S. towers in nine states
Fengate Asset Management (Fengate) announced closing on the acquisition of a significant portfolio of high-quality wireless communications towers, located in nine states across the United States, from Florida-based TowerCom, LLC (TowerCom). Fengate is managing this acquisition on behalf of the Fengate Infrastructure Yield Fund and its affiliated entities, including an investment fund owned by LiUNA’s Pension Fund of Central and Eastern …
Raising the Barr for above and beyond customer service, especially when lives are at stake, is ASK’s mission
To gain and keep loyal customers, successful companies go above and beyond with customer service and support. Pat Barr, who humbly entitles himself as Albuquerque, NM-based ASK Tower Supply’s technical specialist, takes that to a higher level, and in the process, is most likely saving lives of emergency services personnel and those individuals who they safely return to their loved …
SPX announces acquisition of International Tower Lighting
SPX Corporation (“SPX”) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of International Tower Lighting, LLC (“ITL”), a private company headquartered in La Vergne, Tennessee. ITL is a leader in the design and manufacture of highly-engineered Aids-to-Navigation, or “AtoN” systems, including obstruction lighting for telecommunications towers, wind turbines and numerous other structures. ITL also hosts monitoring and support services for …
Ontivity bolsters executive leadership with Gindea and Sander enriching their team
Ontivity, formerly Enertech Holdings, a leading national provider of wireless infrastructure services, announced Monday that Scott Gindea has been appointed Chief Financial Officer. A finance veteran with over 20 years of experience, Gindea is responsible for overseeing the financial operations of all companies under the Ontivity umbrella, including Enertech Resources, ET Tower, Legacy Telecommunications, CMS Wireless, and Mountain Wireless. He will report …
Lawsuit by deceased climber’s parents says tower wasn’t secured, but photos argue against the complaint
After a 21-year-old Sevier County, TN man fell to his death last May after climbing a tower atop Bluff Mountain, his parents have filed a lawsuit against the county, saying it didn’t do enough to keep people away from climbing the self-supporting tower. Allen J. Morton III fell from a tower on Green Top Road on May 26, 2021. The …
Lynk successfully deploys world’s first commercial-ready cell tower in space with service later this year
Lynk Global, Inc., a leading satellite-direct-to-phone telecoms company based in Falls Church, Virginia, today announced the successful April 1, 2022 launch, deployment, and initial on-orbit check-out of Lynk Tower 1. The spacecraft is the company’s sixth ‘cell-tower-in-space’ satellite and is now in position to become the world’s first commercial cell-tower-in-space, according to a press statement. Lynk Tower 1 is the first satellite …
North Carolina ring of cell site copper thieves arrested after lengthy investigation
The Buncombe County North Carolina Sheriff’s Office has charged 12 people in a cell site transmission line copper theft ring after a lengthy investigation, authorities said on March 30. The damage was estimated to be worth $331,000. Buncombe County detectives as well as the McDowell County and Mitchell County Sheriff’s offices worked for weeks to investigate and arrest the suspects, a press …
Nationwide strike of contractors averted after carriers and towercos agree to meaningful concessions
An organized work stoppage action by U.S. wireless contractors that could have exceeded the breadth of economic damage caused by the steel workers strike of 1919, that shut down the nation’s steel industry, was averted yesterday after carriers and tower owners offered concessions to offset untenable matrix pricing being offered for 5G installations. The call to action for a national …
U.S. towerco is bid up in down under 2,000 tower deal that went to ATN and Singtel for $2.7 billion
UPDATE – April 1, 2022: Macquarie Asset Management today announced that, alongside its coinvestors, it has entered into binding agreements with Australia Tower Network (ATN), owned by AustralianSuper and Singtel, for the sale of 100% of Axicom for $2.7 billion (US). Earlier reports said that the assets, formerly Crown Castle’s towers, were expected to fetch approximately $2.1 billion US. American …
Verizon Jackson Pollock-type pole is perhaps first 5G artwork cell site
When Verizon Wireless first began installing 5G light poles last March in Harrisburg, Pa., for reliable connectivity for their subscribers, some residents didn’t know that they were telecommunications structures and questioned what was the purpose of the large cylinder at the top? Some neighbors said they believed they might be gunshot detectors. However, as Verizon began to build a projected …
Phoenix Tower to acquire 3,226 towers From Cellnex Telecom in France
Boca Raton, FL-based Phoenix Tower International (“PTI”) announced that it has completed a definitive agreement — subject to the French Competition Authority (“FCA”) approval — with Cellnex Telecom to acquire 1,226 telecommunications sites in very dense areas in France adding SFR as a second major MNO client of PTI in France. Simultaneously, PTI with its Joint Venture Partner Bouygues Telecom will be acquiring 2,000 …
Although workforce training is an industry priority, a national survey of CEOs says it’s low on their list
As the war in Ukraine continues to escalate, a new survey of CEOs and Directors, released by the Committee for Economic Development, the public policy center of The Conference Board (CED), found that Russia is the top policy priority they want the President and Congress to address this year. Labor shortages were also a top priority. However, workforce training was one …
Drone rulemaking committee recommends that the FAA establish a new beyond visual line of sight rule
The FAA’s UAS Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) has published its final report with recommendations that will benefit contractors and towercos if they are enacted. To fly BVLOS currently, operators must seek waivers or exemptions from the FAA, a lengthy and difficult process that is more likely not to be approved. The Small UAV Coalition …
Free cryptocurrency replaces stock options in United Telecom Systems’ unique benefits package
It’s not cryptic for Gen Z adults and millennials; they get it. Cryptocurrency is gaining popularity throughout the world since traditional savings accounts have an embarrassingly low-interest rate that is being stripped away by the country’s highest inflation rate in the past four decades, and traditional IRAs are suffering due to current global issues. Georgia-based United Telecom Systems, LLC (UTS) also gets …
American Tower reportedly a contender for 41,000 Deutsche Telekom towers for $20 billion
American Tower is reportedly a key contender for a 41,000 Deutsche Telekom towers acquisition. Deutsche Telekom reportedly started the sales process for its mobile towers business as part of broader efforts to maximize the value of its infrastructure assets. Reuters reported the Germany-headquartered operator is working with Goldman Sachs as adviser in the sale of its 40,600 towers, which the …
