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Fifth fatality has industry troubled about sudden rash of climber deaths throughout the nation April 23, 2008 - While family, friends and coworkers were paying their respects today during funeral services in Virginia Beach, VA, to a 46-year-old Chesapeake man who died after falling from a communications tower on April 17, another tower worker fell to his death in Natchez, Mississippi. Mark F. Haynes, of Griffin, GA, died after falling approximately 100-feet, according to Adams County Coroner James Lee. He said Haynes' death was caused by extensive head and chest injuries.  Haynes was employed by Overland Contracting Inc., a Black & Veatch Company, and was reportedly hanging boom gates on a Cell South tower when the accident occurred. Haynes' death is the fifth fatality within 12 days, which has the construction industry duly concerned about the sudden rash of incidents following a fatality free period since December 5, 2007. Some management companies are calling for stand downs to address their safety concerns. Chesapeake worker is North Carolina's second fatality A representative of the North Carolina Department of Labor said that William Edward Bernard, Jr., of Chesapeake, VA, fell while working on a tower in Frisco, NC last Thursday, and that additional details would not be provided until their investigation is complete. Bernard was employed by Brook Hill Communications, Inc. of Mechanicsville, VA. Memorial donations may be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, P.O. Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425. On April 14, another tower technician fell to his death in Moorcroft, WY, according to a Moorcroft Police Department administrator and Crook County Sheriff Steve J. Stahla. The worker was employed by Cornerstone Tower of Grand Island, NE. Officials of the Wyoming Occupational Health and Safety organization were at a state-wide conference this week in Casper and were unavailable for comment. On April 12, a worker fell to his death while transitioning on a monopole in Wake Forest, NC. Two days later a tower technician fell 225-feet off of a guyed tower and died. Concerned about the losses within the industry, the National Association of Tower Erectors sent a newsletter to their members yesterday emphasizing the need for companies to remind their climbers of the importance of following the training they have received, specifically that 100% tie-off is mandatory. "Above all else, take this opportunity to let them know that their decisions are essential; their lives depend on the choices that they make," said NATE Executive Director Patrick Howey. Bechtel Corporation's northeast regional and market construction managers are holding mandatory safety stand down meetings this week for its construction employees and their subcontractors and their subtier subcontractors. Their safety topic will be refreshing the back to basics with a strong focus on working at heights. Attention is being focused on this subject because of the fatalities which have recently occurred. They said that AT&T has required its contractors and suppliers to immediately hold the stand down meetings.    They informed their subcontractors that they might be contracted to work for other AT&T contractors, who will also be convening safety stand down meetings. They told their contractors that they would prefer that they attend Bechtel's stand down meetings.

Second tower climber's death in past three days mars four fatality-free months April 15, 2008 - (updated 4/17/08) James Friesenhaun, 38, was killed yesterday when he fell 225 feet from a guyed tower located near Northwest Military near Camp Bullis, in San Antonio, TX, according to Sergeant Ted Prosser of the San Antonio Police Department. Friesenhaun was employed by Ransor Incorporated of Schertz, TX, according to a San Diego OSHA representative.  Ransor Incorporated, a company that has been building wireless telecommunications tower sites for over 26 years, had been hired by CPS Energy to provide reinforcements on its guyed tower. The worker reportedly was loosening bolts on the steel that he was attached to when he fell. Two other technicians working on the tower said that they saw their co-worker "sort of lean back a little bit, and apparently, after the last bolt that he loosened, he just fell down 225 feet," according to Sergeant Prosser. CPS Energy, a utility owned by the city of San Antonio, would not provide any details regarding the accident. The tower erection industry had been cautiously enjoying a fatality-free period for over four months, but was saddened by the nation's first death last Saturday in Wake Forest, NC.

