.jpg)
Featured News
Daily News Briefs NEW!
Job Boards
Where the best companies & employees start before the hiring begins
Two great resources!
- Help Wanted – Hundreds of opportunities
- Positions Wanted – Available leading talent
And as a service to the industry, they’re always free!
Employment Tracker – It’s the state of the industry
Training
If you can’t find a training course in our calendar, it’s most likely not available
Wireless infrastructure training
- The Resource Section provides every course you’ll ever need for in-house, on site or on line training
- Easily search by Date, Course type, Company, State or Region
Safety Resources
Services and information that help America’s wireless workers stay safe
Safety Services Since 2004
- Emergency Services Locator – A requirement for every jobsite
- Fatalities Tracker – Since 2003
- Job Hazard Assessment – Best practices forms
- Additional Safety Resources
Standards
Overviews of key structural and safety standards you’ll need to know about
Structural and Safety Standards
For additional information visit our Blue Book Safety Trainers and Tower Manufacturers.
The Blue Book
The industry’s best Buyer’s Guide with over 1,200 suppliers & contractors
1,200 Suppliers & Contractors
- Blue Book Directory – Search by Region or State
- Blue Book Benefits – Key benefits explained
For additional information email: BlueBook@WirelessEstimator.com
Advertising
Eleven years and running as the nation’s most effective advertising medium
Target market you customers
- Dozens of opportunities are available to fit any company’s budget
- With thousands of daily viewers you’ll be able to reach out to new and existing clients
- Consistently #1 in sales leads
New Products
It's easy to deploy and maintain 5G NR and LTE/LTE-A cell sites with OneAdvisor-800 from VIAVI
Read More
Recent News
Crown Castle sues after it’s told that its landlords have to agree to not build a competitive structure
Crown Castle Towers, AT&T, and Sprint have brought a federal lawsuit against the Town of Riverhead, N.Y., the Town Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board and the Town’s building administrator for alleged “unreasonable delays” and “unsupportable effective denials”...
SBA inks a master lease agreement with DISH for its 5G network
DISH and SBA Communications Corporation today announced a new long-term master lease agreement providing DISH access to SBA’s extensive nationwide portfolio of wireless communication sites. The announcement builds upon DISH’s continued progress in acquiring access to the essential infrastructure...
Three tower techs rescued after being stranded in Utah’s Oquirrh Mountains
Update: February 23, 2021 – The technician that was taken to the hospital with hypothermia was responding to a maintenance issue for a tower site on Mt. Vision, about three road miles southeast of Nelson Peak and at thousand feet...
Tracy, Drouin, Lekutis to lead Tower Family Foundation as it aids wireless workers, their families
The Tower Family Foundation announced today that Board of Directors’ members Jim Tracy, Victor Drouin and Craig Lekutis were appointed by their peers to serve on the non-profit organization’s Executive Committee for the 2021-2022 term. Jim Tracy, Founder and...
Twenty-eight broadband-related bills to close digital divide introduced by Republicans
Today, House Energy & Commerce Committee Republicans introduced 28 broadband-related bills to help close the digital divide, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, through their Boosting Broadband Connectivity Agenda. The group said this legislative package aims to promote new infrastructure deployment; promote...
Seven new tower agreements signed by DISH as ATC and SBA await word on their offers
As DISH constructs the nation’s first cloud-native, Open RAN-based 5G wireless network, the company announced today it has signed seven new tower agreements. These agreements, with Harmoni Towers, Mobilite, Parallel Infrastructure, Phoenix Tower International (PTI), Tillman Infrastructure, Tower Ventures and...
Women of NATE announces 2021 education scholarship recipients
Women of NATE (WON) is pleased to announce that seven outstanding recipients have been selected to receive 2021 WON Education Scholarships. The scholarship was designed to encourage and inspire more women to enter the tower and communications infrastructure construction,...
‘Disgustingly stupid’ videos yanked following obvious safety violations
As Vice Chairman of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, John Paul (JP) Jones is proud of the many top safety individuals and subject matter experts in the past 25 years who have taken a cottage industry with minimal...
Legislation reintroduced to address the telecommunications workforce shortage
U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today reintroduced the Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act, legislation to address the shortage of...
