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Subscribe • Advertise Tuesday, November 12, 2019 Volume 7 | Issue 221

WiFi Coming to a National Park Near You? A proposal being reviewed by the Department of the Interior is pondering the advantages of bringing WiFi to national park sites. The Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee, now defunct, initiated the recommendation, reports KIRO- TV.

If the proposal advances, it would clear the way for private businesses to operate within campgrounds. Rustic locations at various campsites across the United States could see the arrival of internet service, food trucks, and Amazon deliveries. While some visitors welcome the availability of expanded cell phone services and modern amenities, others believe the incursion would ruin the spirit of a wilderness experience.

In favor of the proposal, Mount Rainier visitor Abby Gray told KIRO-TV, "Today we had to kind of go to different coffee shops to try to get signal and get WiFi to find our way around and try to figure out where we were going to go, so the WiFi really appealed to me a lot.” Expressing an opposing viewpoint, park visitor Rena Watkins said, “Don’t mess it up, don’t mess it up. No doubt in my mind that it would disrupt the system and we don’t need that, we don’t need it. Just come out here and see this stuff the way it is and the way it was meant to be.”

The National Park Service has not yet made a decision on what services might be allowable, or which national parks would be candidates for modernization.

Russia Megafon May Sell Its 16,500 Tower Inventory Russian media outlet Izvestia reported mobile operator Megafon said it's talking with several national and international companies on the sale of its 16,500 tower inventory reports.

The price tag could total RUB 85-95 billion (roughly $1.5B U.S.) with Russian Towers, Vertikal and Service-Telecom as the leading suitors within Russia, although the source alluded to potential foreign partners as well.

Looking to Sewers for Inspiration Proposed law, Senate Bill 2811 would establish "communication districts" in New Hampshire in an effort to facilitate broadband access. The bill is being sponsored by Senator Jeanne Dietsch (D-Peterborough), reports GraniteGeek.

“It’s very similar to a sewer district,” explained Dietsch. “It can be financed by grants, loans, bonds and user fees, but not taxation. The idea is to build out a certain level, then revenues from that will help you build the next level.” The districts would not be limited to town borders and the thought is that interested communities would be able to work together to build their own broadband networks. Dietsch added that New Hampshire has not yielded to FCC authority and is working towards creative solutions for connectivity. Continue Reading

Arkansas Joins DOJ-T-Mobile-Sprint Proposed Settlement The Department of Justice added Arkansas as a plaintiff in the suit and proposed settlement concerning the proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint. Arkansas becomes the ninth state to join the DOJ settlement, along with Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota. The settlement is designed to launch Dish Network Corp. as a fourth nationwide wireless provider.

The DOJ says the deal protects competition, and will expedite the availability of high-quality networks. It does not, however, resolve a multi-state lawsuit that seeks to block the telecom merger; a trial is pending next month in federal court.

“We are gratified that Arkansas shares our view of the tremendous benefits to competition that will arise out of the proposed consent judgment,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “A combined T-Mobile and Sprint, coupled with competition from Dish, will provide increased value to residents of Arkansas and consumers nationwide.” Continue Reading

Carriers to FCC: 5G Coverage Data Too New to be Mandated Some of the major carriers are urging the FCC not to require them to submit detailed coverage information related to 5G. The issue arises as the agency is planning to require carriers to submit standardized, and more accurate, coverage data. The agency is soliciting input on how to update its Form 477 information, including considering crowd sourcing, Inside Towers reported.

The issue also coincides with carriers’ marketing push for 5G, with test labs and initial markets being lit up.

The agency voted in August to improve its broadband mapping process to better pinpoint where households and businesses have broadband and where broadband access is lacking. Commission officials said during the vote, the changes are meant to improve data collection while reducing the burden on carriers, Inside Towers reported. Continue Reading

November 11, 2019 at Close

RF Industries Buys Schroff Technologies to Expand 5G Footprint San Diego-based RF Industries, a national manufacturer and marketer of interconnect products and systems, said it has acquired Schroff Technologies International, Inc., a privately owned Rhode Island-based manufacturer of products serving the high growth wireless, telecom, and cable markets.

Schroff Technologies has two primary product offerings. The first is an energy-efficient cooling system for wireless base stations and remote equipment shelters that can decrease a telecom carrier's air conditioning costs up to 75 percent. Schrofftech's second product line is a family of custom designed, pole-ready 5G small cell integrated enclosures. These enclosures provide improved aesthetics and reduce small cell installation time from days to hours. Continue Reading

Chittenden Interested in Pittsford Tower While Pittsford, Vermont is reluctant to erect a new cell tower, neighboring Chittenden says it would be happy to have it, reports the Rutland Herald. Head of the Chittenden Emergency Management Team, Jan Sotirakis, indicated that poor cell service in her town would be improved by placing the tower there. She noted that the Chittenden Reservoir Dam relies on an early warning system that would benefit from the support of a stronger signal.

AT&T selected Pittsford as a desirable location for a cell tower in the FirstNet emergency response network, but the town's Select Board unanimously voted against the proposed Oxbow Road site. The Public Utility Commission has jurisdiction for the decision on the 140-foot tower request. Zoning issues cannot be overridden by the Select Board, though the commission does have a voice in the matter.

