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Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Volume 5 | Issue 102

WIA 2017 Wireless Infrastructure ShowKey Note Speakers Lead the Way at WIABy Jim Fryer, Managing Editor, Inside Towers

WIA President and CEO Jonathan Adelstein and FirstNet CEO Michael Poth address the

general assembly at the WIA Wireless Infrastructure Show in Orlando

With two of three FCC Commissioners scheduled to make an appearance at the WIA Wireless Infrastructure Showin Orlando and a video from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, with apologies for not being in attendance, the tower industry’smajor conference flexed its political muscle yesterday. Clearly the association and the industry has the attention ofthe federal government.

In absentia, Pai thanked the members of WIA for helping the FCC form polices and giving them the incentives tostreamline the deployment process. Pai said they are looking into shortening the infamous “shot clock,” theenvironmental review process and limiting local jurisdictions from instituting moratoriums on cell site construction.He encouraged the input of the association members saying “give us the evidence we need to help streamline theprocess.”

In his keynote address, WIA President and CEO Jonathan Adelstein reiterated the progress made in looseningfederal government restraints. He added the WIA is lobbying for a more concise method of handling tribal reviews,trying to set height limit definitions for ‘small cell’ towers (i.e., below 50 feet) and working with state governments todevelop an expedient deployment policy. “But we also push back when they go beyond reason,” Adelstein said.Continue Reading

WIA 2017 Wireless Infrastructure ShowTower Industry Top Execs Give Their “View From the Top”

In a general session at yesterday’s Wireless Infrastructure Show entitled “TheGiants of Vertical Real Estate,” the panel’s general consensus was that theoutlook for the future is good and getting better. The five-man panel consisted ofSteven Marshall, Executive VP and President, U.S. Tower Division, AmericanTower, Jay Brown, President and CEO of Crown Castle, Jeffrey Stoops, Presidentand CEO of SBA, Alexander Gellman, CEO of Vertical Bridge and DavidWeisman, President and CEO of InSite Wireless Group.

The session, moderated by WIA President and CEO Jonathan Adelsteinresponded to a short-answer, rapid-fire series of topics on the FCC Auction, 5G,

FirstNet, Small Cells, Smart Cities. “On our worst day we have good growth,” said Crown’s Jay Brown, drawingnods and smiles from the group. New innovations, FCC deregulation and programs all seemed to point to positivegrowth for the tower industry, its upper tier being no exception. Continue Reading New HampshireNew England Town Says Economics Support Lease ExtensionVital Statistics: The town currently receives $1,332.82 per month from the tower owner;$334.46 per month from one co-locator; and 25 percent of revenue from sub-tenants. If thelease is extended, the amount from the tower owner will increase by 3 percent each year,and a single $17,000 payment will be issued to Derry.Crown Castle recently requested to extend the current lease for a cell tower located near Kendall Pond Road inDerry, and town councilors are not complaining. The 20-year extension will continue the lease until 2042, offeringcarriers extensive stability for wireless equipment, and significant revenue for the town. According to Nutfield News,Town Administrator David Caron shared in a staff report, “We have reviewed the economics of the site andrecommend extending the lease until 2042.”

While Caron stated monetary details of the lease are “relatively modest,” the town gathers a significant income fromCrown Castle’s lease, and the number will only rise over the next 25 years. With so much revenue on the line,

Caron recommends the council approve the agreement quickly.

New JerseyMahwah Police Charge Man in Tower Battery TheftMahwah, NJ police charged a man with burglary after he allegedly stole dozens of batteries from several cell towersin the township earlier this month, according to the Mahwah Patch.

Police Chief James Batelli said Ryan Whittaker, 37, was charged with two counts each of burglary and theft afterpolice investigated the theft of 64 emergency backup batteries from towers from various locations. An arrestwarrant for Whittaker was issued based on the fingerprints found at the sites. According to police, Whitaker had 17of the batteries in his possession.

The police investigation indicated the man allegedly entered the shelters at each site and disabled the alarms byplacing tape over the activators before removing the batteries. Police surmised the batteries were stolen during theday when activity around a cell site is less conspicuous and Whittaker may have had knowledge of how thebatteries were stored and the alarm systems of the various sites.

