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Chairman's Corner - 2023 Tower Times Volume 3

As we emerge from our NATE Member Congressional Fly-In Event in D.C. and other prominent industry conferences this past spring, it is clear that there is a change in the air. The primary conversations evolve around work slowdown, bankruptcies of major vendors, matrix pricing cuts, and additional flow down of duties and responsibilities to the contractors who perform the work. We have inflation at 15%, compared to the Carter Administration in the mid to late 1970's which peaked at 14.6%, and we have interest rates rising at a pace only surpassed during the Carter years.

This is a time when we can look at the landscape as a glass half full or half empty; with every downturn in the economy or event in our history, we can look to people that take these opportunities to either hang their heads or innovate and improve themselves.

As contractors, engineers, suppliers, and manufacturers in the telecom industry we know one thing, people will always need to communicate, and we are the people that enable the connectivity to make that a reality.

As NATE member companies, we have all been riding a hectic pace for over 10 years of increasing build plans as we rolled from 3G to LTE to 4G and now into 5G. We have seen a tremendous boom in the macro tower business and a constant uptick in small cell and fiber deployments. There has been a lot to do.

The upside is that these installations need to be maintained and continually expanded. The work that was done 10 years ago by the carrier’s field technicians is now done by NATE member companies. The radio heads are now mounted on light fixtures, telephone poles, and towers. This is a time when companies that invest or have invested in technical training will lead the next generation, building and maintaining our communication infrastructure.

Over the last several years, there has been an increasing rate of access to cheap capital, and many larger companies acquired into the telecom space assuming the bubble would never burst. Some companies agreed to subpar pricing for the opportunity to tie up large volumes of work and now with increased inflation and interest rates, that pricing no longer looks quite as good as it did 18 months ago. As the owner of a contractor business for over 30 years, my advice is to know your costs and understand what it takes to operate your business profitably.

During the recent round of NATE C-Suite meeting visits with some of the industry’s major customers (carriers and vertical real estate/tower owners), we had some great dialogue discussing the pricing and, although it will take some time to get major change, we are delivering a compelling and worthy message. NATE UNITE 2024 in Memphis will also have several educational sessions on business management topics that will provide immense value and I look forward to seeing you there.

NATE Training and Small Cell/DAS Installations Committee Article - 2023 Tower Times Volume 2

In 2022, NATE received the Susan Harwood Grant from OSHA to produce the Electrical Safety Awareness Training for Telecom Workers. As part of this program, the NATE team worked closely with several representatives from member companies to produce comprehensive training that includes many of the different facets of telecom construction.

The curriculum development team consisted of Richard Cullum, Dave Hall, Kenneth Hill, George Kerstetter, Nick Wilkerson, and me. This is the second time I have had the pleasure of working with NATE on the curriculum development committee, and also the second time I have been an instructor for the completed training. In 2021, NATE received the same grant to produce the 5G-Small Cell Deployment Training which was directed solely at communications installations in the ROW and for projects that achieve densification of a Wireless Carrier network. Students in both courses have given me extremely positive reviews of the content, and I believe they are extremely beneficiary to NATE member firms.

At the NATE UNITE conference in February 2023, the Small Cell and DAS Committee shared concerns over the lack of training available to technicians that perform our highly specialized installs throughout the country. Our conversations were very productive, but they got me thinking: the 2023 Training is an outstanding resource for safety awareness in our industry, and it carries some extremely informative topics relating to communications installations and the electrical hazards associated with them. As someone with both a Tower and Small Cell/DAS background, the importance of this training was not lost on me.

During the first class, which took place in Wisconsin in February, many of the students were technicians. This is the target audience for NATE, as we continue to promote safety among our member companies.

The NATE catalog of Susan Harwood Grant Training Courses contains some outstanding resources for our industry. I wanted to take this opportunity to share where these training courses can be found and encourage member firms to share them with their team members. Visit natehome.com/safety-education/susan-harwood-grant-courses/ to find the student workbooks, instructor manuals, and the PowerPoint presentations used in the training sessions.