Judge seals settlement in obstruction lighting suit that questioned whether TV station was at fault April 14, 2008 - The families of most of the Army soldiers killed in a helicopter crash near Fort Hood, Texas in 2004 have settled their lawsuit against the owners of an 1,800-foot television tower involved in the accident. The plaintiffs alleged that a primary cause for the crash was because the television station's obstruction lighting system was not operating in compliance with Federal Aviation Authority standards and was in need of repair. However, the details of the suit and the plaintiff's arguments will not be known since U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. closed the hearing to the public last Friday and sealed court records. The families of seven military personnel killed sued Centex Television Limited Partnership, which owns and operates KXXV-TV, Channel 25, in Waco; KSWO Television of Texas Inc., a general partner of Centex Television; and KSWO Television Co. Army investigators ruled that pilot error caused the accident, stating that pilots were flying too low and relying on their vision rather than flight instruments during poor weather conditions. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants were negligent by failing to repair, maintain and keep the obstruction lighting in order; by not maintaining an automatic alarm system designed to detect and alert the station's engineers to a lighting failure; by not observing the inoperative warning lights on the tower within 24 hours of the crash either visually or by observing an automatic indicator designed to register the failure; and installing warning lights on the tower that were inoperative, inadequate. It is not known if Centex Television settled the lawsuit to mitigate potential high awards if it were to go to trial. For additional information regarding the civil suit, click here.

Oklahoman succumbs after 150-foot fall April 13, 2008 - A Midwest City, Oklahoma man died yesterday afternoon after falling 150 feet from a monopole located in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Authorities say that Charles Wade Lupton, 34, was working on the cell site structure with a co-worker from MJM Group LLC from Franklin, Tennessee when he suddenly fell. OSHA is investigating the incident, the nation's first death  in 2008 of a communications worker falling from an elevated structure. The monopole is owned by Crown Castle International. Lupton, an experienced tower technician, was taken from the tower site at 11156 Capital Blvd. to the North Carolina Examiner's Office in Chapel Hill for an autopsy.

Bidding blunders forum assists contractors from not repeating the same tower siting errors April 10, 2008 - If a seasoned telecom estimator was applying for a position with a new company and said that he or she had never made a formidable bidding error, most HR-types would quickly usher them to the door. In a rushed tower siting environment where bidding errors or omissions will happen, many mistakes are unable to be discerned prior to submitting a proposal. Other problems, from pink towers to improper password protection, only surface once the work begins. Most bidding errors are typically discussed at an unhappy happy hour, if they're thrashed out at all. However, now there is a forum about Beautiful Bidding Blunders and How To Avoid Them that is being shared with the industry in an effort to keep mistakes from happening again. Since you can sometimes learn more from one unsuccessful bid then from all of the ones that were successes, WirelessEstimator.com invites you to share your proposal problems or other companies' bidding errors that you are aware of that have been made.   You'll also be entered into a random drawing in June, July and August where you can win $100 in cash from WirelessEstimator.com plus a $100 gift certificate from PRIMUS Electronics. Some people believe that mistakes are merely steps up the ladder to success. We agree, but think that it is also nice to have a financial fall protection forum to assist you while climbing towards profitability.

TV viewing helps to nab suspected copper thief April 8, 2008 - A New Caney, Texas, man's five seconds of fame on television was rewarded last Thursday by a visit from less-than-admiring members of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office after he was identified as the person shown on a hidden camera stealing copper wire from a communications tower in East Montgomery County. Sheriff's officials say Christopher Burton Thomas, 36, was charged with two counts of theft of copper, valued at less than $20,000, a state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000 per count; unlawful use of a criminal instrument, also a state jail felony; evading arrest or detention, a Class B misdemeanor; 16 outstanding warrants from Precinct 4, including no driver's license; failure to appear; no liability insurance; failure to identify; expired motor vehicle registration; 11 warrants for judgments; and an outstanding warrant from the 221st District Court for surety with possession of a controlled substance. Last week, Houston's KTRK Channel 13 broadcast a video of a copper thief in action. Deputies received a tip that Thomas was the man in the video stealing copper and when they went to his home to investigate, they found him with other stolen items. Many states are considering legislation to assist in controlling copper thefts. In New Jersey, a bill moving quickly through the House and Senate would make such theft a first-degree felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

