NTIA Awards $277 Million in Broadband Infrastructure Grants

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded 13 grants as part of the Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP). These grants total more than $277 million; they’ll be used to connect over 133,000 unserved households. The BIP was designed to support broadband infrastructure deployment in unserved markets, especially rural areas. The grants were awarded to 12 states and one territory: Georgia, Guam, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia. Read the grant details here. Continue Reading

American Tower Firing on All Cylinders

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

We’re in the era of electric cars but if you have ever driven an American muscle car with a V8 and a 5-speed stick, you can appreciate this analogy. American Tower (NYSE: AMT) presented its 4Q21 and full-year 2021 results yesterday and clearly, the company is firing on all cylinders. The company reported double-digit increases across all its key financial metrics. Property revenues or site leasing revenues, came in at $9.1 billion, up 15 percent from $8.0 billion in 2020. The company realized solid organic tenant billings growth particularly in its Africa and Latin America markets. Service revenues garnered from customer site support activities nearly tripled to $247 million. Net income jumped 52 percent to $2.6 billion and Adjusted EBITDA grew to $6.0 billion, a 16 percent YoY increase. AFFO was up 14 percent to $4.3 billion from $3.8 billion in 2020. Continue Reading

FCC Strives to Resolve Pole Attachment Fights

FCC Strives to Resolve Pole Attachment Fights By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The FCC intends to step up its efforts to make broadband more affordable during its March meeting. That includes facilitating pole access to deploy broadband infrastructure. “Easy, predictable access to poles can significantly speed the deployment and lower the cost of broadband infrastructure,” notes Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in her blog detailing what that agency plans to vote on. The agency intends to consider a rulemaking exploring ways to expedite the resolution of pole replacement disputes. It would establish clear standards for when and how utilities and attachers must share the costs of a pole replacement caused by a new attachment request.

NATE UNITE Attendance Shows Strong Momentum for Tower Industry

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor

NATE execs and attendees listen to the keynote address at NATE UNITE 2022 and await the premiere of “Vertical Freedom”. Photos by J. Sharpe Smith   NATE UNITE 2022, the annual conference of NATE – The Communications Industry Contractors Association came back strong this week after a COVID-induced hiatus, breaking its record for attendance with in excess of 2,560 people. Attendees at the four-day event, held this week at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, are being treated to a full slate of sessions with three consecutive tracks and a full-blown show floor with around 160 exhibitors. NATE also chose the event to announce that it has established a new record of 1,100 member companies, eclipsing the organization’s previous mark of 1,087 members. “This conference is a sign of the pent-up demand in the industry and of our growth as an association,” said Todd Schlekeway, NATE CEO, “and the dynamic nature of our industry.” Continue Reading

AT&T Planned 3G Shutdown Concerns Alarm, Medical Alert Industries

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

AT&T plans to shut down its 3G network today, saying it’s necessary to make the transition to 5G. However, while the carrier says less than one percent of mobile data traffic runs on its 3G network, the shutdown impacts devices other than phones. That worries the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC), which says the shutdown is happening too fast and could risk lives.   After AT&T, T-Mobile will decommission its 3G network July 1. Verizon users have until December 31, according to the FCC. Continue Reading

Altice USA Close to New T-Mo MVNO Deal

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology EditorDexter Goei, company CEO, said the Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) is near an MVNO agreement with T-Mobile, when questioned about the future wireless strategy of the cable company during a recent earnings call. “We are on the 1-yard line, even though football season is over, to talk about announcing a new agreement with T-Mo,” he said.

Craig Moffett, principal analyst, MoffettNathanson, noted that while wireless is a “large part” of the other cable companies’ business, Altice USA had a lot of “fits and starts” in that area. He asked Goei why the investment community should be “confident” it will accelerate its wireless strategy. Goei responded that Altice USA has been “clear that wireless is very important to our strategy.” Continue Reading

Equinix Maintains Its Global Data Center Lead

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX) bills itself as “The World’s Digital Infrastructure Company” and sports the scale of data center operations to support that claim. At the end of 2021, the company reported a global footprint of 240 data centers, both owned and operated through joint ventures, across 66 major metropolitan markets in 27 countries on 5 continents in three operating regions – Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific. EQIX owns 122 of the 240 data centers that it runs. These owned facilities, dubbed International Business Exchanges (IBX), account for 17.9 million of 28.1 million total gross square footage of its data center portfolio. IBXs generate 59 percent of EQIX’s total recurring revenues. Continue Reading

How Will NTIA Distribute Broadband Deployment Money?

