In 1999 when The Matrix opened in theatres, carriers and towercos began utilizing matrix pricing to project CapEx budgets for macro sites, while still allowing acceptable margins and opportunities for contractors to continue to be successful. Fast forward 22 years. The Matrix Resurrections sequel will hit the big screens this December and it is expected to be hugely profitable, unlike …
Dish is good for a decade, but all eyes should be peeled on the infrastructure bill and industry workforce
Connect (X)’s The View From the Top, a panel discussion with the nation’s four largest tower companies’ executives, narrated by Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) President and CEO Jonathan Adelstein, had one overriding message this morning, 5G is just starting and the platform’s deployment cycle is likely to provide another decade of robust industry growth in all sectors. “The outlook is …
Democrats urge President Biden to designate acting FCC Chairperson Rosenworcel to a permanent position
Over two dozen U.S. Senators are urging President Biden to designate acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel to a permanent position, making her the first woman to hold the office. Rosenworcel has been serving in an acting capacity since President Biden took office. The 24 Democratic Senators, along with Independent Angus King of Maine, said in their letter that they had …
North Carolina tower tech’s lies unravel quickly as he’s caught red-handed with T-Mobile site coax
A well-known social media tower tech faces a half-dozen charges in Rowan County, NC after he allegedly removed transmission lines last Thursday from a 230-foot self-supporting tower to sell them for scrap, causing an outage for T-Mobile customers, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office. Douglas Corbett Lee, 43, of Fayetteville, NC was charged with two counts of felony larceny, …
Day of remembrance includes American Tower subsidiary’s 13 employees who died on September 11
As we mark the passage of two decades since the day that changed our lives forever, the pain will be revisited on this day of remembrance and prayer, especially for those at a tower company who knew many of those people in a sister company who died in the collapse of the twin towers on September 11, 2001. General Telecom, a subsidiary …
Cell towers prove their resilience during Hurricane Ida’s onslaught
Yesterday evening’s Hurricane Ida FCC outage report saw a marked improvement of the number of cell tower outages in the affected areas in Louisiana, dropping to 8.7% from its peak on Aug. 30, 2021 of over 52%. Out of a total of 2,759 sites, only 241 remained out of service. Communications outages for the Category 4 Hurricane will be later …
Carriers spin their outages as 38% of Louisiana’s cell sites remain crippled
The FCC reported yesterday evening that Hurricane Ida is still taking its toll on communications, although outages are down from Monday’s report. Louisiana was the hardest hit state with 38% of its sites down in the affected parishes yesterday. Although outages were previously at 52%, Assumption and Terrebonne Parishes are still at or near 100%. There were only 3 damaged cell …
Louisiana’s tallest tower collapse adds to Ida broadcasting outages
A 1,999-foot tower owned by iHeart Media and broadcasting its FM station KVDU collapsed in Vacherie, LA after Hurricane Ida trounced the state with high winds. Only the bottom 160-feet remain standing. No injuries were reported by iHeart. Cumulus Media also shares the tower with WZRH-FM. The structure is located in St. James Parish where the FCC’s most recent report …
Congressman’s tower tour highlights positive impact traditional infrastructure funding has on West Virginia
U.S. Congressman David McKinley, P.E. (WV-I) today conducted a site visit to a communications tower located in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The tour was facilitated by representatives from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and SBA Communications. The site visit was held at a SBA-owned self-support cell tower site that is located in Congressman McKinley’s Congressional District. Congressman McKinley is a …
Ida cripples mobile service in Louisiana, taking out over half of the state’s affected cell sites
The FCC reported yesterday evening that Hurricane Ida, roaring ashore in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm with a peak gust of 172 mph, just short of the strongest measured wind from a hurricane in the U.S., has taken 28.1% of the cell sites in the affected area out of service. However, that number includes counties in Alabama …
LBA Group’s new CTO, Juan Macias, will advance the company’s 5G RF safety and compliance programs