PCIA and state wireless groups team up to advance advocacy projects in nine states April 1, 2008 - As advocates for the wireless industry, state wireless associations and PCIA - The Wireless Infrastructure Association, have made a significant impact across the country, according to Nancy Chrisman of PCIA.  Chrisman recently detailed the advocacy projects in nine states that will make a significant difference in tower siting. One example noted was the efforts of the Alabama Wireless Association, PCIA, and a broad coalition of carriers, to have pro-siting legislation enacted in Alabama. Various municipal groups oppose the effort on grounds that such legislation unfairly removes local authority from municipalities to regulate wireless facilities within their jurisdiction, so the industry coalition is revising the bill to make clear that municipalities retain such rights and distills the legislation to its essential elements of collocation by right, limitations on fees, and limited RF review. The revised legislation will be submitted to the Alabama Legislature in late March, after it returns from spring recess, and will include a commitment to participate in an off-session study committee to review contentious points after the session concludes in summer 2008. Andy Rotenstreich, President of the AWA, has coordinated and spearheaded this effort. Please see: Pasadena tower zoning ordinance.

Three arrested may be linked to 60 New Jersey and Pennsylvania cell site copper thefts March 22, 2008 - Three men were arrested this week and charged with stealing copper from a cell phone tower in East Brunswick, NJ. Authorities suspect they committed up to 60 similar thefts across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania.  Jorge Rasteiro, 24, of Elizabeth, and Andreas Gardner, 21, of Jamesburg, were arrested Wednesday night after State Police responded to an alarm at the T-Mobile cell tower just off of the New Jersey Turnpike. Matthew Torre, 22, of Sayreville, a third suspect was arrested the following day and charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and theft. As troopers arrived, Restiaro and Gardner fled, but Restiaro was captured by East Brunswick police who responded to assist. Gardner escaped but left behind a red Honda Accord registered to his father, and officers arrested him later after tracing the registration to his Jamesburg home, police said. Following Rasteiro and Gardner's arrest, State Police contacted members of a task of police officials, including officers from 20 departments in Morris, Middlesex and Hunterdon counties that formed in February to investigate thefts at cell towers. Members of the task force arrested Torre. News reports show that from November through February, thieves hit at least 25 cell towers in New Jersey, making off with the copper grounding bars that protect the structures from damage during lightning strikes. Phone carriers identified the cost of repairs at $125,000. However, State Police this week said there had been a total 60 similar thefts and believe that Rasteiro and Gardner might have been involved.

Anchor system failure fells California AM tower March 18, 2008 - On Saturday, KFI-AM personnel welcomed the long-awaited  construction of their 684-foot guyed tower in La Marida, CA as they watched its stub being set.  As the Clear Channel Radio employees saw the structure approaching its mid level height, they breathed a sigh of relief after waiting almost three and one-half years for the tower to be erected after it was felled when a small plane hit it on December 19, 2004. At 2:04 P.M. today, they watched in disbelief as the new tower crashed to the ground as a tower crew prepared to pull tension on the third level of seven guy wires. A tower rigger employed by the erection contractor, Seacomm Erectors, Inc. of Sultan, WA, received minor injuries. The collapse was reportedly a result of a failure of a back guy rod of an elevated anchor system. The tower was engineered and manufactured by Magnum Towers, Inc. of Sacramento, CA. No riggers were on the tower when it collapsed. The injured worker was getting ready to pull tension on the guy wire atop the elevated guy anchor using a come-along to take up the slack. He either jumped or fell when the tower began to fall. A photograph of the tower failing was captured by Dino Darling. For almost three years, Fullerton airport and city officials joined with local pilots in protesting plans for the tower's reconstruction, saying it was too tall and would pose a hazard to pilots. They didn't want the new tower to rise more than 500 feet. The La Mirada City Council unanimously approved the new tower in January. "We still stand behind the Federal Aviation Administration finding that this would present no greater hazard," La Mirada City Planner Rueben Arceo said. Clear Channel Radio engineers are investigating why the structure failed. The existing foundations of the original tower were not damaged. For more photographs of the tower failure,   click here.