For many teams, these resources will provide invaluable information that may not be readily available, or assembled in a manner that proves to be easily presented in a timely fashion. I strongly encourage our member companies to utilize these trainings and book your opportunity to attend the 2023 Electrical Safety Awareness Training, as soon as possible. Stay safe! ●

Safety & Education Committee Article - 2023 Tower Times Volume 2

EPIC. That word has been bandied about by so many people when discussing NATE UNITE 2023; and in my opinion, it is the most appropriate. This supersized event was an incredible opportunity for networking, learning about the newest equipment and services on the exhibit floor, and complete with informative sessions on a myriad of topics.

In the spirit of this great event, the Safety & Education Committee is tackling a super-sized list of initiatives with the goal of providing valuable safety resources to membership.

First, we continue the development of the new and improved Safety Posters. You have likely seen a couple of these in past issues of Tower Times. The latest completed topics include Lockout/Tagout, RF Monitor Selection, and Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs). The Task Team is nearing completion on RF Awareness and Trenching and Excavation topics as well. The scope of the project is to develop 52 topics that could be used to lead weekly Toolbox Talks.

Additional topics will also be created to address hot-button issues, changes in equipment, etc. in the future.

Upon publishing the NATE RF Awareness Booklet last year, the committee was approached by an RF engineering and consulting group who shared their insight on upcoming changes in the RF realm that influence our industry. Most notably are changes to RF signage and updated guidance for both the FCC OET 56 and 65 bulletins. The committee will continue to discuss the best way to share the upcoming changes with membership.

The review and revision of the NATE Hoist Operator Training Document is also well underway. The document updates are approximately 45% complete, with the task team very close to completion of the initial edit of the original document. The purpose of the review is to update standard and regulation references to current as well as to change the format of the document to a handbook that can be used by membership to create their own training on the topic.

Work continues on two initiatives identified in last year’s summer conference: JHA Best Practices and Nomenclature and Mentoring New Hires. These two topics are slated to become part of NATE’s Safety & Health Manual as they are developed.

Lastly, a new Task Team was created to research and develop guidance on the topic of bonding cranes and hoists to the structure when working near power lines. This was a project that was created based on an incident in the industry and, upon further testing, the findings were shocking (pun fully intended). This document will likely take the form of a PAN or whitepaper when completed.

I would like to take a moment to thank the Safety & Education Committee members for all the hard work and long hours they volunteered to create these documents. NATE members should know you have a dedicated group of all-stars working hard for you behind the scenes.

While it is shaping up to be a busy year, we would still love to hear your feedback. The most exciting thing about this list of projects is that all of the items on it were brought to us in part by membership. We want to know what membership needs and how we can support you. If there are initiatives you would like to discuss, reach out and let me know. Stay safe, friends.

Broadband’s Unsung Heroes

Most discussions about expanding Internet access focus on the benefits this digital access provides consumers. This absolutely makes sense. Improved connectivity allows people everywhere to participate in the digital economy. When communities have better internet connectivity it enables businesses to open and grow, specifically where next-generation technologies like 5G or the Internet of Things are transforming industries.

Yet another important and often overlooked benefit of broadband expansion is the economic opportunities for those building out and maintaining our nation’s broadband infrastructure. Our networks are only a reality because of the hard work and dedication of the men and women who are on the ground (and in the air) turning the promise of broadband into a reality. These workers enjoy a fulfilling vocation while also enabling millions of Americans to enjoy the benefits of broadband. Understanding their stories is a key ingredient to grasping the overarching narrative around closing the digital divide.

While driving through the countryside we often pass infrastructure workers’ trucks or see their work off the side of a road, but never fully appreciate the work that they are doing to operate these vital networks.

However, new social media channels and a new documentary are set to change that, sharing with Americans this oft-neglected side of the broadband story.