‘Painless’ process results in a Dish/Vertical Bridge access deal
Dish Network Corporation and Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC announced a long-term agreement granting Dish immediate access to Vertical Bridge’s extensive portfolio of towers, rooftops, utility transmission structures, billboards, convenience stores and other sites used for wireless infrastructure deployment. Vertical Bridge...
DirecTV, the company adrift that keeps on giving grief to wireless workers
In May of 2014, after AT&T announced that it was buying DirecTV for $48.5 billion, it froze additional wireless projects and put on hold the need to marshal up to 1,000 dedicated installation crews, severely crippling many tower installation...
Verizon to double the number of its mmWave sites this year
To take over more of the country’s competitive landscape, Verizon said it will be making investment in mobile networks for the expansion of 5G Ultra Wideband in new and existing markets, the densification of the wireless network to manage...
Telecom industry unites behind call for broadband workforce development to White House, Congress
A coalition of ten leading organizations representing a broad cross-section of the telecommunications industry today sent a joint letter to the White House and Congress urging support for broadband-related job skills development as part of any infrastructure legislation. The...
DC Judge questions the existence of FDA working groups cited in FCC’s RF exposure order
A D.C. Circuit panel judge yesterday, during oral arguments, appeared unconvinced of the Federal Communications Commission’s support of their findings that cell phones and other connected devices pose no risks to human health. The Environmental Health Trust, Children’s Health...
Network shuts down after lack of profit deflates Loon’s balloons
Alphabet Inc is shutting down Loon after determining the business, which offers balloons as an alternative to cell towers, is not commercially viable, Google’s parent company said on Thursday. Since 2011, the company has been trying to bring connectivity...
Geo catch puts California man behind bars for Verizon cell site batteries theft
A 32-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing four deep-cycle batteries which were used to power a San Bernardino, California Verizon cell tower site, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. On January 14, a suspect cut two...
Maine city and its planning board’s monopole siting spat could result in $1,000-a-day contempt fines
Bay Communications III LLC of Mansfield, Massachusetts wants to erect a 120-foot monopole on 182 Camden Street in Rockland, Maine and has had to resort to asking a federal court to find the city and its planning board in...
NATE requests COVID-19 vaccination priority status for industry’s technician workforce
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association has sent letters to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Governors Association to request that the telecom industry’s technicians be accorded priority status...
American Tower enters Europe in $9.4 Billion Telefonica deal
American Tower Corporation today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with Telefónica, S.A. (“Telefónica”), under which it will acquire Telxius Towers, comprising approximately 31,000 existing communications sites in Germany, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina. The total...
Tower tech is undergoing surgery after a 140-foot fall in New York
A tower tech fell approximately 140 feet from a guyed tower in Lawrence, New York yesterday at about 11:00 a.m. while doing a T-Mobile upgrade, according to individuals knowledgeable of the accident. St. Lawrence County sheriff’s deputies responded to...
Will it be Senator or President Legere or just more social media chatter while it’s allowed?
The day after the 2016 presidential election that put Donald Trump in office, T-Mobile CEO John Legere Tweeted: “Congrats to the new POTUS. Let’s see what an out of the box, non-typical, non-politician can do for America.” Last Thursday,...
Tipsy Bobcat operator arrested for threatening cell site workers
Over the years, cell site techs have been shot at with handguns, rifles and even arrows, but a new worksite violence wrinkle occurred Tuesday morning at a rural site in Dassel Township, Minnesota when a 67-year-old man weaponized a...
Colony Capital’s Los Angeles roots replanted in Boca Raton as part of its corporate realignment
Colony Capital, Inc. announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Los Angeles, California to Boca Raton, Florida, effective as of January 1, 2021. In addition, Colony announced the appointment of select corporate officers to new roles as part...
NATE’s free 5G small cell deployment training courses open for registration
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that the registration process is open for the first, five 5G-Small Cell Deployment Training sessions that will be facilitated by the Association in 2021. Overall, 12 5G-Small Cell Deployment Training Courses will...