Backup power appeal sets back FCC's eight-hour nationwide mandate March 8, 2008 - A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has granted a request by Sprint Nextel to stay the Federal Communications Commission's eight-hour backup power regulations so the court can also review an appeal submitted by the CTIA and wireless carriers. In their appeal for the FCC to delay implementing the change, Sprint Nextel stated that the rules would lead to "staggering and irreparable harm" for the company. The cost couldn't be recouped through legal action or passed on to consumers, the carrier said. Following the destruction of communications systems by Hurricane Katrina across the Gulf Coast in 2005, the FCC issued a mandate that most cell sites in the United States should have at least eight hours of backup power for use in emergencies. While some carriers are already implementing the FCC backup power requirements, others say that the order is too costly and in some cases impossible to implement. The FCC said it was disappointed with the court's February 28 decision. Oral arguments for the appeals case are scheduled for May. Jackie McCarthy, director of governmental affairs for PCIA - The Wireless Infrastructure Association, said the FCC should allow the industry to decide how best to keep its networks running. She said that the PCIA believes that no matter what the redundancy in backup power, nothing will help a cell tower destroyed by wind or wildfires. "Our members' position is that the 'one size fits all' approach to requiring eight hours of backup power at all cell sites really doesn't accomplish the commission's stated purpose of providing reliable wireless coverage," McCarthy said in a press report.

Taliban attacks three cell sites in Afghanistan because demands weren't followed Update - 3.4.08: Although there have been three attacks on cell phone tower sites after a Taliban demand that all telephone signals be turned off during the evening and overnight, the damage has only mildly disrupted cell service in Afghanistan and the sites are expected to be in service in the near future. A reported attack on a tower site in Kandahar yesterday followed one on February 29 and another explosion at a cell tower compound on March 1. There have been no reported injuries in the incidents. The towers were not damaged, but  walls and equipment within the compounds received some harm. _______________________________________________________________ February 25, 2008 - According to press reports, Taliban insurgents will attack and blow up cell towers in Afghanistan if wireless carriers in the war torn country don't turn off their networks at night. "If those companies do not stop their signal within three days, the Taliban will target their towers and their offices," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujaheed said. The Taliban said that Afghanistan's four mobile phone companies, Wireless Communication Company, Areeba, Etisalat and Roshan, should stop operating between 5:00 p.m. local time and 7:00 a.m. the following morning. Militants have threatened the companies in the past, accusing them of colluding with the US and other forces. They say that US and other foreign troops are using the signals to track down insurgents. Communication experts say the US military uses satellites to pick up mobile signals and does not need the help of the cell carriers. With 700 million dollars of investment, the burgeoning communications industry is one of the biggest development projects in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban regime in a US-led invasion in late 2001. According to the country's telecommunications ministry, over five million Afghans are currently using mobile phones.

New addendum in the works to  ANSI/TIA-222-Revision G February 28, 2008 - Almost a year after the release of ANSI/TIA-222-G, Structural Standard for Antenna Supporting Structures and Antennas, work has begun on the latest addendum to one of TIA's most popular and influential standards, by the TR-14.7 Structural Standards for Steel Antenna Towers and Antenna Supporting Structures Engineering Subcommittee.  Please see: Invite offered to tower siting community

FCC Commissioner welcomes the decision, but Court's FCC split avian ruling seen as a blow to the tower siting community February 20, 2008 - In a divided 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit yesterday dealt a blow to the tower siting industry when it sided with conservation groups that claimed the Federal Communications Commission violated government rules by approving communications towers that threaten migratory birds. The FCC previously rejected the groups' contention that it illegally licensed 6,000 towers in the Gulf Coast, from Texas to Florida, without first assessing the potential impact on migratory birds. The agency said the groups failed to make any specific allegations related to individual towers as required by its rules. "We vacate the order because the commission failed to apply the proper NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act] standard, to provide a reasoned explanation on consultation under the ESA [Endangered Species Act], and to provide meaningful notice of pending tower applications," stated the court's decision. The court also ruled that the FCC didn't justify why it did not use federal wildlife experts to assess the environmental threat. Earthjustice, the public interest law firm that argued the case for the American Bird Conservancy and the Forest Conservation Council, said that they thought it is a very significant ruling because it requires the FCC to carefully consider the environmental impact of communications towers on bird population, and it ensures the public will have timely notice of applications for tower permits. Please see, Circuit Judge: Lawsuit is "unripe".

