If Facebook’s pilot program in San Jose, Calif. that’s slated to go live later this year successfully offers inexpensive IPv6-only nodes with WiGig chips on lamp posts, utility poles, and other street furniture and structures that will broadcast Internet using unlicensed 60GHz spectrum, it could prove to be a boon for many wireless industry contractors when carriers and internet service …
NATE highlights its successful conference with the release of hundreds of photographs
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has provided over a half million descriptions of the tremendously successful conference and exhibition in New Orleans, La. last February with its release today of over 550 event photographs. Although NATE’s receptions and other networking events show a great amount of comradeship, the meetings, educational sessions …
Four-tower $75-million deal still on hold as developer grapples with NIMBY group
Update: June 24, 2020 — In a formal announcement on June 24, 2020, Cumulus confirmed that it has closed on the sale of its parcel of land in Bethesda to Toll Brothers. It’s a $74.1 million deal that is expected to generate proceeds of $71.3 million. Residents impacted by the proposed sale of a 75-acre Bethesda, Md. tract that is the home …
Canada’s Structure, Tower & Antenna Council’s inaugural event is a huge success
The inaugural Structure, Tower and Antenna Council (STAC) 2016 Conference & Exposition in Toronto, Ontario kicked off yesterday at the International Plaza Hotel with a keynote address by Bernard Lord, President and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, and according to attendees and exhibitors at the two-day event, it is proving to be a tremendous success. STAC is the only …
Crown Castle emerges as number one in the U.S. with their TDC 336 tower deal
Crown Castle International Corp.has announced that it acquired Tower Development Corporation (“TDC”) for approximately $461 million in cash. TDC, a portfolio company of Berkshire Partners, owns and operates 336 towers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico with an average tenancy of approximately two tenants per tower. The deal puts Crown Castle as the largest tower owner in the U.S., although …
Wireless industry is now larger than the car manufacturing, hotel, movie and music industries
CTIA released a report today it commissioned by Recon Analytics that found the U.S. wireless industry serves as an integral driver of America’s economy by annually generating more than $194.8 billion of domestic economic value and more than $282.1 billion in U.S. GDP. “The Wireless Industry: Revisiting Spectrum, The Essential Engine of US Economic Growth” report looks at how the industry …
FAA to consider report on drones typically used by carriers and contractors
The final Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Aviation Rule-Making Committee (ARC) report was released to the public yesterday and will assist the telecommunications industry if the group’s recommendations on drones are accepted by the FAA. The Senate is seeking to create regulations for larger drones that could do commercial deliveries. The FAA Administrator, DOT Secretary, White House and Congress staffers have been briefed on the …
Infrastructure’s role stressed to Illinois State Wireless Association members
Jonathan Adelstein, CEO and President of PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association, delivered a keynote address at the Illinois State Wireless Association’s annual Education Luncheon today in suburban Chicago, stressing the important role wireless infrastructure plays in improving mobility for health care, education, public safety, agriculture, smart cities, and a host of other consumer and business products and services. PCIA is …
For ATC India it’s 56,000 towers and corporate responsibility projects
American Tower Corporation received approval from the Indian government yesterday to buy a 51% interest in Viom Networks, an independent mobile tower company in India, for $880 million. Establishing its presence in India in 2007, ATC India has approximately 14,000 towers in the country, but with the Viom deal it will take control of an additional 42,000 towers, putting its …
Co-worker assists in tower tech’s rescue in Maryland
Update: April 7, 2016 – “The employee in distress informed the other crew members that he was in need of assistance and the other crew members immediately began the process to assist him off of the facility,” Steven Weber of Network Building + Consulting (NB+C) said in a statement to The Enterprise. The worker was taken to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, …
Verizon cell site opponent is convicted and opts for 18 months in jail
City council meetings regarding cell tower siting approvals can be rather contentious, but an Astoria, Ore. hearing on a request by Verizon Wireless last June to move an aging communications tower ended up with a man attempting to make a citizen’s arrest of the mayor, and then he was arrested, and yesterday was convicted for refusing to leave City Hall. …
FCC chief says spectrum auction could extend into fiscal year 2017
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler informed a Senate appropriations subcommittee yesterday morning that the incentive auction of 600 MHz spectrum may extend into 2017 if it doesn’t raise enough to pay broadcasters for the airwaves. The possibility of an extended timeframe is one reason why the FCC is requesting an additional $11 million in federal funds, Wheeler said during the hearing. …
Structure, Tower and Antenna Council readies its first conference
Over 200 industry personnel are expected to be in attendance at the International Plaza Hotel in Toronto, Canada at the Structure, Tower and Antenna Council’s (STAC) inaugural conference on April 11-12. As the only national forum in Canada dedicated to discussing safety issues and best practices in the tower and antenna industry, the STAC 2016 Conference and Exhibition will bring …
Top sections of a tower make an unscheduled attorney visit in Indiana
No injuries were reported when high winds on Saturday afternoon toppled a communications tower that was located next to the old Vigo County jail in Terre Haute, Ind. The area reported wind gusts of up to 53 mph, however, it appears that the jail’s roof flew off and might have caused the structure to collapse due to the additional flat …
Guyed tower collapses on White House lawn hurling lighting debris into President’s office
Washington’s federal buildings are still on lock down after a communications tower collapsed on the south lawn of the White House at about 8:12 a.m., according to Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason who witnessed the guyed tower “teeter for about a minute, buckle and then twist like a drunken dreidel before it smashed to the ground.” Capitol Police and Secret …
New TIA TR-14 industry standard’s forward has a fitting tribute to Ernest “Ernie” Jones
The record-setting number of industry experts attending the Telecommunications Industry Association TR-14 meeting in Las Vegas, Nev. on March 29, 2016 couldn’t help but notice an empty chair that would have been filled by their long-time, leader, associate and good friend, Ernest “Ernie” Jones who passed away on Oct. 21, 2015 in a tragic incident while on a tower as he …
PCIA joins forces with leading companies to host supplier diversity summit
PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association has partnered with major wireless voice and data carriers and other industry leaders to host a Supplier Diversity Summit at the Wireless Infrastructure Show in Dallas May 23-26. The Summit will take place on May 25. The show is the leading industry conference focused on the companies, equipment and technologies that enable next-generation wireless …
Legacy announces its expansion with new Rocky Mountain location
Legacy Telecommunications, Inc., a leading provider of wireless infrastructure construction and technical services, today announced the addition of a Montana location to accommodate the firm’s growth and expansion plans. The new 7800 square foot facility is located on a three-acre industrial parcel in Three Forks, MT. This will provide increased capacity for existing customer logistical support and services throughout the …
Centerline Solution’s UCI acquisition raises its professional headcount to 420
Colorado-based Centerline Solutions has added Florida’s UCI Construction Services into its operation — an acquisition that makes Centerline one of the leading wireless infrastructure services providers in the U.S. The strategic partnership not only expands the company’s turnkey wireless services to a new geographic region of the United States, but also enhances Centerline’s construction capabilities through the addition of UCI’s …
Training, rigging and respect emphasized in NATE’s cathead video
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has released a Capstan Hoist & Rigging Safety Video as part of the Association’s Climber Connection campaign. NATE unveiled the video at the 2016 International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) in Las Vegas, Nev. The video highlights practical safety tips for selecting and utilizing capstan hoists. Additionally, the video footage includes a testimonial from …