Latchways Standard Self-Retracting Lifeline recall alert
MSA is issuing this User Safety Notice to inform the industry that MSA has received field reports of a limited number of Latchways Standard Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRL) in which some internal bolts came loose. MSA has not received any reports...
Cord cutter Cooper’s memoir is a stunning tale of cell phone history and the next chapter – artificial intelligence
One of Time Magazine’s Top 100 Inventors in History, Martin Cooper, shares an insider’s story of the cell phone, how it changed the world—and a view of where it’s headed in his new book released today, Cutting the Cord:...
Sadly, 2020’s top stories were fatalities and structural failures
What were the most-read stories published by Wireless Estimator this year? It’s not surprising to learn that any media with a large audience of contractors, tower owners, tower techs, engineers, safety professionals, and vendors would find that two topics...
FBI checking to see if 5G paranoia may have been the motive in Nashville bombing
Law enforcement officials are not certain if 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner’s motive for driving his RV to downtown Nashville, Tennessee Christmas morning, allowing himself to be shred to pieces as the vehicle exploded on Second Avenue North was because he believed...
Pai and Loebsack honored by NATE for their untiring efforts in advancing broadband initiatives
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Congressman Dave Loebsack, U.S. Representative for the 3rd District of Iowa, are the recipients of the 2020 NATE Regulatory and Legislative Champion Awards respectively. Chairman Pai...
OSHA, NATE and the FCC ink long-sought strategic safety partnership
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signed a national strategic partnership with NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to improve worker safety in the communications tower erection...
Guy wire cutting crime spree topples one Texas tower, destabilized a 1,000-footer
A tall tower crew is on site in Wichita Falls, Texas, stabilizing a 1,050-foot TV broadcast tower owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., off 4500 Seymour highway. It is one of two towers that had guy wires cut early...
Tower tech succumbs from 260-foot fall while endeavoring to bring broadband to the Spokane tribe
UPDATE: December 17, 2020 – James Shumate’s obituary and services information have been added below. December 16, 2020 — A 24-year-old tower technician was killed Saturday, December 12, 2020 when he fell from a tower near Fruitland, Washington. According...
CenturyLink skates with a questionably low $500K fine for its 2018 outage
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has fined CenturyLink Inc. a half-million dollars for their December 27-28, 2018 multi-state outage caused by one of the company’s transport networks which, affected delivery of some 911 calls. In August, 2019, the bureau in...
American Tower is undaunted by Dish’s 20,000 tower deal with Crown, they’ll wait for their turn
When questioned as to whether Crown Castle will become the main beneficiary of Dish Network’s entry into the carrier space during a UBS Global TMT conference call earlier this month, American Tower CFO and Treasurer Rod Smith said that...
Structures with small cells get a revisit in 2020 update released by Telecommunications Industry Foundation
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Our society has an ever-increasing need for information, video, smart devices, smart infrastructure and all things telecommunications related. The need for these services will continually drive the innovation of the telecommunications industry; the most recent...
2021 isn’t going to be a banner year for Sprint decoms, contractors to see surge in 2022: Sievert
During a UBS investor webcast last week, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said that the carrier is taking down Sprint’s network on an “isolated basis,” but decommissioning work – the bread and butter of wireless contractors – is mostly a...
It’s now officially FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington
Nathan Simington officially became an FCC Commissioner yesterday after he was sworn in by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The ceremony was a virtual event since the FCC continues to work remotely due to COVID-19 concerns. His five year term...
New FCC review team member’s telecom policy assets for the position: zippo
President-elect Joseph Biden’s transition committee added another member to its experienced FCC Review Team last week, Christiana Ho, who appears to lack any experience in telecom policy. Ho graduated from Scripps College with a B.A. in creative writing and...
Mediacom accuses West Des Moines of making secret $50 million fiber deal with Google
West Des Moines, Iowa approved a $50 million project to build a fiber network under the city and then secretly worked out a deal to give Google Fiber exclusive access to the conduit network, according to a lawsuit filed...
NATE will seat new board member Paulette as members reelect Druin, Mallon and Scott
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association has announced the official results of the 2021 Board of Directors election. The Association announces that Victor Drouin, President of Green Mountain Communications, Inc. in Pembroke, New Hampshire, Chris Mallon, President of TowerMRL, Inc....