MidAmerica Tower Service proves it can be done as… OSHA chief presses the tower industry to get off of the top ten fatality list February 18, 2008 – While the PCIA – Wireless Infrastructure Association show was winding down last October, if you stepped into an adjacent conference room you would have heard the head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration tell a Florida human resources conference that he had “irrefutable evidence that  protecting employees is good for business.” The economies of a safe workplace is a frequent thread in presentations made by Edwin Foulke, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, a topic he touched upon at the National Association of Tower Erectors’ conference on February 13, 2008. He also heralded OSHA’s web site as an excellent resource for occupational safety information. During many of his speeches following his confirmation by the Senate on March 15, 2006, he credentialed his ability to lead the 2,200 employee group by informing conference attendees of his prior employment as a partner with the law firm of Jackson Lewis, LLP in Greenville, S.C., and Washington, D.C., where he chaired the firm’s OSHA practice group. However, during his NATE presentation, he passionately departed from his customary talk by reminding audience members, “Unfortunately, tower climbing does remain the most hazardous industry, or maybe the most dangerous job in America." In addition, Secretary Foulke sadly reflected upon a personal involvement he had with a tower erection company that had a fatality while he was in private practice as head of the firm’s tower erection group. Please see: He still sees the fatality.

Three women, two men indicted after stealing copper from more than 100 cell sites February 11, 2008 - An extensive FBI investigation has resulted in an indictment against five Virginia residents who allegedly stole copper grounding from cell sites in Virginia and North Carolina. Keith Arlan Pickens, 32; Heather Maureen Yerigan, 27; Dale C. Merrill, 36; Marina Bernadette Long, 34; and Sarah Jo Carr, 25, were all named as defendants in a 12-count indictment. The first count of the indictment charges all five with conspiracy and the remaining substantive counts charge malicious destruction of communication lines and systems. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Norfolk Field Office, announced the indictment after it was opened last week. The indictment alleges that from January of 2007 through July of 2007, the defendants stole copper grounding bars and copper wiring from cellular telephone towers and thereafter sold the stolen copper to local salvage dealers. The defendants entered over 100 cellular tower sites located in 17 different jurisdictions in the Eastern District of Virginia and eastern North Carolina. Upon entering onto the tower sites, they forcibly removed the copper grounding bars and copper wiring, thereby injuring the tower sites and telephone equipment, and potentially impairing cellular communications systems in the affected areas. The damage to the cellular equipment is estimated to be approximately $270,000. The defendants each face a maximum of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and ten years for each substantive count. The investigation of the case was handled by the Norfolk Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from 16 law enforcement organizations. Earlier this month, 140 people were busted in a copper fencing ring sting in California's Silicon Valley. In Maryland, lawmakers are considering a bill that forces junk dealers to register the copper they purchase. The Illinois state legislature is considering an increase in penalties for stealing copper from cell towers. PCIA - The Wireless Infrastructure Association is considering advocating for stiffer penalties for those convicted of damaging communications sites.

Tower crew bolts away from tornado during storms that kill more than 48 in four states February 6, 2008 - Instead of running transmission lines, four members of a tower crew from Chattanooga were forced to run from an approaching tornado in Tennessee, one of more than 50 that touched down as a series of thunderstorms, rare for the winter season, rolled through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas last night, killing at least 48 people in its wake. Crew members  from Lit Systems, Inc., R. David Stiles, Jason Mills, Shawn Mitchell, and Jason Magdelino, had just completed rigging a newly installed 410-foot guyed tower manufactured by Sabre Towers and Poles in preparation to install 11 transmission lines and nine antennas for the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Although there were no alerts of an approaching tornado, threatening clouds prompted the crew to shut down the job site for the day. While they were loading tools into a work trailer, a bolt of lightning hit the top of the tower, causing the technicians to bolt to their vehicles and leave the Arlington site. After traveling approximately five miles, Stiles and Mills sat in their truck in awe as they watched a funnel cloud begin to form about a mile away. Veiled by an ominous greenish tint, the storm clouds began to rotate, then stop, fill again, and repeat the process a number of times for 15 minutes until the tornado was fully formed with a half mile spread at its base, according to Stiles who photographed its formation. At approximately 5:45 p.m. central, the tornado moved directly towards the Osbornetown Road tower site, located approximately 25 miles east of Memphis. A TDOT employee who lives near the site contacted the Highway Patrol, informing them that the tower had been destroyed by the tornado. The Sabre structure had been built next to an existing 350-foot PiRod guyed tower with interlaced guy wires. It too was torn from its base and lay twisted in an open field. Both structures' equipment buildings were damaged. The tower served as a main communications hub in the Memphis area for the THP and its collapse added to the already taxed communications system utilized by emergency services. Chad Stiles, president of Lit Systems, Inc., said that his company would be installing a temporary 320-foot guyed tower to get the THP back on the air. For more photos of the devastation, please click here.