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

Newly installed Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Alan Davidson, was cool, calm and collected as he answered lawmakers’ multiple questions yesterday about the much-anticipated distribution of broadband infrastructure deployment grants. NTIA is the point agency for the fund distribution, working with states, localities, Tribes and other groups, as instructed in the Infrastructure Law. During a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing yesterday, several lawmakers expressed concern about connecting every American. Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said the law’s $65 billion investment is also “critical” to ensuring America can compete on the world stage, pointing to the “enormous investment” China has made in laying fiber, “putting it on track to connect more than a billion people to broadband.” Several lawmakers, including Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), noted that the last major investment in broadband was 2009, when Congress passed the American Recovery and Investment Act. “NTIA received $4.7 billion, much of which was wasted on overbuilding and failed projects. We cannot afford to let this happen again,” she said. Continue Reading

FEMA Awards AT&T Four EIS Contracts Valued at $167 Million

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) yesterday announced it has awarded AT&T four separate contracts for modernized communications capabilities to help FEMA improve its ability to deliver its mission to help people before, during, and after disasters.

The four Task Orders, awarded via the General Services Administration’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract, are valued at more than ~$167 million over five years if all options are exercised. Continue Reading

House Drafts Bill to Ease FCC Satellite OKs

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau ChiefHouse leaders crafted a bipartisan plan to streamline FCC satellite approvals while also addressing safety and national security concerns around an increase in orbital activity. The move comes as SpaceX is ready to dramatically expand the amount of broadband-delivery satellites in its growing Starlink constellation.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-OR) released two draft bills — the SAT Streamlining Act and the Secure Space Act. Together, they would update and speed how the FCC authorizes secure low-earth orbit satellites. Continue Reading

Court Decides in FCC’s Favor in OTARD Case

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

A federal appeals court on Friday ruled in favor of the FCC in a case brought by the non-profit Children’s Defense Fund. The non-profit challenged the legitimacy of the amendment adopted by the FCC to its “Over The Air Reception Devices” (OTARD) rule in January, 2021. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the Children’s Health Defense petition to overturn the Commission’s OTARD rule.  The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) said it asked the FCC to update the OTARD rule. The 2021 update allows the installation of fixed wireless base station antennas including 5G antennas on private property (including homes) in order to provide wireless service to other properties.  In its decision, the court noted that in 2019, “the Commission solicited comments on expanding coverage to include antennas that act as ‘hub sites’ or relay service to other locations—thus, eliminating the 2004 prohibition on antennas “designed primarily for use as hubs for distribution of service.’” Continue Reading

CA Judge Denies DISH Request for More Time Before CDMA Shutdown

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

A judge in California denied DISH Network’s request for more time to migrate customers using the CDMA network off of T-Mobile’s network. DISH filed the request last April and Administrative Law Judge Karl J. Bemesderfer of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently issued his “proposed decision.”  He noted that unless the CPUC hears the item and votes to approve it, the proposed decision “has no legal effect.” At the earliest, the CPUC could take up the issue on March 17. T-Mobile and DISH have been fighting for months over the issue of T-Mobile’s intended CDMA shutdown. T-Mobile said during its earnings call last week it still plans to shut down the CDMA network, which it inherited when it acquired Sprint, on March 31, Inside Towers reported. Continue Reading

Who’s Ahead in “Rip & Replace” Money So Far?

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

The FCC named most of the companies that have applied for “Rip & Replace” reimbursement funding. Inside Towers reported the total cost estimate comes to $5.6 billion, exceeding the $1.9 billion Congress allocated. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, notified lawmakers about the gap this week, pledging to work with members to ensure companies are fully reimbursed for the cost of building new cell sites and removing untrusted gear from existing sites. The initial application window for the funding closed on January 28, and the FCC began reviewing the documentation on January 31. However, given the sheer number and complexity of the filings, the Commission is extending the review period another 45  days. That means the new deadline for the Wireline Competition Bureau to act on the applications is June 15. Continue Reading

T-Mobile 5G Preps for Sunday’s Football Game in Los Angeles

Football’s biggest event is almost here, and it’s game on for the T-Mobile 5G network in Los Angeles. For the past 18 months T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) engineers have been throughout L.A. adding 5G coverage and capacity for the legions of fans and media attending Sunday’s game between the hometown Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. The carrier says it has invested more than $100 million in 5G infrastructure across the city, covering roughly 95 percent of the Greater Los Angeles area. Infrastructure additions include hundreds of upgraded and newly installed 5G macro sites and small cells, 5G upgrades at LAX, a new state-of-the-art 5G system at SoFi Stadium, as well as enhancements at numerous other venues.  

