AT&T and American Tower Ask North Carolina City to Allow Towers in Residential Areas

The major wireless carriers along with the tower companies are working together to build up our wireless infrastructure so mobile coverage is easily accessible. AT&T and American Tower have asked the City-County Planning Board of Winston-Salem, North Carolina to change its ordinance and allow communication towers to be built within residential areas.

“Consumers are relying on their wireless devices today for communications, shopping, and accessing information, and will rely on them even more in the future,” said Clifton Metcalf with AT&T. “To meet consumers’ demands for reliable connections, better mobile coverage and faster mobile speeds, wireless carriers must erect various types of antennas in multiple locations.”

If the City-County Planning Board allows this ordinance to pass, then companies will be permitted to construct cell phone towers in residential areas as long as they are concealed. This will help increase the mobile coverage in the area. Access to mobile broadband is becoming increasingly necessary as people switch from landlines to mobile devices. More than one of every four American homes (26.6%) deserted their landline telephone service and now rely exclusively on wireless service. (Source: Wireless Substitution) and CTIA—The Wireless Association reported that, “U.S. wireless data traffic grew 123 percent from 2010 (388 billion megabytes) to 2011 (866.7 billion megabytes).”

Members of the wireless industry, such as AT&T and American Tower, are working with cities, states, and federal governments to reduce the restriction companies must face when proposing to build a cell tower in residential and sometimes even commercial areas.

Verizon Cell Service Has Been Restored in Most of Colorado Flood-Ravaged Areas

When cell sites became inaccessible due to the flooding and washed out roadways in Colorado, Verizon Wireless worked overtime to restore cell phone service. They have placed a temporary cell site on wheels (COW) in Lyons, Colorado until the permanent cell sites can be repaired.

“Verizon crews used a helicopter to reach flood damaged facilities in Estes Park to fully restore service by Saturday evening.  Microwave transmission facilities were installed to carry voice and data traffic from area cell sites to the company's switching center, bypassing miles of damaged fiber lines,” according to Verizon’s press release.

Verizon Wireless service status by community as of Sunday morning:

• Estes Park – Equipment and crews airlifted in; full service restored
• Lyons – Temporary cell site activated; full service restoral pending
• Boulder – Two sites previously lost commercial power; full service restored
• Longmont -- No cell sites out of service
• Greeley and Fort Collins – No cell sites out of service
• Thayne, WY – Full service restored

Gogo Announces Unveiling Of New In-Flight Technology With Virgin America

Gogo, who is the world leader of in-flight connectivity and wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, has announced that they will be hosting a live Webcast along with President and CEO of Virgin American, David Crush. While mobile technology on airplanes has been a no-no for many years, some wonder if it really will interfere with the airplane signals and some wonder how this is possible.

Gogo uses an Air-to-Ground network that consists of cellular based networks that is made up of more than 160 towers in the United States and Canada. These towers are different than most of the towers constructed these days. Instead of having the signals pointed at the ground, the towers point their signals toward the sky so the aircraft can pick up the signal through a receiver that has been installed on its underside. Then the data signal is distributed throughout the cabin.

Now, is this technology safe? Many people have thought that using mobile phones and wireless technology will interfere with the airplane’s signals. On their website Gogo explains that, “Before allowing our service to be used on board the plane, all aspects of its use were rigorously tested by Gogo and our airline partners and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).”

Webcast Details

• To attend the Webcast and add it to your calendar, register at gogo.to/register.
• The Webcast will be streamed from Gogo's blog. The link will be emailed to you upon completing registration.
• The event will take place at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 11
• Gogo CEO, Michael Small; Virgin America President and CEO, David Cush; and Gogo's CTO,Anand Chari, will be making the announcement and available for questions after the event.

Smart Phone Users Believe They Shouldn’t Experience Data Issues

According to Statistic Brain last year, the United State had a total of 190,000 cell phone towers, which is a huge increase from the 900 that were reported in 1985. While cell phone towers are increasing in number, it’s been difficult to keep up with the demand of mobile subscriptions leaving some networks overwhelmed and unable to deliver optimum cell coverage.

In a recent study released by Vasona Networks, they revealed that most smart phone users expect operators to provide flawless access with zero downtime or quality issues. According to Vasona Networks, “sixty-four percent of consumers responding to the survey cited ‘good performance all the time’ as a reasonable expectation from their mobile data service provider. Just 36 percent of subscribers still think it is reasonable for there to be ‘hiccups in performance,’ ‘unavailability for extended periods’ or ‘unavailability in certain places.’”

