FirstNet receives $7 billion funding

FirstNet, you’re one of the first good things to come out of government funds in a while. To understand what FirstNet is, why it’s so important and how it will affect the tower industry, let’s look at a scary example of when it really could have come in handy. Imagine the frightening chaos on Sept. 11, right outside the World Trade Center buildings. Everyone’s in a panic, hurriedly trying to call loved ones. As a result, cellular networks are hit with a staggering load, making it difficult for first responder units to properly communicate. Since they could not communicate the situation fully, many firefighters entered the building to save lives, not knowing the structure was about to collapse.

FirstNet is intended as a nationwide communication system with priority access for first responders, so that something like the scenario above never happens. This is something that honestly should have happened a long time ago, but funding was always an issue. Thanks to the massive amount of money committed so far in the Federal Communications Commission’s Auction 97, the $7 billion necessary to fund this venture is secured. Once the construction of the communication network is underway, who do you think the government will hire to build it? More than likely it will be tower climbers, whether it is erecting new towers for this purpose or attaching new hardware to existing towers, you can expect that there will be plenty of work for tower climbers as FirstNet begins construction. FirstNet’s first meeting took place this week too, click here to read about it.

T-Mobile Supreme

Last week we informed you about the case between T-Mobile US and a Georgia town that has made it to the Supreme Court. That case is still ongoing, with no decisions being made as of yet. However, there are some great resources that take a look at the nitty-gritty of the decision process and even a play-by-play of the arguments. There’s a Supreme Court blog that gives excruciating detail on cases and here’s a link to the entry for this case in particular. If you prefer your information in video form, click here to watch a video news report discussing the case, as well as an interview with a Georgia State University constitutional law professor.

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Fake cell towers run by government?

It’s very possible. It’s something interesting to think about. Watch this mobile minute for more info:

And yes, we’re aware that they’re not fake cell towers in the sense that they look like cell towers but don’t function the same. They are fake cell towers in the sense that the technology mimics what cell towers do in an effort to pull data.