BAI Communications (BAI), a global shared communications infrastructure provider, has agreed to acquire ZenFi Networks, an East coast based provider of digital infrastructure solutions and innovator in small cell deployment, offload & roaming services, fibre connectivity and network edge colocation. This agreement represents a significant growth opportunity for BAI in North America, building upon its existing connected infrastructure capability and …
Use of a carabiner for load lifting provided varied responses but client requirements still reign
NATE’s July 20, 2022 industry advisory bulletin that carabiners are not intended for rigging applications involving material handling and overhead lifting saw a slew of Facebook comments in the past six days that had some posters defending the use of carabiners for those purposes that are largely prohibited by major tower owners whose structures tower techs are erecting or providing …
FBI found Huawei gear near U.S. military bases and silos could easily disrupt nation’s nukes
Federal officials investigating Chinese land purchases in the U.S. in recent years discovered that Huawei equipment on cell towers in the Midwest “was capable of capturing and disrupting highly restricted Defense Department communications, including those used by U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the country’s nuclear weapons,” a CNN exclusive report said today. The FBI’s investigation revealed that Huawei had a pattern …
Topping estimates, all Valmont segments are up in Q2 financial report but telecommunications shines
Shares of Valmont Industries (VMI) hit their highest level in more than a month, gaining 7.8% to $256.53 in noontime trading after the infrastructure and agricultural solutions provider reported Q2 2022 results that beat estimates and raised its FY guidance. In the past five days, the stock has seen a rise of $31.59, a 14.08% increase. Valmont said that it had record sales …
Contractors warned using carabiners for material rigging applications could suspend future work
Industry stakeholders have issued a warning that no matter how strong a carabiner is, companies using them for material handling and overhead lifting could see a loss of work when their jobs are shut down. NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association said today that on July 13, 2022, the organization became aware of an article titled “Rigging is a Dynamic …
Placing pipe bombs at AT&T and Verizon locations could result in a ‘life’ sentence for Michigan man
A Whittemore, Michigan man might spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty yesterday to two separate criminal cases related to the placement of explosive packages outside cellphone stores in Cheboygan and Sault Ste Marie and threatening to destroy cell sites. John Douglas Allen pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Thomas Ludington in Bay City, Michigan. …
South Carolina sheriffs arrest alleged cell site copper thief moments before his haul is recycled
A Sumter, SC man was arrested on July 11, 2022, during a traffic stop, Sumpter County Sherriff’s Office (SCSO) officials said in a statement this morning. Trent Martin was detained because the vehicle he was driving matched the description of a vehicle caught on camera in connection to a theft from a Farmers Telephone Company (FTC) cell site earlier in …
Monopole torched on Friday has California deputies arrest a suspect the following day
A 44-year-old California man with previous arrests for arson was jailed for allegedly setting fire to a cell tower on Friday, July 8, 2022. According to the Kings County, CA Sheriff’s Office, at 8:20 a.m. deputies were dispatched to Stratford Elementary School after it was reported the cell tower at this location was on fire. Kings County Fire Department was …
Florida and Iowa have just six days left to capture at least $100 million in broadband funding
Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that only two states have not signed on to participate in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All initiative, which will invest $45 billion to provide affordable, reliable high-speed internet for everyone in America by the end of the decade. Since NTIA announced the initiative, except for Florida …
Rogers’ embarrassing outage prompts industry minister to demand changes within 60 days
Canadian Industry Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Francois-Philippe Champagne yesterday said he has directed carriers to assist each other in emergencies and develop communication protocols to keep people better informed after Rogers Communications’ massive outage on Friday that affected millions of subscribes. “So, in essence, what I’ve demanded and expect the telecom companies in Canada is to enter to …
Stonepeak carves out a 29% interest in American Tower’s U.S. data center business for $2.5 billion
American Tower Corporation and Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, today announced that Stonepeak, on behalf of certain affiliated investment vehicles, will acquire an ownership interest of approximately 29% in American Tower’s U.S. data center business as part of a new long-term strategic partnership. The partnership will be realized through an investment in common …
Alabama tower collapse ends a tower tech’s life, leaving behind his wife and five children
A 36-year-old tower technician and father of five who worked for the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) died Wednesday afternoon in a “tragic accident,” the agency said yesterday. Communications technician Brett Savage with the AFC and a resident of Deatsville, in Elmore County, was killed instantly when the communications tower he was helping a crew remove collapsed in Washington County, the …
With hundreds in head count, VIKOR expands company with acquisition of Pathwave’s construction division
Over the past few years, South Dakota-based VIKOR has expanded its geographic footprint to nine offices in the U.S. and offers services to more than half of the United States. With the acquisition of the construction division from Pathwave, Inc. announced this week, VIKOR’s team has increased to more than 235 employees. In addition to construction, Pathwave, Inc. provides a …
A reverse stock split is oftentimes cautionary, but DigitalBridge Group says it’s all part of the grand plan
A reverse stock split oftentimes signals that a company is trying to stay listed on major exchanges, such as the New York Stock Exchange, where a company’s shares are required to not trade below $1 for 30 consecutive days. NYSE-traded DigitalBridge Group announced yesterday that within the next three months the company expects to have a reverse stock split in …
Tower painter runs afoul of Maryland residents and businesses being showered with lead paint chips
For almost three weeks, a Nebraska painting contractor was prepping a 997-foot guyed tower in Woodberry, MD, to be repainted by either pressure washing or grinding off existing layers of paint on the structure, according to residents. In the process, paint chips, some as large as a palm of a hand, have rained down from the candelabra structure on residential …
Telecom advocate Patrick Halley to lead WIA as its President and CEO
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today named communications policy veteran and association leader Patrick Halley as the organization’s incoming President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2022. Halley joins WIA from USTelecom – The Broadband Association where he serves as Senior Vice President of Policy & Advocacy and General Counsel and leads the association’s policy development and advocacy efforts before …
White House yawns after GAO criticizes 100 scattered federal broadband funding programs
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is criticizing the “fragmented, overlapping patchwork” of federal efforts to expand broadband internet access throughout America. The GAO report, titled Broadband National Strategy Needed to Guide Federal Efforts to Reduce Digital Divide, was based on interviews with and questionnaires from federal and nonfederal stakeholders and based on a review of statutes, …
Skyway Towers’ 400-plus structures acquired by Basalt Infrastructure Partners for undisclosed price
Basalt Infrastructure Partners LLC (“Basalt”) announced that the third flagship Basalt fund (“Basalt III”) has acquired Skyway Towers, LLC (“Skyway”) from Tinicum L.P. and affiliated entities (“Tinicum”). Skyway is a nationwide telecommunications infrastructure developer that owns and operates multi-tenant communications towers across the United States. The company’s existing portfolio consists of over 400 high quality communications towers spanning 30 states, …
Senators Blackburn and Hagerty champion technologies other than fiber in NTIA’s $42 billion in funding
During a February hearing on broadband expansion and internet access, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Alan Davidson informed representatives that “sunlight is the best disinfectant” and transparency will be a “huge” part of his agency’s administration in doling out over $42 billion in broadband funding. On May 26, he again emphasized the importance of transparency during the Mountain …
CWA gets its first Tower Climbers Union crews, but an agreement with QualTek could be stalled for 14 months
A majority of 11 wireless tower technicians at QualTek have voted for union representation with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in an election conducted this week in Henderson, NV. Their next step after National Labor Relations Board certification will be to negotiate a contract with the QualTek Nevada location, a 2021 BACOM acquisition. The company has approximately 60 other locations …