Detectives are contacting tower companies in the region to determine where the other 75 batteries also found in thesuspect’s possession are from, the Patch reported. Broadband Infrastructure Spending Not in Proposed Federal Budget

The White House delivered to Congress, President Trump’s budget fiscal year 2018proposal on Tuesday. The budget, titled “The New Foundation for American Greatness,”proposes $200 billion for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, but much of that won’t beavailable until late next year and beyond.

The Trump administration is under growing scrutiny pressure to show progress on thepresident’s $1 trillion infrastructure package. The administration plans to unveil a broadsketch of infrastructure “principles” before the end of the month, and a detailed proposallater this summer, reports The Hill.

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney reiterated to reporters in a briefing the President’s intentthat every taxpayer dollar spent on infrastructure should spur on average at least $5 in investment at the state andlocal level. That would mean a $1 trillion investment on infrastructure over the next decade, reported McClatchy.But no details on how this would work were given.

The FCC’s spending roadmap is part of the budget for the Department of Commerce. While not broken out, overallthe Commerce Department budget request is for $7.8 billion, down 15.8 percent from the prior year, according to anInside Towers examination of the document. (Read more about the FCC’s budget further down.) There’s a slimchance Congress would pass the 62-page proposal unchanged; traditionally, it serves as a starting point for

negotiations.

WIA 2017 Wireless Infrastructure ShowO’Rielly Discusses His Pain Points on the FCC Agenda

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly seemed disappointed that ayear later, he’s still discussing the need to address “twilighttowers,” i.e, communications structures built between 2001 and2005 that did not go through the section 106 review processrequired by the National Historic Preservation Act.

“There was one issue in particular that I had great hopes forwhen I last spoke to this group,” O’Rielly said at the WIAconference yesterday. Still, he said he appreciated theaudience’s efforts “to talk to interested parties and willingness to

negotiate a solution for the estimated 4,300 twilight towers,” saying his goal is to “put an end to the twilight towersissue once and for all.”

He said that when it comes to infrastructure issues, it seems there’s a pattern of taking one step forward, followedby two steps back. In 2014, the Commission eliminated unnecessary and burdensome requirements for towerowners. However, as Inside Towers reported, last year Congress passed the FAA Extension, Safety and SecurityAct which included a permission mandating towers in the 50-200 foot height range be marked. “And two stepsbackward we go,” said O’Rielly. Continue Reading FCC Looks to Shrink Size, Budget

The FCC seeks just over $11.02 million for fiscal year 2018 in its budget request toCongress. That’s down from the $11.75 million enacted for fiscal year 2017.

The agency asks for authority to collect a total of $322,035,000 in regulatory fees from theindustries it regulates. That’s a drop of $17,809,000 or 5.2 percent from the FY 2017 level.

The Commission plans to cut its workforce more than six percent. The agency seeks theequivalent of 1,448 full time jobs for regulatory fee collections and the spectrum auctionsprogram. That’s a 102 drop from the fiscal 2017 enacted level of 1,550. The drop alsotakes into account a hiring freeze that went into effect at the Commission in January that’s

expected to last through September 2018. “This will allow an alignment of the Commission workforce to meet theneeds of today and the future rather than the requirements of the past,” the agency states in the proposal.

The Wireless Bureau would get 192 people in fiscal year 2018; that compares to the 208 jobs it has now. TheWireline Competition Bureau seeks 155 jobs; that compares to the 167 jobs it holds now.

OklahomaCell Tower Gets Green Light After Seven Years of LitigationLast week, a Muskogee County judge removed the barriers for BoDe Tower LLC to construct a telecom tower near170-acres of “wildlife sanctuary” in the Gooseneck Bend area, reported the Muskogee Phoenix.

Back in 2010, a lawsuit was filed by area residents Ken Laubenstein and Billie Wall, alleging the structureconstituted a private nuisance. In 2013, the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals upheld the ruling; however, bothrulings were reversed in December 2016.

"Our case law prohibits nuisance claims based entirely on aesthetic concerns," Vice Chief Justice Noma Gurichstates in the opinion. "It would be wholly unreasonable to allow one individual's visual sensitivities to impededevelopment of cellular phone service for the residents of Muskogee."