Washington board asked to interpret legislation that would halt tower design work by P.E.s February 6, 2008 - Professional engineers that currently design communications structures in Washington may be prohibited from providing those services after June, or at the latest, December 31, 2010. During the Washington State 2007 Legislative Session, Substitute Senate Bill 5984, allowing only structural engineers to provide engineering services for "significant structures", was passed by the House 98 to 0 and signed by Gov. Christine Gegoire on April 21. The provisions of the bill, effective July 1, detailed many structures that were deemed to be significant such as buildings housing explosives, hospitals, fire and police stations, and government communications centers. Among others, it also listed "Structures exceeding 100 feet in height above average ground level." Please see: Standard group objects

Fatality in Missouri said not to be industry related February 1, 2008 - Springfield, MO police have identified a man who either fell or jumped to his death from a downtown cell phone tower Wednesday as Michael E. Young, 45, of Springfield. Rumors throughout the industry incorrectly stated that the decedent was a tower worker. Young was spotted climbing the Alltel tower, at Benton Avenue and Tampa Street, about 3:22 p.m. Wednesday. Police used loud speakers to try to talk him down from about the 200-foot level on the self supporting tower, but were unsure if he heard them because of the high winds. At about 4:30 p.m., Young fell or jumped, falling about 50 feet before becoming entangling in the tower's structure. Shortly afterward, he fell again. His foot caught in a brace of the tower and he hung upside down about 100 feet from the ground.

Dominating Manhattan's skyline, country's largest radome will be 408 feet, but is years away February 1, 2008 - Companies that design, manufacture or install broadcast communications antennas will be looking for opportunities to belly up to the bidding and bragging bar to offer their services to provide the nation's largest TV broadcast antenna that is encased by a radome, following an announcement from the Freedom Tower's architects that the antenna atop the structure will be part of the tower's design. The designer of the master plan for the 16-acre former World Trade Center site in New York had previously promoted an open off-center antenna as the crowning facet of architect David Childs' Freedom Tower design. However, a consortium of broadcast engineers of the Metropolitan Television Alliance said that putting the mast off-center would interfere with their ability to transmit their signal from the 1,776-foot building. After further review, Childs now says that those ideas, which exposed the actual antenna to the air, were impractical. He said that the more open designs would cause the potential for ice to accumulate and fall to Manhattan streets and make the mast impossible to maintain at such a height. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the $2.9 billion Freedom Tower, and architects Skidmore Owings & Merrill have come to an agreement upon what the antenna will look like. The mast will constitute the project's top 408 feet. The current design, pictured above, done in consultation with sculptor Ken Snelson, shrouds the antenna in a radome that is invisible to the broadcast signals that easily transmit through it. The Metropolitan Broadcast Alliance, a consortium of 13 TV stations that will be on the Freedom Tower antenna, is currently negotiating with the Port Authority on lease rental rates and other contract concerns. A contract with the broadcasters is anticipated to net about $10 million a year in annual rent. The antenna is expected to cost more than $20 million to build. Freedom Tower's radome is 74 feet higher than CN Tower's In an industry whose ego feeds off of superlatives, some observers believe that the Freedom Tower's radome will be the tallest in the world, surpassing the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. The CN Tower's management company said that the structure is owned by their Federal Government and they could not release proprietary information regarding the radome's size.However, an estimate was arrived at by scaling an available drawing by Toronto engineer Simon Weisman, President of Weisman Consultants Inc. , showing the radome above the space deck to be approximately 334 feet in height. Although the CN Tower will maintain bragging rights for being the tallest building in the world at 1,815 feet, 39 feet taller than the Freedom Tower, the New York structure's single continuous radome is 74 feet higher. The Port Authority says steel will begin rising above street level by June. However, the tower mast might not be completed for another three to four years. New York City broadcasters are currently using the Empire State Building for transmission antennas. The building has regained its status as the leading transmission site for commercial broadcast outfits, with 13 TV and 19 FM stations. For years, some car owners have reported  that the antennas cause havoc with their keyless entry systems.