Even though consumers expect to receive flawless service all of the time, most of them are against the placement of cell phone towers in or near their residential area. However, you can’t have spectacular cell services with no tower around. The maximum range of a cell phone tower is 21.7 miles (Source: Statistic Brain).

"Mobile Internet performance is becoming increasingly important for consumers and this survey indicates just how high a bar subscribers are setting for their service providers," says John Reister, vice president of marketing and product management for Vasona Networks. "Our findings indicate that it is no longer sufficient for mobile operators to offer a good experience most of the time across most of their network. Today, if every cell isn't delivering great performance, subscribers are being let down."

Many of the major cell are concentrating on Distribute Antenna Systems (DAS) to help boost service areas in high traffic areas where constructing a cell tower isn’t possible. DAS helps address the exponential network traffic growth at large venues and other hard to serve areas, such as sporting and entertainment venues, hospitals, college campuses, airports, hotels, conference centers and more. (Source: AT&T)

Permanent Structure Being Considered To Help With Border Control

A mobile surveillance tower sits on top of a hill east of Nogales, AZ, manned by a Border Patrol agent who keeps a watch on the border fence below. Currently, the tower sits in the bed of a pickup truck but it may be replaced with a permanent tower.

Curt Prendergrast of the Nogales International reported that, “In order to make that a reality, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seizing small pieces of land east of Nogales, spawning frustration among the owners of the seized land that stretches like a snake from the end of Royal Road into the river valley.”

Residents in this area aren’t please with the DHS’s decision to seize private land and this isn’t the first time that they have done this. In 2008, the Department of Homeland Security sued nine landowners to gain access to portions of their land that they found necessary to construct the border fence. The tower will potentially be built on the highest points of the Carmencita Ranch, so it will be visible anywhere on the property  The owner of the ranch, Tony Sedgwick, believes this will deter developers from buying the land. 

Madison County Cell Tower Complete And Available To Rent

Now that the Madison County E-911 Communications Center completed their $23 million communication upgrades, their new cell tower has space to lease. The city’s goal is to improve the wireless Internet and cellular services.

Ned Campbell of the Utica Observer-Dispatch reported that, “For those companies, renting tower space costs much less than building a new one and allows them to avoid going through local zoning and planning boards at a time when municipalities are trying to keep new towers at a minimum.”

The county is currently reviewing a lease with Verizon Wireless, who is looking to lease space on one of the new towers in the area.

North Carolina Employs Tracking Technology To Keep Students Safe

When you send your child off to school, it can be nerve-wracking especially those first few weeks when school is back in session. In school districts across North Carolina, a new wireless technology is being used to provide real time information about the school buses: their location, their speed, and whether or not they stop at railroad crossings.

This technology, powered by Synovia, uses Cellular Vehicle Tacking, which is when a tracking method uses the cellular network infrastructure to determine the location of the transmitter. Synovia partners with wireless companies to provide this service to schools, law enforcement, and even commercial companies.

This wireless technology is giving parents the peace of mind that their children have arrived safely to and from school. North Carolina school districts are using Synovia technology on Verizon's network to provide safe and efficient student transportation this school year.

"Parents entrust us each day with the safety of their children, and this solution aids in our ability to manage a fleet of 300 school buses on a daily basis with advanced monitoring capabilities," said Scott Denton, transportation director for Durham Public Schools. "I now feel as if I'm riding alongside each of our drivers— morning and afternoon."

AT&T’s Newly Acquired Towers Won’t Increase Coverage in Wisconsin

AT&T announced that they acquired 32 towers in northeast Wisconsin to boost coverage; however, this is not entirely the case. The towers that AT&T purchased are not going to increase network coverage because they already had equipment on these 32 towers.

The Peninsula Pulse reported that, “The equipment AT&T purchased on those 32 towers were already servicing the company’s customers, but was owned by a company called Bug Tussel Wireless. AT&T made a purchase, but that won’t have an immediate effect on coverage because the company bought equipment it was already using.”

While residents of these northeast Wisconsin counties believed that their AT&T service would be increased, that’s not exactly case just yet. AT&T is going to integrate and update the equipment on the sites that they purchased.