LBA Group welcomes Juan Macias as its Chief Technical Officer (CTO). Macias brings over 20 years of experience in the Radio Frequency field, with an iNARTE Certification as a Telecommunications Senior Engineer and as an IEEE Senior Member. Before joining LBA, Macias held Lead Senior RF engineering positions with American Tower Company; Senior Broadcast consultant for the FCC Repack and Lead …
VIKOR is victorious for the fourth straight year in capturing Inc. 5000
South Dakota-based VIKOR Teleconstruction is proud to announce that they have once again been listed on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America. This is VIKOR’s fourth consecutive year being recognized on the list. Only a small portion of U.S. companies make the Inc. 5000 list each year. Those who do have witnessed significant growth …
Congruex adds Oregon-based A&M Communications to its portfolio of companies
Congruex, a national end-to-end provider of design, engineering, construction, and maintenance services to broadband providers, today announced the acquisition of A&M Communications. The acquisition further cements Congruex’s leading position as one of the nation’s largest telecom engineering and construction firms. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Boring, Oregon, A&M Communications is an end-to-end provider of wireless …
New York dings Frontier and RG&E $5 million each for noncompliance with pole attachment safety rules
The NYS Public Service Commission (PSC) has reached two joint settlement agreements valued at $10 million that resolve penalty amounts for alleged violations against Rochester Gas & Electric Corp. (RG&E) and Frontier Telephone of Rochester, Inc. (Frontier). The settlements reached on August 12, 2021, come after a PSC investigation found that Frontier and RG&E allowed non-conforming pole attachments to remain …
QualTek’s BACOM acquisition adds 200 new employees for its 5G build to complement its 5,000-plus workforce
QualTek, LLC, a leading turnkey provider of infrastructure services to the North American 5G wireless, telecom, and renewable energy sectors, announced that it has acquired Broken Arrow Communications Inc. (BACOM). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico with more than 200 employees and serving customers in 11 states in the Western U.S., BACOM provides a …
Murphy Tower Service rolls into the Dakotas with the acquisition of East River Tower
Murphy Tower Service, a leading provider of wireless and wireline infrastructure services based in Carlisle, IA, has acquired East River Tower of Gary, SD, allowing the company to broaden its service region into the Dakotas and western Nebraska regions. Murphy Tower has additional locations in Cedar Rapids, IA; Omaha, NE; the Twin Cities, MN; and Springfield, MO. “We’re very excited …
SBA’s Stoops believes Q2 was the start of a multi-year increase in U.S. wireless carrier capex
SBA Communications Corp. on Monday reported its second quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations. The company’s shares have increased 21% since the beginning of the year. This morning SBAC was trading at $348.62, inching towards its 52-week high of $350.63. The Boca Raton, FL-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $293.5 million, or $2.64 …
11th hour amendment to infrastructure bill will assist nation’s workforce needs
Yesterday evening, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Thune-Tester amendment to the infrastructure bill, which aims to address the workforce needs of the telecommunications industry and it was a welcomed addition, according to trade groups NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). “We are very pleased that Senator John Thune’s Telecom Skilled Workforce Act has been …
Pole taxes relations with Omaha’s leaders when the node is placed in the middle of a sidewalk
Throughout America you can find obstacles in the middle of sidewalks ranging from fiber boxes, utility poles, streetlights, traffic signs, trees, fire hydrants, newspaper stands, bike racks, benches and more. However, when a 5G small cell node is purposely installed in the center of a sidewalk due to nearby underground utility concerns, there is community outrage, such as the concerns …
Senate puts it in writing: Fiber will not keep wireless from benefitting from $65 Billion broadband bill
A group of senators finalized the legislative text totaling 2,702 pages last night for the long-awaited infrastructure deal, bringing the Senate a step close to passing the administration’s bill that would provide $65 Billion for the nation’s broadband development. Industry lobbyists were relieved when their core concern was struck from the legislation being considered that would have favored high-speed fiber development …