Senate confirms Simington as FCC Commissioner over strong objections from Democrats
Yesterday, the Senate voted 49-46 to confirm the contentious nomination of Republican Nathan Simington to the FCC, despite appeals from Democrats and advocacy groups to hold off on a vote until early next year. The confirmation handed the Biden...
Tower Family Foundation eclipses $1 million milestone of support to tower workers and families
The Tower Family Foundation announced today that the organization has surpassed the $1 million of giving milestone. Since its inception only six years ago, the Tower Family Foundation has awarded a total of $1,017,250 in donations and scholarships to...
The gavel is likely to go to Rosenworcel following FCC chief Pai’s departure next month
FCC chairman Ajit Pai has announced that he’s leaving the Commission as of January 20, 2021, when President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in. It was widely expected since appointees often resign as a new administration takes over such as...
Crown Castle shaves 250 from its employee ranks as part of its ‘long-term goals’
Rumors of layoffs at Crown Castle began in early October when an anonymous poster on layoff.com wrote that the company had laid off 70 people in the West. On November 6, there was a report that an additional 57 layoffs...
Vertical Bridge’s acquisition of Eco-Site allows them to boast surpassing 20,000 towers
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States, today announced the completion of its merger with North Carolina-based Eco-Site, a leading developer of wireless communication, tower sites and...
NATE UNITE 2021’s show in Memphis cancelled; Las Vegas is a go in 2022
As an organization founded on the core tenet of safety, the health and well-being of the Association’s members and staff is a top priority. NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, on a daily basis, has been carefully monitoring the...
SURVEY SAYS: NATE documents the many thousands of telecom positions needed
For the last few years, FCC Commissioners, federal agencies, educational institutions, association CEOs, and industry focus groups have said that there is a shortage of approximately 20,000 telecommunications workers that are critically needed to build out 5G and maintain...
AT&T selected for 10-Year, $311 million contract to modernize NOAA’s network
AT&T announced today it will deliver modern networking capabilities and other advanced technologies to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under a Task Order from NOAA valued at $311 million over 10 years. The Task Order was made under...
DISH’s first massive tower deal has Crown Castle providing access to 20,000 towers
DISH Wireless and Crown Castle today announced a long-term agreement through which Crown Castle will lease DISH space on up to 20,000 communication towers. As part of the agreement, DISH will receive certain fiber transport services and also have...
Navajo Nation celebrates move to provide more towers, broadband access
Navajo leaders met in Chinle, Arizona last week at a new tower site to celebrate the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority’s plans to build more than a hundred broadband towers across the tribal nation. The projects were funded with a $32 million...
Iowa Verizon outages weren’t through ‘hacking’ but by fiber slashing
Verizon appears to have repaired a large fiber cut in the Des Moines, Iowa area that impacted hundreds of tower sites, preventing many users from calling 911 yesterday. Verizon disputes an earlier report that it had been “hacked.” Normal...
What a difference a quarter makes as Colony Capital’s stock doubles in price through its digital design
Colony Capital Inc. (CLNY) had another good day in the market on Tuesday as shares jumped 6.67% to close at $4.00, doubling the stock price since CEO Marc Ganzi informed analysts during his August Q2 call that “Colony today...
A great way to support Veterans every day is to reach out and hire one
Veterans Day every November 11th honors all Americans who have served our country in war or peace. It is a day set aside to thank the living veterans for their service and sacrifice made to a grateful nation. It...
Wireless coverage at Yellowstone National Park featured in NATE video of hidden connectivity
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today released a video entitled “Balancing Wireless & Nature”. The video was filmed at the nearly 3,500 square mile Yellowstone National Park and is the latest to debut in Volume 5 of the...
One down, 14,999 Dish cell sites to go starting in Q2
Dish Network’s buildout finally kicked off last week, with a soft launch that was a test site near the company’s Littleton, Colorado headquarters. Executive Vice President – Network Deployment, Dave Mayo last week provided a sneak preview of Dish’s...