"The investment we’ve made in LA over the past 18 months is massive," said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. "This is a powerhouse 5G network with incredible capacity using the most advanced technologies in wireless. And best of all, it’s just going to get even better as we keep building out the #1 fastest 5G network in LA and nationwide." Continue Reading

Senate GOP Wants Treasury Broadband Rule to Prevent Overbuilding

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

Eleven Senate Republicans protested an administration plan to fund broadband deployment in areas already served with speeds of 25 Mbps down/3 Mbps up. In January, the Treasury Department issued a final rule for distribution of American Rescue Plan money. It eliminates an interim requirement that blocked overbuilding in areas that already have wired networks with those speeds. That speed threshold would leave out any area that's already served by at least one cable provider, even if there's no competition and no fiber-to-the-home availability, according to Ars Technica. Advocates praised the new rule, saying the original speeds could prevent deployment to large portions of the U.S.   The Senators also want states to have less leeway in distributing funds, writing, "the broad nature of this guidance allows states to choose whatever information they wish to determine the availability of broadband in a given area." Continue Reading

Telecoms Must Report Untrusted Gear by May 5

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told reporters recently the agency would soon develop a method for telecoms to tell the agency if they have untrusted gear in their networks, and now that’s happened. The Wireline Competition Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics established an online portal for providers to submit such reports. Those are due by May 5. Also on Friday, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told Congress the agency has received 181 applications from carriers seeking reimbursement for removing untrusted gear from their networks, to the tune of about $5.6 billion. The application window for the “Rip & Replace” reimbursement program opened on October 29, 2021, and closed on January 28 of this year.  The Commission was directed by Congress in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 to require telecoms to report annually whether they bought, rented, or leased any gear on the list of covered communications and services on or after August 14, 2018, or, within 60 days after the agency places such gear on its list of untrusted telecom equipment or services. Continue Reading

T-Mobile’s Grand Plan is Working

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

T-Mobile US (NASDAQ: TMUS) seems to be firing on all cylinders. The company reported solid gains, even exceeding some expectations, in its key operating metrics for both 4Q21 and full-year 2021. And its outlook for 2022 suggests that momentum will carry forward. Wireless service revenues for the year reached $58.4 billion, a new high level that is up 16 percent on a year-over-year-basis from $50.4 billion in 2020. Core adjusted EBITDA was $23.6 billion. Free cash flow came in at $13.9 billion, growing by more than 60 percent YoY. Continue Reading

FCC Nomination Vote Postponed

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

A Democratic majority at the FCC will have to wait a little longer, following the Senate Commerce Committee’s decision to pull votes on FCC pick Gigi Sohn from a slate of markup votes yesterday. Committee member Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) was hospitalized following a stroke and Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) told Politico the panel can’t hold votes on nominees that might require party-line votes. With Lujan, the committee is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Continue Reading

UScellular 5G Spectrum Strategy Takes the Cake

By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor5G is not just a nationwide carrier play. UScellular Corporation has its slice of the three-layer spectrum cake, too, and it’s on its way to the 5G party. The carrier announced yesterday that, after successfully bidding in the mid-band spectrum auctions, it has enough spectrum to forge a 5G strategy. Spectrum purchased at the recent Auction 110 (3.45 GHz) will be combined CBRS spectrum bought in Auction 105 and C-band in Auction 107 to cover the  majority of its operating footprint with more than 80 percent of subscribers being covered with mid-band spectrum depths of 100 MHz or more.

“Now we have ample mid-band spectrum that will provide capacity and coverage to support 5G use cases with competitive speeds for both mobile and fixed wireless users," said Michael S. Irizarry, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Engineering and Information Technology. Continue Reading

Unpacking AT&T’s Infrastructure CapEx

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

The past two years have been a roller coaster for AT&T (NYSE: T). Despite reporting an upbeat performance for both 4Q21 and full-year 2021, AT&T acknowledges that it has much more work to do. Management is focusing on its core competencies with ambitious plans to accelerate its wireless and fiber infrastructure investments to add new customers and drive new revenue streams. AT&T must invest substantial capital expenditures to maintain and expand its extensive network infrastructure. Its overall 2021 corporate capex tallied $16.5 billion across wireless, wireline, and media operations. That figure was up five percent from $15.7 billion in 2020 which saw a 20 percent downturn from the $19.6 billion spent in 2019, mainly due to the pandemic. The company provided 2022 capex guidance of $20 billion with a heavy focus on 5G and fiber builds. Continue Reading