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Wednesday, April 11, 2018 Volume 6 | Issue 71

FCC Fines Sprint and Mobilitie in Small Cell Siting Probe For $11.6M Sprint and Mobilitie will pay a combined $11.6 million to resolve two FCC investigations regarding whether the companies completed tower registration and environmental and historic impact reviews before building small cell infrastructure facilities.

Sprint contracted with Mobilitie to deploy wireless network equipment. Under rules in effect at that time, deploying wireless infrastructure facilities, like towers and structures for small cells, required environmental and historic preservation reviews, including Tribal consultation, before construction, to assess possible effects on wildlife, flood plains, historic Tribal sites, and other sites of historic or cultural significance. Continue Reading

Philippines Carrier-Owned Towers Are Military Targets While the Philippine government hopes to bring back peace talks between itself, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA), cell towers have been a prime target of the latter, according to the Manila Bulletin News. The unrest against the Philippine government and the desire by the CPP to form a coalition government has kept the conflict going for 49 years.

The House of Representatives has urged a return to the conference table with President Duarte’s consent, provided there would be a ceasefire agreement in place. Telecommunications infrastructure has also been under attack according to Army intelligence reports, with damage to 89 cell towers since 2002 — 23 in Region 5 (Bicol), 19 in Region 11 (Davao), and 13 in Region 3 (Central Luzon), the News reported. The NPA is targeting Globe Telecom and its foreign partner Singapore Telecom, the government has said, in an effort to get them to pay a “revolutionary tax.” The attacks on towers slowed this year due to increased military presence and a “stepped-up corporate social responsibility program and localized hiring of personnel, mostly recommended by barangay [local] officials” said the News.

Vermont State Sends in the COWs With Impending Loss of Carrier UPDATE Gov. Phil Scott announced the arrival of a cell-on-wheels to provide coverage for a Grace Cottage Hospital in southern Vermont. Inside Towers reported recently on the possibility of the state intervening to provide emergency coverage of 911 calls as a result of a provider’s demise. The carrier in question is CoverageCo, which has a network of 160 antennas set up across the state, according to US News and World Report.

Although the company is reportedly now working with the state to try to keep the service running, state officials told legislators that their operations would likely come to a halt. The Governor said AT&T is planning a permanent cell site in Townshend as part of its FirstNet nationwide first responder network, US News reported.

Carr Sees Broadband in Action in Nevada

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr watches a construction crew pulling fiber in Pahrump, NV, for Valley Communications Association while Ponderosa Dairy in Amargosa Valley uses high-speed broadband for “smart” agriculture.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr visited several towns in southern Nevada on Monday, focusing on the impact that high-speed broadband can have on small businesses, healthcare, education and economic development in rural communities. In Mountain Falls, he visited a construction crew pulling fiber in Pahrump, Nevada, for Valley Communications Association. He called such deployment “important, hard work” on his Twitter feed.

Carr also went to Beatty Medical Clinic, which practices telemedicine and Ponderosa Dairy in Amargosa Valley, among other places. The dairy is employing smart agriculture. “From connected cows to online feed monitoring, to nearly every aspect of the operation, the farm relies on its high-speed, fixed wireless connection,” Carr tweeted.

April 9, 2018 at Close

CommScope to Release First Quarter 2018 Financial Results on May 1 CommScope Holding Company, Inc. plans to release its first quarter 2018 financial results on Tuesday, May 1, before the market opens. The release will be followed by an 8:30 a.m. ET conference call in which management will discuss first quarter results. To participate in the conference call, dial +1 844-397-6169 (US and Canada only) or +1 478-219- 0508, approximately 15 minutes before the start of the call to facilitate a timely connection. The conference identification number is 7977267.

The live, listen-only audio of the call will be available through a link on the Investor Relations Events and Presentations page of CommScope’s Investor Relations website.

Pennsylvania Defining Tower vs. Pole In Central PA Springfield Township supervisors held a public hearing Tuesday night related to upgrading cell phone tower and antenna requirements, according to the Allied News. Amendments to the existing plan met with the approval of the Township Planning Commission.

Planning consultant Rick Grossman said, there’s a “growing complexity” to the town’s telecommunications solutions and the current municipal zoning ordinance doesn’t address new options. For instance, Grossman proposes in the amendment that antennaed structures over 50 feet high be defined as a tower, rather than a pole. “Towers,” then, won’t be placed in a public right-of-way or in front of someone’s home and antennas would require a set back or camouflage treatment to garner approval. Alternative structures, like water towers, would be encouraged for antenna locations.

“The goal of good zoning is to seek balance,” he told the News.

Massachusetts School District Snags $240K Infrastructure Grant North Attleboro school district recently scored a $240,000 grant from the state education department to introduce personalized digital learning devices to every student district-wide, plus upgrade wireless infrastructure, Technology Director Gideon Gaudette told the Sun Chronicle.

The upgrades are welcomed from students, who shared frustrations with the current system, saying the unpredictability of the connectivity often throws a wrench into lesson plans, Gaudette said.

As a condition of the grant, the school department is required to match and spend approximately half of the funding ($119,257) on technology infrastructure or devices within the next year to promote digital learning, according to the Sun Chronicle. If successful, the school can potentially qualify for additional reimbursements the following year.