Newest airborne cell sites to take flight in 2024 every nine days
Cambridge Consultants has announced a stratospheric breakthrough, revealing its role in a visionary program to realize the dream of superfast 5G for everyone and everything across the globe. Working in collaboration with Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL), Cambridge Consultants’ remarkable...
American Tower picks up InSite Wireless Group’s American and Canadian assets for $3.5 billion
American Tower Corporation this morning announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire InSite Wireless Group, LLC (InSite), which owns, operates and manages approximately 3,000 communications sites, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. The portfolio includes...
Two tower techs are killed when their man lift in Delaware topples onto electrical lines
UPDATE: November 4, 2020 — Two men, who were killed attempting to install antennas onto a water tower near Bethany Beach in high winds, have been identified. Delaware State Police said 23-year-old Jovan Maldonado and 22-year-old Bryan Maldonado Andino, both from Puerto Rico, were in...
Five Alarm Concern: UWM assesses the vulnerability of cell site infrastructure to wildfires
While the FCC attempts to get accurate maps of broadband coverage in the U.S., three University of Wisconsin – Madison researchers have completed the task of identifying for the agency the vulnerability of cell sites throughout America when confronted...
Actor, comedian, entertainer Rob Riggle to deliver keynote address at NATE UNITE 2021
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that famed actor/comedian/writer/producer/director Rob Riggle will deliver the keynote address at the NATE UNITE 2021 Conference in Memphis, Tennessee. NATE UNITE 2021 will take place February 15-18, 2021 at the Memphis...
FCC’s launch of a $9 billion fund will benefit broadband poor rural areas and contractors
The FCC voted unanimously today to establish a fund for up to $9 billion in federal support for rural 5G buildouts and precision agriculture, but Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks each registered their concerns over progress on new...
NATE’s record 185 STAR Initiative participants take advantage of following the gold standard for safety
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced the member companies, listed below, who have been formally approved to participate in the STAR Initiative program for the 2020-2021 year. NATE has proudly accepted 185 participating companies in this year’s STAR...
Alabama accident takes the life of a Texas broadcast tall tower tech
A broadcast tower technician employed by San Antonio, Texas-based Broadcast Construction Solutions died yesterday shortly before noon in Elsanor, Alabama while performing retrofitting services on a 1,500-foot guyed tower owned by Deerfield Media that broadcasts WJTC TV. Wireless Estimator...
Wireless Infrastructure Association names three new industry execs for leadership roles
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) named Dr. Rikin Thakker as Chief Technology Officer; Brent Weil as Vice President, Workforce Development; and Jason Nelson as Vice President, Partnerships and Development. These new leaders will expand WIA’s wireless workforce development initiatives...
Google accused of search monopoly in landmark antitrust lawsuit brought by the DOJ
The Justice Department today filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google that says the most popular search website abused its dominance over smaller competitors. Justice Department attorneys and Republican led States Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indian, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and...
NATE says it is a big go for its February show in Memphis as WIA moves its event to August
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced this week that it is moving the dates for its Connect (X) 2021 show in Boston from May 25-28 to August 3-6 as a “precautionary measure” during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the NATE...
Climbing Congressman Curtis captures first hand the critical role contractors provide
U.S. Congressman John Curtis (R-UT) yesterday conducted a site visit and climbing experience at a communications tower located in Moab, Utah. The tour was facilitated by representatives from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and member companies Triple M...
Grubbs, Ripp and Rodgers join National Wireless Safety Alliance Board of Governors
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced that Philip Grubbs, Environmental, Safety, Health, & Security (ESH&S) Manager in North America for Black & Veatch, Richard “Chip” Ripp, General Manager of Standards and Process for DISH Wireless and Jillian Rodgers,...
T.Steele Construction’s founder passes following Kentucky jobsite accident
UPDATE: October 11, 2020 — Services to celebrate Thomas Steele’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, October 19, 2020 at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, 614 N. Main Street, Davenport, Illinois. Services will be livestreamed by visiting Tom’s obituary...
IG provides sane and compelling reasons for going postal to deploy America’s 5G networks
The United States Postal Service currently leases space at 62 locations to telecom providers for their wireless towers that provides $1.4 million in annual revenue, but according to a report from the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General, there’s no...
