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Subscribe • Advertise Wednesday, April 29, 2020 Volume 8 | Issue 83

Critics Call Out Rosy FCC Broadband Report The FCC recently released its annual broadband deployment report, and said the numbers show the digital divide continues to close. Critics claim otherwise.

The FCC says the report revealed the number of Americans lacking access to fixed terrestrial broadband service at 25/3 Mbps continues to decline, by more than 14 percent in 2018. The number of Americans without access to 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband with a median speed of 10/3 Mbps, based on Ookla data, declined approximately 54 percent between 2017 and 2018. And the vast majority of Americans—more than 85 percent—now have access to fixed terrestrial broadband service at 250/25 Mbps, a 47 percent increase since 2017, concludes the report.

“From 2016 to 2018, the number of Americans without access to 25/3 Mbps fixed broadband service fell by more than 30 percent,” said FCC Chairman . “And in 2018 and 2019, the United States set consecutive records for new fiber deployment, with the number of homes passed by fiber increasing by 5.9 million and 6.5 million, respectively.” Continue Reading

Rural Internet Providers Need Protective Gear As the pandemic continues, small broadband providers are having a harder time finding protective gear needed to allow workers to go into the field. "I got about four emails today from people [saying], 'Help me get PPE, we can't get equipment,'" Shirley Bloomfield, head of rural telecom trade group NTCA, told .

Rural ISPs are turning to local distilleries for hand sanitizer and lumber yards for gloves, according to Bloomfield. USTelecom has similar anxiety among its larger ISP members and ongoing dialogue with the Department of Homeland Security.

Right now, NTCA is waiting for 600,000 cloth masks from FEMA to be delivered to a staffer's home. There, they’ll be divided and mailed to NCTA’s 850 member companies. Though cloth masks aren't perfect, "I think our guys are so happy that we're able to get them anything," Bloomfield said.

Carriers Lengthen Connectivity Pledges Verizon, AT&T and other major carriers have extended their pledges to refrain from cutting off service or imposing late fees through June 30, for residential and small business customers. The carriers' original commitments, which included free WiFi hot spots, last until the middle of May. The exceptions apply to customers impacted financially by the coronavirus pandemic.

In March, the FCC said major wireless and internet providers - including Verizon (VZ.N), (CCZ.N), AT&T (T.N), T-Mobile US (TMUS.O) and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google Fiber - agreed not to terminate service for subscribers for 60 days. In total, more than 700 companies have now agreed to the voluntary measures, according to the agency. Continue Reading

AT&T Adds 90 More Markets AT&T added 90 additional markets to its 5G network. The carrier says it now covers more than 120 million people.

“At a time when technology is proving to be even more essential for communication, customers can rest assured that our company is continuing to invest in our network and new technologies to make connection easier,” said AT&T EVP Technology Operations Chris Sambar.

“We remain focused on launching AT&T 5G in more markets and to more customers across the country – and plan to reach nationwide coverage this summer.” The additional markets that now have access to AT&T’s 5G network include Chicago, New Orleans, Sacramento, Seattle and Tampa. Here’s a complete list.

Nokia Secures $1 Billion Deal with India’s Bharti Airtel Telecom gear maker Nokia and Bharti Airtel, India’s third-largest telecom company, inks a $1 billion multi-year deal to expedite 4G network expansion and to lay the foundation for future 5G infrastructure. Under the terms of the deal finalized on Tuesday, Nokia will deploy roughly 300,000 radio units for Airtel by 2022, reported Yahoo Finance.

"This is an important agreement for the future of connectivity in one of the world's largest telecoms markets and solidifies our position in India," said Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri.

Although Nokia is already the largest 4G radio vendor in Airtel’s network, the new deal is expected to strengthen its market position. Analysts are likely eager to see Nokia’s 1st quarter earnings report due on April 30. Continue Reading

April 28, 2020 at Close

SBA to Speak at MoffettNathanson Media & Communications Summit SBA Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: SBAC) announced Brendan Cavanagh, Chief Financial Officer, is scheduled to speak at the MoffettNathanson 7th Annual Media & Communications Summit on Monday, May 11, at 1 p.m. ET. This will be a virtual conference. Access the SBA audio presentation by visiting www.sbasite.com.

Tennessee Virtual Votes Approve Memphis Cell Tower Site Plan UPDATE Memphis-based Tower Ventures received final site plan approval yesterday via virtual vote after nearly two years of debate by residents and city officials concerned about the location and assumed health effects of a proposed 140’ cell tower.

Germantown Municipal School District (GMSD) entered into a contract with Tower Ventures in September 2018, sparking heated debates between residents both for and against the tower. According to The Daily Memphian, Alderwoman Mary Anne Gibson met with several residents during the review process to gain a broader perspective on both sides of the issue. Many parents raised concerns over health, citing the so-called “cancer cluster” at an elementary school in Ripon, CA, while those in favor of the tower cited spotty cell service and overall public safety. Inside Towers covered several instances where the Ripon case has been incorrectly cited using the sample of school children who had been exposed to carcinogens in their ground water. Continue Reading

FirstNet Push-to-Talk Launches in the U.S. Developed from the ground up specifically with and for public safety, FirstNet says its Push- to-Talk (PTT) feature is the first such nationwide mission-critical standards-based solution to launch in the U.S. The Cranford Police Department in New Jersey was one of the first state agencies to test PTT.

“Reliable communication is critical. It must work. It must be there when we need it,” said Captain Guy Patterson of the Cranford Police Department. “And it must be crystal clear because we don’t have time to repeat ourselves or introduce room for errors in fast- changing situations or when lives are on the line. On more than one occasion, FirstNet PTT allowed us to effectively communicate when our traditional systems failed.” Continue Reading

NATE Releases Safety Equipment Manufacturers Document NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association officially released the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Committee (SEMC) Guide for Wire Rope Safety Climbs on Antenna Supporting Structures – 2020 consensus document.