Bob Moore, doing business as BoDe Tower LLC, is relieved the seven-year lawsuit has been put to bed. "It isdisappointing that someone who lives and works in Muskogee and is a business owner who follows all regulationsand requirements by the federal government and necessary agencies to construct a cell tower to benefit thecommunity in which I live, can be harassed for over seven years by one person who doesn't like the looks ofsomething that is close to his property," Moore stated to the Muskogee Phoenix.

Ken Laubenstein, who filed the original lawsuit, is disappointed with the decision. "The text of the opinion absolutelydid not address — not one word — the basis of my lawsuit, which was the quiet enjoyment and use of my property,"Laubenstein said. "We are not necessarily talking about hearing enjoyment, but the overall setting — that wasn'taddressed at all." Verizon, Ericsson and Intel Feature 5G at Speedway, IN

Against the backdrop of this Sunday’s Indy 500, Verizon, Ericsson and Intel plan toconduct a 5G demonstration today in Speedway, IN, which is close to the famous track.Inside, the three companies say they’ll highlight the ways consumers can use multi-gigabitper-second network speeds with low latency, providing access to capabilities such aswatching live sporting events in 360-degree Virtual Reality streamed in 4K. A live demo of

the home will be streamed on Facebook today at 1:30 p.m. Eastern and can be accessed here.

In the future, 5G will change the racing experience for Verizon IndyCar Series drivers, pit crews and spectators.With a 5G system in place, the network will be able to stream live, 360-degree video along with data from hundredsof sensors from every car and driver on the track, allowing fans to virtually take the driver's seat.

Verizon and Ericsson recorded a demonstration of 5G at speed, proving that this technology will reach beyond fixedconnections to include smartphones, automobiles and other connected devices. During this mobility test, sustained

broadband speeds of over 6.4 Gb/sec were reached in a car moving at speeds in excess of 60 mph. Ericsson usedadvanced radio, antenna and processing technology during the demo.

The video – filmed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – demonstrates 5G features like smart antenna technology.Instead of transmitting information scattered across multiple locations, 5G uses beam tracking, which beamsinformation at a specific user even if the user is moving at highway speed, providing uninterrupted connectivity.

FAA Drone Registration Rule “No Longer Flies”The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down a FAA rule requiring drone owners to registertheir aircraft for recreational use, reported the Los Angeles Times. The issue is of interest to those who want to usedrones to inspect towers. This comes after the 2015 decision by the FAA requiring hobbyists to register drones, apolicy that was recently challenged. The appeals court last Friday cited a 2012 law that barred the FAA fromimposing new regulations on drones, thereby reversing the 2015 decision.

Many in the industry see the latest ruling as an obstruction to FAA concerns that drones pose a safety issue,requiring tighter regulation. For instance, commercial airline pilots have reported close calls with drones flying in theproximity of airports.

Registration "helps create a culture of safety that deters careless and reckless behavior," said Association forUnmanned Vehicle Systems International President Brian Wynne. He seeks a legislative fix, according to theaccount. Some 760,000 hobbyists registered more than 1.6 million drones since 2015. That number is expected togrow; drone hobbyists are estimated to purchase 2.3 million drones by the end of 2017 and 13 million by the end of2020, according to the Los Angeles Times. Additionally, a lawyer for China's DJI, which claims to be the world'slargest drone manufacturer, said that registration was reasonable and fostered "accountability and education todrone pilots."

However some drone enthusiasts complained the registration requirement was burdensome and that the FAAoverstepped its boundaries. The registration costs $5, with renewal requirements every three years. An additionalrequirement included marking the aircraft with an identification number. The rule passed in 2015 carried civil andcriminal penalties for noncompliance. Apple and Nokia Kiss and Make Up Over Patent License DealApple and Nokia have seemingly decided to bury the hatchet and become partners instead of legal foes. The twocompanies announced they reached a multi-year patent license, according to a Nokia company press release,which comes on the heels of a patent dispute between the two companies.