Oregon’s towering inferno captured on video by the Department of Transportation
Although American Tower Corp. and other towercos skated damage as flames licked their towers on Mount Wilson in California late last month, the Beachie Creek Fire in Marion County, Oregon on September 8, 2020, wasn’t kind to the tower...
Carr’s tower compound additions plan would allow for a streamlined review process
Update: September 6, 2020 — The FCC has released its 40-page draft of its plan to streamline review of requests to add limited space at the bottom of existing towers for backup power, low-latency computing, and multiple providers to be...
AM station totals are still declining as FM educational broadcasters continue to soar
At the end of the third quarter, according to statistics just released by the FCC, AM and FM commercial stations continued to close their doors with 41 AM stations going out of business and 24 FM stations going silent...
LBA reaches milestone with 100% technician CBRS certification
Lawrence Behr Associates, Inc., the RF consulting services unit of LBA Group, Inc. (LBA), is ready to provide the FCC required installation certification for Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) deployments across the country. The company’s technical team consisting of both field...
FCC fines Sandwich Isles and its founder $50 million for fraud
The Federal Communications Commission has fined Sandwich Isles Communications, Waimana Enterprises, and Albert S.N. Hee of Hawaii $49,598,488 for violations of Universal Service Fund program rules that resulted in millions of dollars in improper payments. The agency issued the...
DoL gives WIA million$ of reason$ to develop the wireless workforce
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) announced today that the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) awarded it a major contract to perform as the 5G Industry Intermediary to develop the wireless workforce. DoL provided WIA a multi-million-dollar contract as the...
Experienced tech dies from injuries after falling off a Connecticut 80-foot tower
UPDATE: September 29, 2020 – Services have been announced for Matthew Vincent Clark, 34, of Brooklyn, CT, who died Friday, September 25, 2020 in Manchester. He was the son of Bruce and Kathi (Robinson) Clark. Matthew was the beloved...
Mount Wilson’s towers appear to have been spared as Bobcat Fire becomes contained
American Tower Corp. and InSite Towers’ management, and dozens of broadcasters, breathed out a collective but cautious sigh of relief early this morning as controlled burns around Mount Wilson in California appear to have kept at bay the Bobcat...
Spike strips stop Texas cell tower copper stripper
A Buda, Texas man who led multiple law enforcement agencies on a high-speed chase through Robertson and Leon Counties in Texas last week remains in custody in the Robertson County jail until he can post a $115,000 bond. He...
NATE’s DoL training grant will assist in developing 5G small cell deployment training
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Labor – OSHA to receive a $160,000 Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grant for the 2020-2021 program year. The Susan Harwood...
After five-year legal battle, Berkeley must end extra radiation warning requirement
A federal judge ruled last week that Berkeley, California cannot require cell phone retailers to warn customers about the possible radiation dangers from holding phones close to their bodies, a conclusion that was largely based upon the FCC’s assessment...
DoD pushes industry for 5G spectrum sharing prototype ideas
The Department of Defense (DoD) issued a request Friday for the wireless industry to develop information papers on dynamic spectrum sharing. The request for information (RFI) seeks insight into innovative solutions and technologies for dynamic sharing of the department’s...
Verizon to deploy indoor 5G mmWave sites with Corning, Samsung by year’s end
Verizon has recently completed lab trials with Corning and begun lab trials with Samsung on new 5G mmWave in-building solutions which, when commercially launched, will provide 5G mmWave coverage inside facilities such as hospitals, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, schools, ports,...
Family of man killed in Missouri TV tower collapse sues structure’s owner and design engineer
The family of the owner of a tall tower erection company killed when a 1,891-foot TV tower collapsed near Fordland, Missouri in 2018 has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Missouri State University Board of Governors (MSU) and South Carolina-based...
President Trump proposes NTIA official Simington as new FCC Commissioner
The White House announced yesterday President Donald Trump’s intent to nominate Nathan A. Simington, of Virginia, to be a member of the Federal Communications Commission to replace current Republican Commissioner Michael O’Rielly. Simington, a Senior Advisor in the National...
