Click here for the online version. This e-mail was created for [email protected] Subscribe • Advertise Tuesday, May 11, 2021 Volume 9 | Issue 92 Three Chinese Telecoms to be Delisted from NYSE UPDATE Shares of three major Chinese telecom carriers will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after their appeals against being dropped were rejected, reports Markets Insider. China Mobile, China Unicom (Hong Kong), and China Telecom said they all expected the NYSE to request permission from the Securities and Exchange Commission to delist their American depositary receipts, according to the account. The SEC said the delisting will take effect in ten days, according to the account. In response, China Mobile stated it will continue to pay close attention to the development of “related matters and seek professional advice to protect the lawful rights of the company and its shareholders.” Continue Reading UScellular Readies for Competition By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor UScellular (NYSE: USM) has strategic initiatives and priorities underway that position the company to compete in its operating area while driving long-term growth. The company reported 1Q21 wireless service revenues of $771 million, up 1 percent from $762 million in 1Q20. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $302 million, up 8 percent on a year-over-year basis. USM is guiding 2021 mid- point service revenues and adjusted EBITDA to $3.1 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively. Capital expenditures of $125 million in 1Q21 were down nearly 50 percent from $236 million in 1Q20. USM’s for full- year 2020 reached $940 million, the highest in its history, for 5G and network modernization. Continue Reading SaaS B+T Group’s Site360 Sees Better Than 20/20 Tulsa, Oklahoma-based B+T Group is a wireless engineering, site acquisition and construction services firm that leverages its proprietary Site360 technology to help customers shorten on-air time and save money. Created in 2014, the Site360 platform uses photogrammetry and 3D imagery to provide the most accurate asset documentation and measurement for state-of-the- art site inspection. Founders Dinesh Bhat and Chad Tuttle, CEO, launched B&T Engineering in 2000, as a home- based consulting and structural engineering firm, after recognizing the growing need for structural analysis due to co- location on wireless towers. B+T Group now offers turnkey services with a collective mission to “accelerate the world’s communications through ambition, innovation and extraordinary service.” “Site360 was first developed as an internal tool to give our engineers and CAD designers better information. The previous method to collect data was pretty antiquated,” says Tuttle. B+T Group’s experienced network of pilots operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that follow automated flight plans to collect comprehensive data on an entire communications site in one visit. Continue Reading FCC to Launch $7.17 Billion Connectivity Fund Program The FCC Monday adopted final rules to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. The $7.17 billion program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The program will enable schools and libraries to purchase laptop and tablet computers, WiFi hotspots, and broadband connectivity for students, school staff, and library patrons in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Far too often, students, teachers, and library patrons lack the access they need to broadband and connected devices. This need has become even more apparent during these unprecedented times,” said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Between this Emergency Connectivity Fund Program and the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, we are investing more than $10 billion in American students and households. They will help close the Homework Gap for students nationwide and give so many more households the ability to connect, communicate, and more fully participate in modern life.” The new rules define eligible equipment and services, service locations, eligible uses, and reasonable support amounts for funding. It designates the Universal Service Administrative Company as the program administrator with FCC oversight, and leverages the processes and structures used in the E-Rate program for the benefit of schools and libraries already familiar with that program. Find details of the program here. Puerto Rican Carrier Liberty Triples Revenue Under AT&T Since incorporating AT&T’s wireless and wireline operations in the fall of 2020, Liberty Puerto Rico has seen an upswing in revenue, reports NewsIsMyBusiness.com. Liberty's 5G service currently reaches 95 percent of the population in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to the financial report, the AT&T onboarding move last October has resulted in a 245 percent increase in profits. “We’re very happy with the way the transition is going,” said Liberty Puerto Rico CEO Naji Khoury. “The numbers for this quarter show we’re headed in a good direction. We’re very grateful for our customers who are showing their