“It’s going to take us time to integrate and update the sites,” AT&T representative, Jim Greer, said. “From the second we sign the deal it doesn’t make an impact, but over time you’ll see a significant impact.” (Source: Peninsula Pulse)

Problems With Sprint At Minnesota State Fair Upset Patrons

The Minnesota State Fair began last Thursday and will run until Labor Day on September 2^nd. If you’re roaming the park enjoying the attractions, animal exhibits, the shows or parades then make sure to keep track of your group or you may have trouble reuniting with them, especially if you have Sprint.

Sprint brought in a cell phone tower to increase network coverage during the fair, but it hasn’t been working properly and technicians are now waiting for the parts to be delivered in order to fix it. The network was working just fine until the late afternoon when crowds showed up with their smart phones, which ended up overwhelming the network. Sprint is working to get this problem under control but until they fix the temporary cell tower, coverage will be spotty. 

Stock Information For SBA Communications Released

Here is the stock information for SBA Communications Corp (NASDAQ:SBAC) for the week of 08/19/2013:

Date	Open	Close	High	Low	Volume
08/19/2013	71.6	71.72	72.32	71.1	1,173,961
08/20/2013	71.93	73	73.43	71.47	1,355,075
08/21/2013	73.12	72.34	73.12	72.11	822,616
08/22/2013	72.22	72.43	72.66	71.873	693,628
08/23/2013	72.5	73.47	73.57	72.2	907,574

AT&T Requests to Build a Cell Tower That is Against City’s Regulations

The City of Salem, Oregon limits how tall a communications tower can be as well as how close it can be built in relation to a residential zone. However, recently AT&T asked the city to approve a 69-foot cell tower that would be 55 feet to the closest residence.

The town usually restricts cell towers to a height of 35 feet and they must be at least 300 feet from property zoned for houses or businesses. These regulations were established in 1997; although, since 2006 there have been three variances to the code that have been approved. Taller cell towers, and towers closer to people, have been placed on Lancaster, on Commercial and on Liberty Streets.

The city staff of Salem recommended that in order for this tower to be approved, it should be disguised as an evergreen tree. None of the residents of the Salem community opposed this plan right away, but the Northeast Neighbors Association asked the process be continued so they could discuss this proposal at their monthly meeting. In the upcoming weeks, Scott Fewel, the hearings officer for the city of Salem, will make the final decision regarding the tall tower. 

New York Emergency Radio Project Complete

Tuesday, August 20^th, the Madison County E-911 Communications Center Director, Paul Hartnett, announced the county’s emergency upgrade had been completed. The county is now moving forward to offer space on the tower to technology-based businesses. The county spent $23 million to upgrade their emergency communication system.

“In the course of this upgrade, an opportunity for cellular and related businesses becomes apparent through the co-location of their equipment on any of more than a dozen new and existing towers. We expect this ‘turn-key’ technological infrastructure will be a boon for the right forward-thinking business,” Harnett said. (Source: Madison County Courier)

Now that the emergency radio project has been completed, the county is actively looking to lease the tower space to any interested wireless carriers. 

Copper Stolen From Georgia Cell Tower

 

Copper wire was stolen from the Gordon Highway cell phone tower in Augusta, Georgia. Cables were cut from at least 10 areas at the base of the tower. The damages were estimated to be about $450 in materials and more than $1,000 in labor. The theft occurred sometime between Thursday, August 1^st around 8am and Monday morning.

Cell Tower On Wisconsin School Property May Be Here To Stay

The Prairie du Sac school board approved Verizon’s cell tower proposal in March to construct an 80-foot light pole near the high school’s athletic field where cellular phone companies would add communications antennas, making the height of the tower 150 feet.

The school board approved the lease agreement with a 5-2 vote, even though many members of the community were against this proposal. The cell tower includes an annual payment of $15,000 per year to the school district. Even though the school district approved the lease, Verizon must still obtain the correct building permits.

While many of the residents of the community are upset over this project, there isn’t a lot they can do to stop the construction from happening. On July 1^st, Wisconsin adopted a new state law that restricts the ability of local governments to regulate the placement of cellular towers.

Kim Lamoreaux of The Eagle reported that, “Under the new state law, municipalities are required to rule on a wireless tower permit application within 90 days or the application will be automatically considered approved. Local officials can deny a permit if the applicant refuses to consider putting equipment on a tower shared with other wireless providers, but there are few other reasons available to local governments for a denial.”