At a recent town meeting, Town Manager John Haverstock confirmed that AT&T listened and was considering other options. The Chittenden site is one of several possibilities. The Rutland Herald suggests that Sotirakis' suggestion was the most enthusiastic. No decision has yet been reached.

New Hybrid ColoCoil® AM Isocoupler Systems for /5G Cellular

A multicarrier LBA Technology ColoCoil® installation at 10,000 watt WCNL in Newport, NH. On the left are two LBA standard ColoCoils isolating 12 coaxial cables, which have operated for 15 years. On the right, four standard coax ColoCoils have been replaced in a very confined space with four LBA Hybrid ColoCoils®, supporting some twenty 4G/5G remote radio heads. LBA Group has introduced Hybrid ColoCoil® -series isocouplers to “economically isolate current fiber/copper hybrid cables from ‘hot’ AM towers,” according to Jerry Brown, Director of Sales. Brown said hybrid cables are fast replacing coaxial cables for advanced 4G and new 5G cellular installations so for legacy AM colocations, LBA Hybrid ColoCoils become drop-in upgrade replacements for coaxial ColoCoils, saving valuable space in tower-base compounds.

“Quick installation minimizes crew costs and AM station downtime. Depending upon hybrid cable configuration, each Hybrid ColoCoil® can support up to nine remote radio heads,” Brown said.

The nature of an AM radio tower requires that any metallic cable running to the AM tower must be electrically isolated from the tower to prevent disruption of the AM transmission. In many cases this means the use of what’s generally referred to as an AM isocoupler. Hybrid cable is not excluded from this requirement. While the fiber does not have to be isolated, any DC or alarm wire pairs in a hybrid cable must be isolated from the AM tower. Continue Reading

T-Mobile Reveals Potential Public Service Projects

T-Mobile Thursday teased the kinds of public service projects it can accomplish if its planned merger with Sprint happens. It plans to turn on 5G on December 6, laying the foundation for the new T-Mobile’s network if the transaction closes as expected in 2020. At the same time, the company is preparing for a December court date with states that want to stop the merger.

The company pledged to begin what it’s calling the Connecting Heroes Initiative, a 10-year commitment to provide free 5G access — unlimited talk, text and smartphone data — to every first responder at every public and non-profit state and local police, fire and EMS agency across the country. More than 75 percent of fire chiefs describe budget limitations as a top challenge, according to the telecom. “Participating first responders will always have the highest priority of any plan on T-Mobile’s network no matter how much data they use,” CEO John Legere told reporters Thursday. First responders can sign up here. Continue Reading

Starks Names New Legal Advisor FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks appointed Austin Bonner as legal advisor for wireline and public safety issues. Bonner comes to the agency from the Harris, Wiltshire, & Grannis law firm, where she was an associate. In the Communications and Appellate Litigation groups, Bonner covered matters involving regulatory challenges, constitutional law, and statutory interpretation, with a particular focus on complex technologies and .

Bonner has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. She also regularly teaches courses for attorneys on issues in administrative law and appellate advocacy.

MTN Group Plans to Part Ways with American Tower Although American Tower Corp. and MTN Group have worked together to build cell towers in Ghana and Uganda, that partnership may be nearing an end. According to Telecompaper.com, MTN Group is gearing up to sell off its interests in the near future. MTN reportedly values their tower assets at $8 billion ZAR, or over $540 million in U.S. currency.

Meanwhile, American Tower Corp. continued with its own expansion plans with the acquisition of Eaton Towers last May. As rivals like Jumia Technologies and Botswana's Mascom continue to strategize for dominance on the African continent, MTN is also working to reposition itself. Telecompaper.com speculates that MTN Group has its eye on the telecom market in .

Commercial UAV Expo Americas 2019 Draws Record Audience

The commercial UAV Expo Americas 2019, held October 28-30 at the Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas showed the subject of drones and their practical applications in the commercial infrastructure world has a growing audience. Show producers announced they attracted more than 3,100 professionals in the commercial drone industry indicating a 32 percent growth in attendance over last year’s event. “The year-over-year growth was tremendous,” said Lisa Murray, Group Director at Diversified Communications, producers of the event. “We had 110 new exhibitors and a total of 260 booths.”

The event kicked off Monday October 28 with extensive pre-conference programming including live outdoor flying demonstrations in Henderson, NV put on in cooperation with Sundance Media Group and participating vendors AeroVironment, Autel Robotics, DroneNerds, FLIR, Geometrics, Leica Geosystems, LIDARUSA and Micasense. According to Christopher Wacinski of FevaTech, who attended the demos, “Hands-on experience and being able to go physically see the operations in real time was fantastic. It’s critical, because you can really visualize how you can take and apply this technology and demonstration into your real-world operations.” Continue Reading

State Wireless Association’s Gift to Veterans

Alex Beiro, Jr., President Virginia Wireless Association (VAWA) recently presented a check to Ret. General, Kevin Kennedy, President Warriors4Wireless for $10,000 following the association’s recent golf outing on October 23 at Kings Mill Resort in Williamsburg, VA.

“Thanks to all the sponsors and players who made for a fantastic event,” Biero, Jr. said.

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