YOU ARE AT:Cell Tower NewsCell Tower News: FCC streamlines antenna rules; cemetery towers

Cell Tower News: FCC streamlines antenna rules; cemetery towers

FCC streamlines antenna rules

The FCC made a decision late last week sure to make tower owners happy. Part 17 of rules and regulations for towers was streamlined, giving greater clarity to tower marking, lighting and registration. The update is intended to address what many in the industry, including PCIA, feel are redundancies that are costing companies valuable time and money that could be better spent building out infrastructure and adopting advanced technologies quicker. Click here to read PCIA’s official statement regarding the change, but I think this quote from it says it all, “We thank the FCC for these common-sense updates that will bring Part 17 into the 21st century.”

Another tower death

Tragedy strikes again in the communications tower industry. This time it wasn’t a tower climber, per se. Thomas Lucas, a self-employed man in Stockton, Illinois, was up on a communications tower doing some painting when he fell 90 feet to the ground and was pronounced dead on the site. The incident is still under investigation, so there may be more to follow on this story. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family in this difficult time.

Cemetery towers

tower cemeteryIn Hamilton, New Jersey, officials are considering a 100-foot cell tower on land bordering cemeteries. The vote to enact this has been put on hold, so the existing dead zone (no pun intended) in coverage will continue until a site can be agreed upon and the tower built. As of right now AT&T Mobility is the only company interested in building the tower, but locals suspect that others will co-locate on the tower once it is in place, since most carriers lack coverage in the area.
This brings up a very interesting, relatively unused idea: installing new cell towers in cemeteries. Think about it — a cemetery is one of the few places a tower can be built and there’s no one to complain about either health issues or property value. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for respecting the dead, but if there’s an area of the cemetery property that could be used for this and wouldn’t be built directly next to any graves, wouldn’t this be an ideal spot in which to put one? Unless, of course, you’re superstitious and fear the possibility of haunted calls.

Tower news quickies

Regional/local tower news

This week’s edition of cell tower industry news is created by Jarad Matula and brought to you by Towercrews.net.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Jarad Matula
Jarad Matula
Contributor