Indiana tower subcontractor could face eight years in jail for accidentally starting California brush fire UPDATE - 1.28.08: Gary Hunt, who pleaded not guilty to two felony charges today, is free on $65,000 bail, and is due back in Long Beach Superior Court on March 20. Defense Attorney Michael Zimbert said his client made a terrible mistake, but does not deserve harsh criminal charges. Hunt declined comment. Zimbert said, "There's a big difference between accidental and intentional." He said Hunt is devastated and maintains he had no intention of starting a fire. The owner of the KBRT tower, Crawford Broadcasting, is expected to be named in numerous civil lawsuits that are likely to exceed $50 million or more in damages. It is anticipated that the Kentucky contractor that subcontracted the work to Hunt will also be named in the civil actions. This is the first known criminal action taken against a tower contractor for causing damage to property due to worksite negligence. ___________________________________________________________ January 23, 2008 -An Indiana tower contractor charged with starting the Santa Catalina Island, CA brush fire in May will face two felony counts of recklessly causing a fire, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said Tuesday. Deputy District Attorney Ann W. Ambrose of the Target Crimes Division said Gary Dennis Hunt, 49, is scheduled to be brought to Los Angeles County on Thursday by county arson investigators. Arraignment is tentatively scheduled for Monday in Long Beach Superior Court. One of the counts against Hunt was that he recklessly caused a fire to an inhabited structure; the other was recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest. Three addresses on the island were listed in the two counts. The prosecutor said Hunt was working as a subcontractor on the island and started the fire while he was cutting guy wires on KBRT-AM 740's tower as part of the work. The fire sparked and spread out of control, destroying several structures and one home as it burned through more than 4,000 acres of brush. Several firefighters were injured while fighting the May 10 blaze. Damage estimates range from $25 to $60 million, according to news reports. Hunt was arrested Saturday after he returned from a contracting job in New York. According to the warrant, Hunt's bond was recommended at $25,000. A conviction for the two felony charges would carry a maximum penalty of eight years in state prison. It has been reported that  Hunt was working as a 1099 subcontractor for a Kentucky contractor. KBRT is owned by Crawford Broadcasting. Bill Agresta, chief engineer at station KBRT, said tower workers had been cutting the guyed wire tails with a gas-powered circular saw when the fire ignited. However, the prosecutor said Hunt used an open-flamed torch to cut the guy cables. Ambrose said that the island has clearly posted warnings of extreme fire danger and open flames were not permitted.

Military probing whether anti-mine helicopter collided with broadcast tower before exploding January 17, 2008 - Investigators are trying to identify if a MH-53 Sea Dragon anti-mine helicopter accidentally struck a Corpus Christi, Texas 1,000-foot broadcast tower before it crashed nearby, killing three crew members last night at about 8:15 p.m. A third member was taken to Christus Spohn hospital where he is listed in critical condition. There was heavy fog near the tower site located at County Road 59 and County Road 20 when the accident occurred. The structure is owned by Public Broadcasting affiliate KEDT. Emergency crews said that most of the helicopter wreckage is within the guy wire footprint of the tower. A large piece of the wreckage was found at the base of the tower. The guyed tower did not collapse, but some guy wires were reportedly damaged. Don Dunlap, president and general manager of South Texas Public Broadcasting, told KEDT radio that he went to the crash site shortly after the accident and saw parts of the antenna his station owns on the ground, and that the beacon on top had been knocked off. The Navy crew was on a routine training mission when their helicopter went down. Witness J.D. Batten told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times he was walking on his property about two miles from the crash site when he heard a helicopter overhead. "I saw a red-glowing fireball shoot hundreds of feet up into the air," he told the newspaper. "I heard a giant boom a second later. It was then dead silent, and I couldn't hear the helicopter anymore." The downed helicopter is the largest single rotor helicopter in production to date. It can remain airborne for over 12 hours due to large fuel tanks and air refueling capacities. In May, a SH-60F helicopter on a training flight in Nevada struck a power line and crashed in a rugged area of the desert east of Reno, killing all five crew members.