T-Mobile inks a 15-year tower deal with American Tower
T-Mobile and American Tower Corporation announced today that the companies have signed a new long-term agreement designed to drive significant value for both parties over its nearly 15-year term. The new agreement enhances T-Mobile’s access to American Tower’s U.S....
FCC’s full day full-court press to develop O-RAN sported key industry experts
The FCC convened the top experts in the field yesterday in a ground-breaking virtual event to discuss the benefits of an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), the challenges of implementing it, and the lessons learned from recent deployments. FCC...
Dish gets green light for more time to build out its licenses, but must stay in 5G lane
The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) officially gave the green light to Dish Network to reset the clock to June 14, 2023 to meet build-out requirements for its AWS and lower 700 MHz spectrum holdings. The WTB has also...
Feds want dangerous Florida contractor to be kept off streets while awaiting retrial
Prosecutors informed a Virginia federal judge Tuesday that a former government fiber optic design and installation firm contractor also providing cell site services is a danger to his Florida community and should remain in jail. They said the defendant...
Tower Family Foundation Endowment Committee welcomes industry execs Moras and Haldane
The Tower Family Foundation announced today two leadership appointments to the non-profit organization’s Endowment Committee. Shylesh Moras, Senior Vice President, Operations, Development & IT at Phoenix Tower International in Boca Raton, Florida and Andy Haldane, Co-Founder & Chief Executive...
After falling over 200 feet off of steel, high school junior is preparing for the 300-foot gridiron
Last year, Uriah King was a standout running back for the Brownwood, Texas Freshman Lions and looked forward to a junior year of equally outstanding achievements. But on June 1, while the tower tech was at approximately the 225-foot...
Site developer sues over towers of Madison County rejection
In the 1995 movie Bridges of Madison County, Merrill Streep and Clint Eastwood fell in love at the Roseman covered bridge in rural Winterset, Iowa. A quarter-century later, AT&T and FirstNet wanted to erect a 300-foot guyed tower four...
FCC dings a New York ISP with a $164K fine for allegedly popping its subscription numbers
The FCC has proposed a $163,912 fine, the maximum amount allowed by law, against Internet service provider Barrier Communications Corporation (BarrierFree) for apparently reporting inaccurate information that significantly inflated its broadband subscription numbers, failing to file required deployment data, making false statements...
Maine station engineer dies after falling from a ham radio tower
The Knox County, Maine Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that a Bangor resident fell from a ham radio tower in a residential area of Union. Authorities said that at approximately 1:00 p.m. yesterday, James Larner, 74, was on the structure when...
NARB: Verizon should nix “Building the most powerful 5G experience for America”
A panel of the National Advertising Review Board (NARB), a division of BBB National Programs, has recommended that Verizon Communications, Inc. discontinue the claim that “Verizon is building the most powerful 5G experience for America.” This claim appeared in...
CTI’s 1,150 towers acquired by Melody Investment Advisors for an undisclosed price
Melody Investment Advisors LP (Melody) today announced the entry into a definitive agreement to acquire CTI Towers, Inc., an owner and manager of wireless towers in the U.S. CTI Towers is majority owned by Comcast Ventures, Comcast Corporation’s venture...
U.S. ends up in last place in the race for 5G download speeds
Compared to other countries, the U.S. has lost the race to 5G regarding download speeds offered, so much so that in some countries 4G speeds are faster than two of the three major carriers that are touting their 5G offerings....
FCC axes domestic coverage rule for NGSO satellite networks
Satellite constellation operators no longer need to provide nationwide broadband coverage to be in compliance with FCC regulations after the agency voted to change the rule Wednesday, releasing the report and order on Friday. The FCC eliminated the requirement...
Update: 8/31/20: Laura thrashes Louisiana’s broadcasters and mobile networks
UPDATE – August 31, 2020 – Louisiana’s cell sites that were out of service continued to improve since yesterday, with 5.5% of the cell sites out of service in the affected parishes. However, hard-hit Cameron Parish still had 72% of...
Judge rules that a Massachusetts city was correct in denying ExteNet’s poles over power concerns
In a ruling yesterday, US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs dismissed a lawsuit by ExteNet Systems against the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts and its Pole and Conduit Commission over the commission’s decision to reject five of the ExteNet’s proposed...