trust and will continue to see how much more we can offer them under the Liberty brand.” Continue Reading May 10, 2021 at Close Colony’s Andean Telecom Partners Closes Debt, Plans for Growth Andean Telecom Partners (ATP), owned by Colony Capital, has closed its $375,000,000 debt offering, worth 4.05 percent Senior Secured Notes due 2026. "We are extremely excited for the future. This funding will enable us to continue investing in the strategic growth opportunities that support our valued client partners in their critical efforts to expand and modernize connectivity throughout the Andean region," said Daniel Seiner, CEO of ATP. "I'm pleased to welcome our new investors to the ATP family." The offering was completed through its subsidiaries ATP Tower Holdings, Andean Tower Partners Colombia SAS, Andean Telecom Partners Peru SRL and Andean Telecom Partners Chile SpA, which were guaranteed its subsidiaries ATP Fiber Colombia SAS, Redes de Fibra del Peru SRL and ATP Fiber Chile SpA, according to Capacity Media. Continue Reading New York A Two-Tower Tango Plays Out in New York The original request was simple, reports Riverhead Local. Crown Castle wanted to take down two towers and replace them with a single monopole. Things have not gone smoothly in Riverhead, NY, with challenges launched and lawsuits flying, according to the account. But now the town board has okayed the cell tower permit that will allow the project to move ahead. The issue started when Crown Castle could not come to terms with the property owners of the two current sites. Instead, the company proposed removing both towers and erecting one 120-foot tower at a new location. The Riverhead Zoning Board of Appeals gave Crown Castle access to the new site. But there was a stipulation that the towerco would agree replacement towers would not be built on the two original sites. Continue Reading Maine Upgrades Broadband Standards Before Doling Out Grants The ConnectMaine Authority (ConnectME) is poised to distribute a $15 million state bond coupled with taxpayer grants to expand and improve broadband, reported the Portland Press Herald. Before doling out the funds, ConnectME is proposing new guidelines to ensure broadband projects will provide “dramatically faster speeds than the current minimum standard” and expand coverage to unserved areas, affecting 11 percent of the state. According to Director Peggy Schaffer, the authority is committed to making sure the investment will meet current and future broadband needs and speeds. “Generally, the public just wants it to work,” Schaffer said. “That is what we want to do, to make sure people don’t have the spinning circle of death as they try to connect to the internet, especially on a network the state has partially paid for.” Continue Reading FTC Criticizes Manufacturers for Limiting Product Repairs The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a report on how manufacturers limit product repairs. Called “Nixing the Fix,” the 50+ page document details a bevy of repair restrictions, especially those imposed by mobile phone and car manufacturers. The anticompetitive practices covered by the FTC range from limited availability of spare parts and diagnostic software to designs that make repairs more difficult than needed. In response, the FTC wants to develop new laws and rules surrounding repairs, but it says it also wants better enforcement of existing legislation like the Magnuson- Moss Warranty Act (MMWA). The Act bars manufacturers from using access to warranty coverage as a way of obstructing consumers’ ability to have their products maintained or repaired using third-party replacement parts and independent repair shops. Continue Reading Australia’s National Broadband Network Deploying 900,000 Fiber Connections Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) Co announced it would deploy 900,000 fiber connections across the suburbs and towns of Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia, according to ARN. This news follows NBN’s commitment in September 2020, to invest $3.5 billion to upgrade its network, including fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) connections. NBN will enable access to download speeds of nearly 1 Gbps on demand by 2023, provided customers order plans based on eligible wholesale speed tiers. For FTTC customers not currently eligible for higher speed tiers, NBN will require 100/20 Mbps plans or higher to qualify for a fiber upgrade, reported ARN. “We very deliberately rolled out the National Broadband Network at pace across Australia using a range of technologies to ensure we could provide access to high speed broadband services across Australia as quickly as possible,” said NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue. Telus Expands British Columbia 5G Network As part of its long range plans, Canadian telecom Telus is moving forward with 5G outreach, bringing connectivity to over 200 new communities within the province. VancouverIsAwesome.com notes the total $54 billion nationwide investment (through 2024) will focus on British Columbia, but will also include over 330 other communities across Canada.