This 15-page, manufacturer consensus document is intended to address use of a wire rope safety climb/system in the industry. This resource is only intended to apply to structures that are governed by the ANSI/TIA-222 Standard, as adopted by the International Building Code (IBC) and other jurisdictional building codes.

The SEMC’s objective is to provide detailed information applicable to the performance, installation, inspection, maintenance, and repair of wire rope safety climbs/systems for antenna supporting structures with ANSI/TIA-222 defined climbing facilities. This document also provides the structure owner, or the Engineer of Record (EOR), loading requirements necessary to analyze the wire rope safety climb connection as well as quantify the specific loading based number of users who may utilize the wire rope safety climb/system at any given time.

Safety LMS: Setting High Standards for Safety Training With over 40 years in telecom and 20 years as a professional tower safety and rescue instructor, JP Jones, Founder and President of Safety LMS, has continuously set high standards for safety, quality, and proficiency of performance in wireless telecom. Since 2011, Safety LMS has gone beyond the minimum regulations enforced by the industry to bring the most comprehensive training to students, their companies, and the industry at large, ensuring customers have everything they need to run a safe business.

On the foundation of its motto ‘Demand the Best,’ Safety LMS employs a roster of instructors who bring their own tower experience to their students. “These guys know their stuff and their biggest strength is that they either own or are actively employed in the field,” said Benjamin Bowman, Director of Marketing and Sales. “They are tower climbers. They teach based on their 10 to 20 years of real world experience and they demand the best from everyone who attends their courses.” Continue Reading

Wireless Industry Launches Initiative to Help Connect Schoolchildren CTIA, the wireless association, revealed a new program to help children participate in distance learning during COVID-19. The Connecting Kids Initiative simplifies the process for school districts to find remote learning hotspots. It connects them with wireless carriers working to provide broadband access in their area. Participating carriers include the three nationwide wireless operators as well as regional operators across the country.

"Millions of kids are learning from home for the first time and the wireless industry is committed to helping make sure they have the opportunity to learn remotely," said CTIA President/CEO Meredith Attwell Baker. "We are proud to launch this initiative, and of the many other ways the wireless industry is helping, but we can't do this alone. It's important that Congress provide the funding the education community has sought to support hotspot-capable devices and services essential for remote learning." Continue Reading

SBA’s Buckles to Serve as Chairman of NATE SEMC Ad-Hoc Committee NATE also announced the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Committee (SEMC) has been designated as an official NATE Ad-Hoc Committee. Jeremy Buckles, Senior Manager - Safety International at SBA Communications Corporation will serve as the new Chairman of the NATE SEMC Ad-Hoc Committee.

“On behalf of the SEMC, we are excited to make this safety climb systems guidelines consensus document available as a means to ultimately enhance safety in the communications infrastructure industry,” said Jeremy Buckles. “We are also thrilled to formalize our committee efforts under NATE’s organizational structure which will provide a boost to our industry's worker protection through future testing initiatives and research,” said Buckles. Continue Reading

Valmont Issues New Digital Catalog Valmont Site Pro 1 announced their new 2020-2021 Safety, Supply and Rigging catalog in digital format, ready for immediate download. The catalog features brand new products from Petzl, Skylotec, 3M DBI, Elk River, Sterling and more.

“With the release of this new catalog we've become an even greater resource of safety and rigging equipment for our customers. We’ve added many new products which will be in stock at all nine of our nationwide locations," said Michael Clementi, General Manager of Valmont Site Pro 1.

The company said they have also expanded their line of free premium giveaways with their Fearless Platinum Collection. This includes brand new items like Yeti Coolers, Luminox Watches, SureFire Flashlights, SpyderCo Knives and much more. These items can be unlocked with select safety purchases.

Bravado Health to Screen Critical Infrastructure Workers for COVID-19 Bravado Health partnered with FordCom Tower Service to screen employees daily for symptoms of coronavirus disease (COVID‑19). The screening program includes all FordCom employees, who are considered essential critical infrastructure workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

FordCom builds and maintains wireless communication towers in the Midwest. Before going to work each day, employees record their health status and temperature on their smartphone. If anything appears to be out of range, the employee is directed to stay home, and a safety manager is notified to provide assistance.

“It is our belief that in times of crisis it is our responsibility to ‘keep the phones on,’” said FordCom CEO Brian Ford. “Without skilled telecom technicians, so many services we take for granted go away. As employers, it’s our responsibility to give our workers the safest environment possible. Bravado Health’s screening program enables us to screen all our employees at scale, ensuring a safer workplace for our employees and customers.” Continue Reading

Austria Hungry for 5G Security After announcing last month that Austria was postponing its 5G auction, state regulation authority RTR is now developing minimum security standards for 5G. Telecompaper reported that Austria is reviewing its telecommunications infrastructure with a focus on 5G transmissions.

The document being drafted was developed by representatives from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism. Pending a review by government consultants, the new security measures are slated to go into effect this June. Recognizing the technical complexity of 5G, the RTR has compiled information from European and International sources to adopt and compare security measures. The RTR is looking at which approaches are the most effective, and how Austrian enterprises can stay compliant with best practices.

Telecoms in Austria will be required to adhere to standards accepted by the RTR. As it oversees the implementation of 5G, the RTR will be collecting information so that it can take immediate action in the event of potential security breaches.

Recent Releases Latest posting from the FCC 4/27/20 Click Here

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