One such example is the Instagram (and TikTok) account tower_bros who posts regularly about the lives and work of cell tower climbers and crews. From high up hundreds of feet in the air or down at the base of a tower, their short videos show what it’s actually like to climb hundreds (and even thousands) of feet above the ground on towers in all sorts of weather to ensure towers and Internet service is maintained.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr also posts highlights from his tower climbs alongside climbers and crews on his Twitter account, who are working tirelessly to maintain this essential infrastructure. Demonstrating to others the difficulty and skill needed to do this work in all types of weather.

Too often DC-based policymakers do not take the time to experience this side of the digital divide story, so it is notable to see those who make important decisions take the time to understand how it works. Thankfully

Commissioner Carr’s interest is rubbing off on other policymakers. Earlier this year Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) joined the commissioner and a crew for a climb.

It’s not just viral social media posts and visits with policymakers but there is a new feature-length documentary film Vertical Freedom highlighting the professional and personal lives of six tower climbers.

Each one of these workers has a unique narrative, a family for whom they work. Understanding their personal journeys should give us a better appreciation for the work that is being done - which is exactly what this documentary achieves. Viewers will walk away with a whole new appreciation for what these men and women do. Working day and night in dangerous conditions, risking their lives to enable the fast Internet connectivity that powers our lives and the nation’s economy.

As policymakers and interested stakeholders deliberate future efforts to improve broadband access, there is an importance in considering what allows these men and women to best do their job. Eliminating wasting funding that will only delay their work, or considering what red tape is hindering their ability to do their job. Internet connectivity is more than a subsidy program or investment of a spreadsheet but is about those who are doing the real work and those who benefit from its connectivity. ●

Nathan Leamer Chief Executive Director - Digital First Project

EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS By Todd Schlekeway

I hope this article finds all of you enjoying the start of the new year! As an Association and industry, I am supremely confident in saying that we are optimistic about where we are headed in 2023 and beyond. Now that the calendar has turned to 2023, I wanted to inform all of you that Tower Times magazine has officially transitioned to a quarterly publication. Beginning with this issue, Tower Times will now be published four times per year. Note that this change will have no impact on the quality of industry news and member-generated content published in each edition of the magazine.

Tower Times remains the Association’s greatest marketing resource as it serves as a publication that devotes coverage to the impact that NATE and our member companies have on the industry.

In the digital era, NATE considers it a badge of honor that we are one of the very few national trade associations that still produces and publishes a print magazine. Tower Times will continue to focus on providing our members, subscriber base, and the industry at-large, with interesting and relevant content, arriving in your respective mailboxes four times per year.

NATE C-Suite Executive Meetings

Every two years, NATE’s leadership embarks on a national C-Suite tour to meet with top executives representing the leading wireless and vertical real estate companies. NATE’s Executive Committee and I have conducted three of these meetings with more scheduled in the coming months.

These meetings are a fantastic opportunity to provide an update to some of the industry’s top corporate executives directly from the "field” and highlight the various marketplace opportunities and challenges, industry workforce development initiatives, and safety-related trends that will lend additional perspective and value to the companies who serve as the major customers to contractors. Simply put, NATE’s goal with these executive-level meetings is to relentlessly advocate for our contractor member firms and their respective technician workforce.

The C-Suite meetings have gone well to date, and we are confident this collaboration at the highest levels will assist our innovative industry in conquering current challenges as opportunities and ensure a successful next-generation deployment cycle.

NATE UNITE 2023

Please plan to join us as a sponsor, exhibitor, and attendee at NATE UNITE 2023, which will take place February 20-23 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. The Association’s annual event continues to evolve, getting bigger and better by the year. NATE UNITE 2023 attendees will find many enhancements to this year’s conference and trade show. Additionally, when compared to other industry events, NATE UNITE continues to be the best value for your money on the trade show circuit.

If you are in Orlando at NATE UNITE 2023, please pull me aside and introduce yourself. One of my favorite aspects of this job is visiting with representatives from member companies from across the globe and the conference is a terrific opportunity for NATE’s staff to meet and engage in conversation with members in person.

See you in Orlando! ●