AM Owners Selling More Tower Sites

 UPDATE The warehouse industry is considering AM radio tower sites as their needs expand. Older AMs often have tower sites sited decades ago, before the urban core grew around them. As land for these tower sites grows more valuable than station revenue, some station owners are selling.
 
Inside Radio cites Family Radio as an example. The WFME-FM New York owner recently sold its five-acre-tower site to Prologis for $51 million. The industrial area site is located on the border of New York City boroughs Brooklyn and Queens and will be used by the buyer for parking and storage.
 
Prologis Senior VP Jeremiah Kent told Transport Topics the site is located in one of the most densely populated markets where demand for logistics real estate is high and land is scarce. Continue Reading

Labor Dept, NATE & FCC Partner to Improve Tower Worker Safety

 The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signed a national strategic partnership with NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and the FCC to improve worker safety in the communications tower erection industry.  

The goal of the three-year partnership is to eliminate worker injuries and fatalities while performing wireless and telecommunications, tower erection and maintenance operations. The partnership will address some of the industry’s frequently encountered hazards, including falls from height, electric, falling objects, tower collapses, and inclement weather. 

“Tower technicians do the hard, often gritty work to build, maintain and upgrade broadband networks throughout the country. The pandemic has further demonstrated everything our wireless workforce does to keep Americans connected, and it is imperative that we do everything we can to keep them safe,” stated FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “As the United States ramps up its 5G rollout, this national partnership agreement will only become more important. The FCC looks forward to working with OSHA and NATE to ensure the safe buildout of wireless infrastructure.” Continue Reading

Mediacom Sues to Stop City’s Google Fiber Partnership

 West Des Moines had planned to provide ultra-high-speed Google Fiber internet throughout the city, but the effort is being halted by a lawsuit from internet provider Mediacom. The legal action states the city violated multiple state laws in its pursuit of connectivity, according to the Des Moines Register. 

The arrangement with Google was applauded by city officials at the time, saying it met the goals the city set forth in their WDM 2036 strategic plan. West Des Moines would be the 19th city nationwide to receive a Google Fiber network and the first in Iowa, according to the account. 

The complaint cites an Iowa law designed to bolster development of blighted areas with fiber optic cable. Mediacom said the law was misused and misinterpreted to favor Google by issuing bonds worth more than $40 million to build out the network. The company, which employs about 400 workers in West Des Moines, contends the city never opened the project for competitive bids. Continue Reading

Some RDOF Winners’ Qualifications Questioned

 UPDATE The recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction was structured differently than traditional FCC spectrum auctions. “Bidders” in the reverse auction were awarded funds based on different criteria, such as latency, speed and how fast they believe a company can bring broadband to a rural area.

But now, some observers question whether some of the largest winners, like Charter and Starry Internet, can actually complete the task as originally stated in their FCC applications, reports Telecompetitor. It quotes MuniNetworks observer Christopher Mitchell as stating in a blog: “The auction resulted in far more gigabit - 85% of locations I believe - than anyone expected, at far lower subsidy than expected. However, there is a lot of frustration and confusion because it is not clear that some of the top bidders can deliver.” MuniNetworks is an advocacy group that provides resources for those who want to build municipal broadband networks. 

Inside Towers reported that Charter Communications, listed as CCO Holdings, won the most locations, just over 1.05 million. Other big bidders include Windstream, which was awarded $522.9 million for 192,567 locations in 18 states; Frontier, which won $370.9 million for 127,188 locations in eight states and CenturyLink, which won $262.3 million for 77,257 locations in 20 states, according to the Commission. Continue Reading

FCC Begins Process of Ending China Telecom’s U.S. Operations

The FCC believes, based on national security concerns, it has enough evidence to revoke China Telecom’s ability to do business in the United States. Thursday, the Commission began a proceeding to revoke the company’s authority to provide domestic interstate and international telecommunications services under section 214 of the Communications Act.

In April 2020, several executive branch agencies recommended that the FCC revoke and terminate China Telecom Americas section 214 authority based on “substantial and unacceptable national security and law enforcement risks associated with [China Telecom Americas’] continued access to U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.”

China Telecom Americas is indirectly and ultimately owned and controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China, according to the Commission. Continue Reading

Possible Ramifications of Deadlocked FCC

 UPDATE Now that the Senate has confirmed Nathan Simington as the next GOP FCC Commissioner, what is the likely outcome from a 2-2 deadlocked agency on key issues? Plenty, according to consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge.

Inside Towers reported that with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai set to leave the Commission on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2021, Simington’s confirmation will prevent new President Joe Biden’s FCC from having a Democratic majority and pushing a new agenda early in the new administration. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr urged the Senate to quickly confirm Simington to thwart the Dems’ agenda, Fox reported.

Biden will ultimately get a majority, after the Senate eventually confirms another Democrat. But that could take a while, according to Harold Feld, a long-time telecom attorney and senior vice president of Public Knowledge. Continue Reading

C-Band Auction Begins

 After more than a year of jockeying, the FCC began the C-band auction Tuesday. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are all expected to be active bidders. The Commission is making available 280 MHz of mid-band spectrum in the 3.7-3.98 GHz band.

“WIA members are thrilled this historic auction will at last put this spectrum to its highest and best use to deploy 5G across the country. This band enables more than capacity alone – this large block is critical for 5G. Given how much effort it took to get this much spectrum to auction, we thank Chairman Pai and the FCC for their success in getting it done,” WIA President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein told Inside Towers. 

There are 57 qualified bidders in Auction 107. Gross proceeds as of the first round yesterday were more than $1 billion, according to the FCC, at exactly $1,741,759,100. The auction kicks into higher gear today with three bidding rounds planned. Continue Reading