The FCC’s communications status report released yesterday afternoon identifies that Florida’s cell sites weathered Hurricane Ian’s devastating thrashing of Florida. Of the 13,832 total sites, only 188 were out of service, representing a statewide average of 1.4%. Today’s report is expected to be a crushing comparison as the real outage figures come in. Added in the new outages will be …
North Carolina-based NWS awarded the coveted No. 3 spot in Mid-Market Fast 40 Ranking
Grain Management-backed Network Wireless Solutions (NWS), a fast-growing solutions and logistics provider to carriers and telecommunications contractors, has earned the No. 3 spot on the 2022 North Carolina Mid-Market Fast 40 ranking. Sponsored by Business North Carolina magazine in partnership with the accounting firm Cherry Bekaert LLP, which verifies the results, the Mid-Market Fast 40 ranking recognizes companies based in …
New iPhone 14 provides emergency services everywhere and lets them know if you crash
Apple unveiled its new iPhone 14 devices yesterday, promoting a new emergency service via satellite feature starting in November that enables the phones to connect and send messages when the devices are in areas with no cell phone coverage. The emergency service hardware requirements are built into all iPhone 14s sold worldwide, although the service will currently only be available in …
AT&T sues T-Mobile over false senior discount ad campaign that could impact sales
When carriers are concerned that their competitors have misleading ads, the normal way to resolve it is to file a complaint with the National Advertising Review Board. However, AT&T is suing T-Mobile in Texas’s Eastern District Court, accusing the Uncarrier of uncaring about accuracy and publishing false advertising. They’re demanding that they are awarded T-Mobile’s profits earned through its advertising …
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 …
Carr comes out swinging as he slams the FCC’s Starlink funding reversal
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr attacked a move by the FCC earlier in August to deny Starlink $885.5 million it won in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction, stating: “I am surprised to find out via a press release – while I am on a work trip to remote parts of Alaska – that the FCC has made this significant …
Newly minted tower techs will receive their training on IsoTruss’s carbon fiber towers
IsoTruss, Inc., an engineering, design, and manufacturing services provider, today announced the donation of two patented IsoTruss® carbon fiber cell towers to the Learning Alliance Corp. (LAC) center located in Tampa, FL. The donation will support LAC’s workforce development initiative in training cell tower climbers and technicians for the wireless telecom infrastructure industry. LAC partners with businesses in the wireless industry, which …
QualTek contests Washington regulators’ $12,000 fine for safety violations following employee’s death
QualTek Wireless LLC of Blue Bell, PA, is contesting two serious Washington State Labor and Industries (LNI) safety violations issued after an employee fell to his death in Arlington, WA, on December 4, 2021. Tower technician Michael Vasquez, 24, was working on an installation on a Crown Castle monopole when he suddenly fell from about the 140-foot level, according to authorities. The …
Carlyle partners with ‘disruptive’ Tillman, committing up to $1 billion to accelerate investments in US towers
Global investment firm Carlyle announced that funds managed by its Global Infrastructure platform have committed up to $1 billion to partner with Tillman Global Holdings to accelerate its investments in Tillman Infrastructure, a leading privately held cell tower platform in the United States. Since its founding in 2016, Tillman Infrastructure has become one of the largest providers of build-to-suit tower …
AT&T didn’t negotiate with a tower climbers union in its most recent contract ratification
UPDATE – August 4, 2022 – Following the publication of this article, a union spokesperson said that of the 175 workers at AT&T’s Alascom facilities, approximately 105 of Teamsters Local 959 Alascom members “are tower climbers”. According to the union’s hiring requirements, any Technician/Installer “must have or obtain tower climbing certification” and have at least “5 years Electronic Technician background.” It is …
Tower titan Michael T.N. Fitch passes, leaving the industry with a more stable environment
Michael T.N. Fitch passed away on July 22, 2022, leaving behind a rich legacy of assisting towercos and carriers in advancing infrastructure siting. Fitch spent the first 20 years of his extensive career at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he advanced from Staff Attorney to Division Chief, Bureau Chief, and ultimately Senior Legal and International Advisor to the Chairman. …
Offering no standards guidance, CWA says safety bulletin ‘threat’ has the tone of an ‘irate boss’
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) Tower Climbers Union has jumped on the carabiner bandwagon of concern regarding a recent NATE advisory bulletin on July 20, 2022, that stated, “Carabiners are NOT intended for rigging applications involving material handling and overhead lifting,” after a LinkedIn article said that the ANSI A10.48 standard allows carabiners to be used if they are “specifically classified by the manufacturer …
BAI Communications’ acquisition of ZenFi Networks will also bolster powerhouses Mobilitie and Transit Wireless
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 …