I'm not a Crown Castle tech, and it doesn't look like I'll be staying in a Holiday Inn Express tonight January 17, 2008 - At first glance it appeared to be a tower technician working on a cell tower and a ground hand assisting him in Murfreesboro, TN, on Tuesday. A  closer look by an alert sheriff's deputy found that the two men were stripping copper off the tower. When Deputy Greg Wassom, asked suspects Rodney Hall and Robert Brown why they were on the cell site, both men said that they were employed by Crown Castle International and they had been asked to remove the copper. Wassom called Crown Castle, the company that owns the tower on Tiger Hill, and was told that they did not know the men who were then arrested. Hall and Brown were charged with criminal trespassing, attempted theft over $500 and possession of burglary tools.

One worker injured as 2,000-foot TV tower collapses in Redfield, Arkansas January 11, 2008 - A 2,000-foot television tower collapsed while workers were replacing guy wires, knocking a Little Rock television station off the air. KATV news director Randy Dixon said one person suffered a minor injury Friday when the tower collapsed in a field about 20 miles south of Little Rock in Redfield. The station was working to establish a feed to restore its signal to the portion of its audience that obtains programming by satellite. Part of the work included temporarily setting up the satellite truck at the station's Little Rock headquarters to carry the signal. "We're off the air. It's a heck of a mess," Dixon said. According to people present at the accident, the Structural Steel Technologies crew was doing a reguy. They said that it appeared that a temporary guy on the lowest level failed. Chief Deputy Sheriff Stanley James said one person who was working at the site received minor injuries when he was reportedly struck by a flailing guy wire, but he refused medical treatment. "We're really fortunate that there was no one seriously injured when that tower went down," James said. Built in 1965, the Dresser Industries tower was the second tallest structure in the US at that time. The National Weather Service reported light winds during the time of the collapse. KATV is an ABC affiliate. Click Here for additional photographs of the collapse.

PBS "TV Tower Safety" video is anything but safe Update: February 11, 2008 - Following the January 8, 2008 article, the Oregon PBS station removed the video from its web site. January 8, 2008 - A short    10-minute video   by the local Oregon PBS station, entitled "TV Tower Safety," proved to be just the opposite. The second half of the video, broadcast in September, but recently making the rounds on Yahoo bulletin boards, features Radio Tower Company repairing a transmission line on Oregon Public Broadcasting's 1000-foot Portland tower. Their workers appear to provide a textbook example of utilizing proper safety procedures while climbing, ensuring that lock-out-tag-out procedures are followed, and following up with RF exposure testing to verify that they can perform their work in a safe environment.  Unfortunately, the film's introduction becomes a poster child video for viewing improper climbing procedures. The station's engineer repeatedly free climbs in a remote area of Christmas Valley. "Out here when you are by yourself, there is nothing. If you get hurt on the tower or something, you are pretty much by yourself. Any accident could be a fatal accident, so you don't want it to happen," the engineer said. The engineer should be reminded that an accident will happen if climbers don't use 100% fall protection as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Revision G is a go in Florida and Ohio, but stalls throughout the nation following IBC adoption January 1, 2008 - TIA/EIA-222-G, the long-awaited revision of the structural standard for antenna supporting structures and antennas took effect January 1, 2006. Two years later the only states to adopt it are Florida and Ohio. Since it is a voluntary standard and has no legal bearing, it only gains formidable strength when it's referenced by the International Building Code (IBC) or any other code, and that code is adopted by a permitting jurisdiction. Unfortunately, Revision G wasn't passed in time to be reviewed and adopted by the IBC 2006 committee and Revision F remained the controlling standard. Last September the publishing of the IBC 2007 supplement made it official, Revision G is now the sanctified standard in the building code bible, but there is an excellent chance that it will not be enforced by some local jurisdictions for years to come, if ever. Please see: Adoption doesn't mandate its use

Texas erector Hang Em High receives notice of $56,900 penalty for four violations December 28, 2007 - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced today that it has proposed $56,900 in penalties against Berryhill Tower Services of Comfort, Texas, dba Hang Em High, for four violations of federal safety rules. In July, an employee was fatally struck by a tower component during construction of a communications tower in Pinola, Mississippi. OSHA inspectors issued one willful violation with a $49,000 penalty against the company for allowing material