Clarification on Wireless Connect 2018 Article From Jonathan Adelstein of WIA Last Monday’s article entitled Network Projects Delayed or Undone Due to Staff Shortages covered the subject of staffing shortages of qualified tower techs in the industry. WIA President and CEO Jonathan Adelstein made the following clarification of his comments in the article:

“My public comments made at Wireless Connect on April 4th were misinterpreted and misreported,” Adelstein told Inside Towers. “To clarify, many companies in the wireless industry have quality in-house training programs that meet their companies’ specific needs. In fact, in-house instruction is exactly what apprenticeships are all about, and is something we strongly support. WIA’s Telecommunications Education Center (TEC) aims to provide the entire industry with comprehensive training that will go a long way in strengthening the wireless industry and can supplement other training programs, including in-house training,” he said. “Our industry is ripe for this type of comprehensive training – not, as reported, more tragedies – in order for us to prepare for the ongoing deployment of new wireless infrastructure.”

Block Commits to GatesAir for Repack Needs GatesAir has installed transmitters for nearly 50 repack sites so far. Now, the manufacturer announced Block Communications has exclusively committed to GatesAir for its five TV stations and related translator sites in Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, choosing a mix of Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled and UAXTE air-cooled transmitters. The five stations comprise three projects, each with unique needs and characteristics. The first to go on the air in February of this year, WAND-DT in Decatur, Illinois, is a Maxiva ULXTE-90 transmitter; the other two projects involve more expansive facility upgrades and, in the case of WHOL-DT and WLIO-DT in Lima, Ohio, moving to a new tower site.

Fred Vobbe, VP and Chief Operator for Block Communications, points to GatesAir’s high-power strengths, company longevity and customer support strengths as differentiating factors in their decision. Vobbe said the broadcaster was impressed with the quality and efficiency of the GatesAir liquid-cooled transmitters. “This is especially important for our Louisville project, where two ULXTE transmitters will combine for more than one million watts of ERP,” said Vobbe. “More importantly, we wanted a company that we knew would be around tomorrow. Our current transmitters were made by companies that no longer operate,” said Vobbe.

Block Communications joins Cordillera, Heartland, Hearst and Raycom among other broadcasters that have exclusively committed to GatesAir repack transmitters. GatesAir’s booth is in the North Hall (#N3703) of the Las Vegas Convention Center this week for NAB 2018.

Wireless West 2018 Kicked Off in LA

The 3rd Annual Wireless West Conference, opened yesterday at the JW Marriott in Downtown Los Angeles. Wireless West is a collaboration of the the five western SWAPS from California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Washington, all uniting with the goal of providing a forum for shared learning and networking among wireless industry professionals.

Session topics on day one include a discussion of the small cell market, led by VERTICOM CEO Jeff Lewis, trends and predictions for the tower industry in a panel hosted by Director of Strategic Tower Advisors Tom Engel and the future of smart city technology, moderated by DeWired CEO Kamal Sadarangani.

Keynote speakers at WWC this year will include Marc Ganzi, CEO of Digital Bridge as well as as Rams CTO Skarpi Hedinsson and COO/Director of Football Operations Kevin Demoff.

“We are incredibly grateful to Marc Ganzi for joining us to share his industry expertise, as well as Skarpi and Kevin for joining us from the Rams. These speakers represent the ever-evolving face of wireless needs in the sports world and mass media, and we are excited to have them," said California Wireless Association President Patti Ringo.

“Year after year, it is our goal to provide an experience unlike anything else in the wireless industry. As always, we would like to thank all of our sponsors and attendees, and are looking forward to a memorable conference!” said Kari Willis, WWC17 Organizer and CALWA Board Chairwoman.

Pennsylvania STC To Get Final Approval For 250-Foot Tower in Central PA Buffalo Township’s zoning commission green-lighted construction of a 250-foot, lighted lattice tower and the town’s board of supervisors are expected to add their final approval on Wednesday, according to TribLive. The site for the tower is off Fleming Road with Verizon as the primary customer and STC Towers, of Warsaw, IN as the developer.

Company spokesman Sean M. Boylan told TribLive, the tower will be about 250 feet tall, will have flashing lights per FAA requirements and can accommodate up to four wireless carriers. Boylan said the company has about 14 similar projects under way in various stages in the western part of the state.

Colorado Tower For Skull Creek The Moffat County Commissioners at a public hearing Monday, approved a permit for Skyway Towers Communication to build a tower on private property at Skull Creek near Massadona, according to the Craig Press.

NATE WIN Pacific Regional Conference Needs Registrations By Friday On Thursday, April 26, NATE WIN will host the Pacific Regional Conference at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel. The conference will kick off with a National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) session on becoming NWSA certified, conducted by Executive Director Duane MacEntee. This session will educate attendees on NWSA’s nationwide certification programs available to the communications tower industry workforce and will guide participants through the steps required to obtain NWSA credentials.

Additional presentations at the Pacific Regional Conference include a panel discussion on Small Cell Deployment moderated by Ryan Dixon, Vice President of Advanced Tower Components; a session presented by Eric Ringer, Co- Founder and Senior Product Manager of Skyward, a Drone/UAS development company; and a session entitled The Myth Behind the Certificate of Insurance – Are You Really Covered? presented by John McGarvey, Vice President of BB&T Insurance Services.

The cost to attend the conference is $75 per person and includes lunch. Register by completing the Registration Form on the NATE website. All completed registration forms and payments should be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the NATE office (8 Second Street SE, Watertown, SD 57201) by the registration deadline of Friday, April 13, 2018.

"Top O' the World Ma" Walden Peak in Kellogg, ID, contributed by Ethon A. Dolph of North Sky Communications, LLC.

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Managing Editor: Jim Fryer Washington Bureau Chief: Leslie Stimson Writers: Jordan Burns, Cara Peer & Keara M. Piekanski Marketing: Megan Reed Creative: Cara Aston Advertising & Classifieds: Phil Cook | Mike Dryden

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