Under the agreement, Nokia will provide Apple with network infrastructure products and services; Apple will resumecarrying Nokia’s digital health products both on its online marketplace and in physical retail stores. Top executivesfrom both companies will meet regularly to review the effectiveness of the agreement.

“This is a meaningful agreement between Nokia and Apple,” Nokia Chief Legal Officer Maria Varsellona said in acompany press release. “It moves our relationship with Apple from being adversaries in court to business partnersworking for the benefit of our customers.”

Although specific dollar amounts have not yet been announced, basic terms of the agreement were sketched out.Nokia will receive an up-front payment from Apple, as well as additional revenues during the term of the agreement.The deal’s value will be determined by patent license net sales of Nokia Technologies and its business groups.

May 23, 2017 at Close

Even With Small Cells and Black Fiber, Crown Castle Still Keeping ItMacro“Whatever the next evolution is, macro towers are still the most efficient way” to get a cell signal to large areas,says Crown Castle CFO Dan Schlanger. In the job for just over one year, he spoke to attendees of the J.P. MorganGlobal Technology, Media and Telecom conference yesterday.

He characterized towers as an “extremely valuable asset” as carriers to try get 5G to the world. “We can addspecific density through small cells,” the CFO continued.

Asked about the debate over whether pole attachments or building new monopoles is the best alternative tobuilding new towers, Schlanger said: “We’re looking to lease-up the towers we have.” There’s plenty of room onthose for new tenants and leases are some one-quarter of Crown’s business model.

Crown is facing a 25,000 node backlog, having received orders from multiple carriers at once. That compares toprevious orders of say 6,000 to 7,000 nodes annually, he said. Crown has 10,000 nodes in the market today. It’sexpanding those both within and outside the top 25 markets.

ColoradoScaled-back Cell Tower in Animas Valley Gets ApprovalLa Plata County Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a controversial cell phone tower in theAnimas Valley although they met with local opposition to the aesthetic impact of the structure on the idyllicsurrounding, according to the Durango Herald.

In an effort to compromise, Skyway Towers, shortened the height of the tower from 124 feet to 104 feet, althoughthey said it would reduce the tower’s coverage area.

The county’s planning director, according to a vote taken by the board, will be the final authority on whether visualmitigation is adequate.

“This was added to encourage a more robust consideration of camouflaging options, and the applicant agreed to domock-ups of various paint colors and stealth options to present to planning/neighbors for input,” La Plata Countyspokeswoman Megan Graham told the Herald.

Monteith Now Heads FCC Wireline Competition BureauKris Monteith has been promoted from Acting Chief to full Chief of the FCC Wireline Competition Bureau. Thebureau helps lead the agency’s work on one of Chairman Pai’s priorities: closing the digital divide by encouraginginvestment in broadband infrastructure. It works to ensure all Americans have access to robust, affordablebroadband and voice services.

In her 20 years with the agency, Monteith has had various roles, including chief of the Enforcement Bureau, deputychief of the Wireline Competition Bureau she now leads and the policy division of the Wireless TelecommunicationsBureau. Monteith has also been a deputy chief in the Media Bureau. WIA 2017 Wireless Infrastructure ShowMusic, Charity and Wireless in Concert Over Autism

Last night was Music Movement's 2nd Annual Charity concert, featuringtop country artist Josh Turner, Billy Dawson and the Wireless All-Stars..Once again, Music Movement has hosted its concert in conjunction withWIA and the Wireless Infrastructure Show, and with the generouscontribution of Title Sponsor, Vertical Bridge.

The goal of Music Movement is to positively impact the lives of youngpeople with autism and other learning differences by developing andfunding music-centric programs such as therapy and unique experiences.

Last night’s show honored guests including David Fomin and Kyle Baker. David Fomin will be the recipient of ascholarship for a year's worth of music therapy. The Fomin family lives in Boca Raton which is also headquarters toVertical Bridge. It was through a chance encounter with his father that his story was discovered by the MusicMovement team. Continue Reading

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"Two photos taken while using a drone to video a SIGNUM Wireless tower in Erbsville, Ontario.

The Osprey did not appear to be fazed by the UAV and settled on top of the tower to enjoy the view."Photos contribute by Fernando Araujo.

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