Telecom Business Alert -- Tower Collapse, Cybersecurity Bill, and SpecEx Termination -- Vol. XI Issue 6

Towers Collapse in West Virginia

On January 31, 2014, two towers owned by SBA Communications in Clarksburg, WV collapsed, killing two contractors and a firefighter.  The contractors were working on the larger of the two towers when it collapsed.  The weight of the collapsed tower then put pressure on the second, smaller tower’s guy wires, which eventually collapsed as well.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to investigate.  We will be following this case and will report on it during our webinar in April.  For more information, please contact David Sarvadi (Sarvadi@khlaw.com; 202-434-4249). 

Washington Watch: Cybersecurity Bill Moves to the House Floor

The Homeland Security Committee of the House of Representatives approved a cybersecurity bill that would assist in creating a partnership between industry and the Department of Homeland Security for cybersecurity information sharing. The bill now moves to the House floor for a potential vote.  This bill, if passed into law, would work in conjunction with the NIST cybersecurity framework.  The finalized version of the NIST cybersecurity framework is scheduled to come out later this month.  

Spectrum Bridge Discontinues SpecEx Listing Service

This week, Spectrum Bridge sent letters informing users of its SpecEx spectrum listing service that it will be discontinuing the service on February 28, 2014.  Spectrum Bridge was started in 2007 and was funded in part through the FCC’s Telecommunications Development Fund, which is supported by interest from deposits made by participants in FCC spectrum auctions.  SpecEx was intended to compliment the FCC auction process by providing a dynamic secondary marketplace for spectrum purchases.  Its discontinuance is a further indicator that the secondary spectrum market is not always an available option for many entities.  For more information, please contact Greg Kunkle (Kunkle@khlaw.com; 202-434-4178).

Upcoming Webinars: Services Agreements and Towers

Doug Jarrett will be one of the presenters in a Strafford CLE Webinar entitled “Drafting and Negotiating Telecom Services Agreements.”  The webinar will contrast and compare wireless and wireline agreements, as negotiated with domestic and European-based carriers.  Additional information is available here or contact Doug Jarrett (Jarrett@khlaw.com; 202-434-4180).  Additionally, on April 17, 2014, Keller and Heckman LLP will be holding a Webinar entitled “Know Your Tower ABCs: FAA, ASR, NEPA, FCC, SHPO, TCNS, OSHA…” that will discuss in roundtable format the regulatory compliance obligations associated with initial construction and continuing use of antenna towers imposed  by the FCC, FAA, OSHA and EPA. 

Send Us Your Feedback

We welcome your feedback on topics of interest that you would like to see covered in our Telecom Business Alert. To make suggestions, please e-mail telecomalert@khlaw.com.