In a surprise ruling, the FCC determined that a landowner was responsible for removing a 375’ guyed tower on their property after the broadcaster that built it (and subsequent broadcast owners) failed to do so. Because the tower exceeds 200’, it is required to be lit for aircraft safety. However, the tower lights apparently had […]
So here it comes – after Verizon, AT&T, and others successfully spent tens of millions on lobbying the FCC and state and federal legislators to provide nearly free access to city public rights of way and infrastructure, Verizon is now using the fact that they were successful in getting the FCC to make the order […]
A municipal client, who has multiple public safety towers upon which Verizon is colocated, received a call and letter from a Verizon representative asking for reduced lease rate terms and escalation. The letter is on Verizon letterhead and does not make clear the relationship between Accenture and Verizon but refers to the Accenture employee or […]
We are currently working on a bespoke research project for a client where we examine the overlap between Sprint and T-Mobile cell sites. The merger talks seem to have stalled while Softbank talks to Comcast, Charter, Warren Buffett, and anyone who will listen about merging or investing. Nonetheless, there is still investor interest in […]
Sprint is working with Nokia Networks (one of three network vendors) to upgrade its Spark program. This means adding two additional 20-MHz channels to existing cell sites that currently support just one 20-MHz channel for a total of three 20-MHz channels per site by year-end 2015.
As landowners and tower owners just start to hear of the AT&T – T-Mobile merger news, the lease buyout firms and optimization firms have started aggressive campaigns to encourage landowners to either sell or renegotiate the terms of their leases IMMEDIATELY. Despite the fact that the AT&T and T-Mobile merger will take a year to […]
A recent article about Clearwire in Wireless Week doesn’t directly address lease terminations by Clearwire, but does suggest some reasons that may account for the terminations. Clearwire is obligated by their license requirements with the FCC to build out certain rural areas. Hindered by poor retail sales, Clearwire doesn’t appear to have the funds to continue its aggressive build out.
Clearwire has been notifying landowners that they are terminating some leases. Here is what we believe is happening.
So today, two separate clients who are considering cell site lease buyouts from Wireless Capital Partners received emails from their WCP reps that has a cryptic message regarding Sprint/Nextel’s credit rating being downgraded to junk bond status.
AT&T (previously Cingular), through a lease optimization firm (either BlackDot or Md7), contacts a landowner with a cell phone tower lease with AT&T and requests that the owner reduce their rent. The landowner tells AT&T that they won’t reduce the rent and does not agree to the proposed amendment to the cell phone tower lease. […]