Jonathan Kramer on Wireless Tower Siting

(Note from Jonathan: This article was written by my colleague Robert Smith, and published at Planetizen.com.  I’m reprinting the article here with Robert’s permission to ensure a wider readership.)
Important Court Decision Restores Local Govt. Control on Zoning for Wireless

Robert E. Smith, AICP, explains the impact of recent court decisions on the ability of local governments [...]

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Personal Cell Phone Account Of President-Elect Obama Accessed By Unauthorized Employees

11/20/2008
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell McAdam made the following statement today:
“This week we learned that a number of Verizon Wireless employees have, without authorization, accessed and viewed President-Elect Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account. [...]

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By now many/most/all? of you know that on September 11th, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Sprint Telephony PCS, L. P. v. County of San Diego case.  The court held 11-0 that the ‘Auburn’ decision standard announced by the same court eight years ago was wrong, and reversed itself.
The now-discredited Auburn permitted a [...]

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Wireless Industry attorney Scott Olson of Cooper Erving & Savage LLP (Albany, NY) has written a very interesting blog essay on his “Cell Tower Siting Blog” offering hiring suggestions to governments looking to employ wireless advisers.  The title of his essay is, “Choosing a Wireless Consultant.”
While it may seen like Scott (on the wireless industry [...]

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As reported by staff writer Seth Rosenfeld in the San Francisco Chronicle (Aug 30, 2008, Page C-1), the California Public Utiltiies Commission is investigating whether T-Mobile has been constructing cell sites in Northern California without following local building laws.
The article quotes Susan Carothers, a CPUC spokesperson who said, “CPUC staff is looking into allegations concerning [...]

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On July 8, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to act on the CTIA’s request to block the FCC rules on emergency power of telecom sites (including cell sites).
From the order:
RANDOLPH, Circuit Judge: Hurricane Katrina exposed several weaknesses in the Gulf Coast’s communications infrastructure, among which was the loss of power for [...]

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T-Mobile’s plans to construct a new cell site at an old cemetery in Stoneham, MA have died.  Omnipoint Communications, T-Mobile’s parent proposed an 80-foot tower in St. Patrick Parish’s cemetery at Broadway and MacArthur Road.  See the Google Street View map below for a photo.
View a Google Street Map of the Site
According to a printed [...]

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Welcome to California.  Now put down the cell phone when you’re driving.  That law is now in effect here in the Golden State.  No warning period; just get a ticket.
Now that this law is in effect, if you are in a fatal accident (with other than you being the fatality), you can be charged with [...]

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ACLU And EFF Sue Justice Department To Uncover Records Of Cell Phone Tracking (7/1/2008)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit today urging a federal court to order the Department of Justice (DOJ) to turn over records related to the government’s use [...]

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (with additional data from WirelessEstimator.com), the Discovery Channel has it all wrong: The deadliest job in the U.S. isn’t fishing; it’s tower climbing.
As reported in the July 7, 2008 edition of RCR news, the top three deadliest jobs are:
#1 Tower erectors/climbers: 183.6 deaths per 100,000 (18 deaths)
#2 Fishers [...]

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