Florida Parents Oppose Cell Tower On Elementary School Grounds

In Collier County, Florida a group of parents are upset over the construction of a 75-foot cell phone tower that was placed at Poinciana Elementary School. Many of the parents whose children attend this school were unaware that this project was occurring until they drove up to see the tower in the parking lot. Despite the FCC and the American Cancer Society’s conclusions that the low levels of radiofrequency that is emitted from cell towers isn’t harmful, parents still believe placing the tower so close to the school is unsafe for the children.

This tower was approved in April of 2011 by the student advisory council. Collier County School District now has 4 cell phone towers that generate around $58,000 a year. 

New York State Wireless Association Hosts 6th Annual Golf Outing

Join the NYSWA for its 6^th Annual Golf Outing in Altamont, NY. This event will be help on Thursday, September 26^th from 11:30am to 6:30pm. During this day of golf and fun in the sun, you will be able to enjoy 18-holes of golf, riding cart, lunch, dinner and a chance to win prizes.

This event will be held at the Orchard Creek Golf Club and tee-off shot fun starts at 1pm and registration begins at 11:30am. The cost is $190 per person. The New York State Wireless Association was formed in 2007 to provide an official forum for the cultivation of relationships and exchange of ideas between wireless telecommunications professionals, government officials and the public, and to create a platform for a unified voice among the wireless industry. (Source: NYSWA)

Competitive Carriers Association Begins “CCA Gives Back” Campaign

The Competitive Carriers Association knows that many of its members gives back to their communities by volunteering, supporting local charities, help schools, and work with children. While they know their members don’t do this for the recognition, the CCA would like to share your community outreach with local communities and with the policymakers in Washington, DC.

The CCA is starting the “CCA Gives Back” Campaign.  The CCA would like to recognize a specific community project that your company spearheads. “If your company leads more than one project, please let us know!  Not only will we recognize these outstanding efforts, but we will also compile them into a story of giving back that spans the entire country.  We will let policymakers at the state and federal levels know about the integral role each and every CCA member – Carrier, Associate and Affiliate – plays in the fabric of their communities,” the CCA website explains.

If you are interested in sharing your community service project with the CCA then you can fill out the form here. Many CCA members are making a real impact in their areas and the CCA is proud to share the work that you have been doing with other members.  

Save The Date For Live NATE Webinar

On Tuesday, October 22^nd from 11:00am to 12:00pm EDT, the National Association of Tower Erectors will hold a live webinar presented by Edwin G. Foulke Jr. Foulke is the former Secretary of Labor for OSHA. You can receive more details regarding this webinar by signing up for email alerts or by visiting the NATE website (www.natehome.com).

The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) is a non-profit trade association providing a unified voice for tower erection, maintenance and service companies.

Would You Use the Latest Technology to Monitor Your Child’s Whereabouts?

When children go missing one of the first things officials do is ping their cell phone number. Pinging a cell phone used to be something of a myth, but anyone who watches TV these days knows it’s a real, viable option when you are looking to locate someone.

L. Scott Harrell explains how this technology works in Pursuit Magazine, “A cell phone ‘ping’ is quite simply the process of determining the location, with reasonable accuracy, of a cell phone at any given point in time by utilizing the phone GPS location aware capabilities, it is very similar to GPS vehicle tracking systems. To ‘ping’ in this context means to send a signal to a particular cell phone and have it respond with the requested data.”

By pinging a cell phone you are able to locate the last cell tower that the cell phone received a signal from. This has been extremely helpful in locating criminals on the run and abducted children over the past few years. Now there are applications you can download to access this information from cell phones on your own plan. You will be able to link your cell phones and whenever one phone receives a text message or voicemail, the linked phone will receive it too. How do you feel about using this technology to keep track of your child and their phone? 

Bedford, Massachusetts Stands Up To AT&T

AT&T is looking to build a cell phone tower in the residential area of Bedford, Massachusetts. However, the members of this small, scenic community stood up to AT&T and expressed their opposition to the tower. On August 8^th, the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals was scheduled to meet and review AT&T’s application for the cell tower. AT&T decided to withdraw their application before the meeting was ever held because of the opposition from the residents.

As soon as the 125-foot monopole proposal was submitted, residents fought it. They believed the construction of this cell tower would ruin the quaint, charming atmosphere of the community. The proposed site for the tower was in a residential neighborhood close to Huckins Farm and the historic Job Lane House. AT&T is currently looking to find another suitable site for their cell tower in order to increase cell phone coverage in the area.