Wireless Lease Negotiations & Valuation

Blackdot and Cingular offer Landowners the Opportunity to Remove Their Own Tower

Landowners with cell tower leases who are being hit with termination notices from the “NEW” Cingular are now being granted one new opportunity. The offers come from Blackdot accompanied with the termination of the lease letter. These offers if you can call them that have BlackDot offering to market the tower site to other carriers in return for the landowner taking over the responsibilty to remove the tower at the end of the 2 year marketing term.

In essence, the landowner is betting that Black Dot, a company with no marketing staff for towers, can market a tower that was not fit for the combined networks of Cingular and AT&T to other carriers. In return the landowner bets the responsibiilty of removal of the tower- which can run $30,000 or more. Not a great bet to me.

Is there potential value in these towers? Ask yourself or the Black Dot reps why they would be willing to give them to you if there was? Compare your risk of $30,000 against the expected lease rate that Blackdot will give you if they are successful at marketing the tower. Try to ascertain why the tower is empty and whether or not it makes sense to take on such a risk.

When you come to conclusion that its not worth the deal that Black Dot is offering- contact Steel in the Air. There may be other options that might be more attractive- like another company who will take over the responsibilty of removing the tower AND pay you rent in the event that they can find a new tenant.

Ken Schmidt

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