Small cell is bringing big changes to joint use departments of electric utilities, telecommunications and broadband providers. These companies are facing an exploding interest from wireless carriers to attach small cell equipment to their...
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Small cell is bringing big changes to joint use departments of electric utilities, telecommunications and broadband providers. These companies are facing an exploding interest from wireless carriers to attach small cell equipment to their...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Endless demand for wireless data and advances in technology are ushering in the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). These developments depend on the infrastructure and support of the next generation of wireless...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Businesses are in a rush to get small cell wireless attachments deployed. In the past couple of years, competitors entered the field and practically raced to the utility poles and other infrastructure to get in on the rollout of next-generation...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Several years ago, the buzz began about the incoming mass deployment of small cell attachments. Annual deployment continues to expand.
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Topics: Small Cell Technology
For wireless consumers, small cell wireless promises ultra-fast connections, stronger signals, and exciting new technology and services. For joint use professionals, managing the deployment of small cell equipment presents new challenges, as...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
For years, utility companies have counted on a combination of experienced personnel, hot stick measurements, and digital cameras to collect data on their poles and other assets. But accelerated demands for jointly used real estate, as well as...
Topics: Utility Asset Management
For utility companies, accurate data is essential to effective asset management. Power providers need up-to-date data to ensure their plant is free of violations, double poles, hazards, and trespass. Trusted methods have been used to collect...
Topics: Utility Pole Inspection
At Alden, we understand that joint use professionals work better when everyone works together. Since 1995, we have centered our software and services around this concept. Our newest initiative to help professionals collaborate is our...
Topics: Joint Use Asset Management
By the middle of the 20th century, many Americans likely felt they had reached the pinnacle of high-tech living. In electric-powered homes equipped with telephones, radios, and TV sets, they were connected to the world in ways unlike any...
Topics: Joint Use Asset Management
By now, many consumers of wireless services are aware that 5G is on its way. In a few U.S. cities, the newest generation of wireless broadband either has arrived or will arrive shortly, with a nationwide rollout to follow. 5G offers the...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
The small cell revolution is underway. Deployment is accelerating as the 5G rollout continues. With the mass explosion of small cell, big changes for professionals in the joint use community are crucial.
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Topics: Small Cell Technology
The restrictions, requirements, and obligations in the FCC’s Third Order and Report on small cell wireless deployment represented a major change for many municipalities nationwide. The order limits the fees cities are allowed to charge wireless...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Topics: Small Cell Technology
The FCC’s Small Cell Third Report and Order, is all about speed. The Third Report and Order regulates deployment of small cell wireless facilities and the purpose of the FCC rules is to install small cell infrastructure quickly across the nation....
Topics: Small Cell Technology
The September 2018 Third Report and Order was designed to speed up deployment of small cell wireless infrastructure across the nation, and the FCC delivered their list of regulations.
Many governments and joint use parties are preparing for the...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
The race to roll out 5G wireless broadband service is under way in the United States.
In September 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved an order that sets requirements for joint use parties who work with the infrastructure...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
This year, progressive technology is generating massive changes for the United States. We find ourselves in the middle of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, where self-driving cars, automated homes, and robotics are becoming a reality.
The Fourth...
Topics: Joint Use - OSP & Distribution
Several companies are re-evaluating their processes and molding their day-to-day to business to align with the new FCC order. If you haven’t yet read the official document released by the FCC, you can find it here: ...
Topics: Joint Use - OSP & Distribution
Professionals in the joint use industry are preparing for compliance under the FCC’s Third Report and Order. The FCC’s policy features a new pole attachment process with specific timelines that pole owners, existing attachers, and new attachers...
Topics: Broadband Deployment
If you have been following industry news or reading our blogs, you may know by now that the Federal Communications Commission has passed a Report and Order called One Touch Make Ready (OTMR). OTMR is a set of guidelines designed to speed up...
Topics: Joint Use - OSP & Distribution
New OTMR guidelines range from shortened timetables to specific processes. The primary parties involved (asset owners, existing attachers, and new attachers) will likely experience changes in their everyday roles and responsibilities.
Topics: Joint Use - OSP & Distribution
The Federal Communications Commission’s One Touch Make Ready order (OTMR), issued in August of 2018, spells out the rules, requirements, and deadlines that the joint use community must begin following no later than February 2019.
Topics: Broadband Deployment
The FCC’s One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) order has placed the joint use community and its personnel in a new and uncharted landscape for broadband deployment.
It has the potential to change roles within businesses and the joint use community...
Topics: Broadband Deployment
If you’ve been reading our latest blog series, you know that the FCC issued a Report and Order in August for the new policy One Touch Make Ready.
Similar to the “Dig Once” policy for overhead attachments, the OTMR order seeks to streamline make...
The FCC’s One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) order, issued in early August, involves big changes for everyone in the joint use community: asset owners, existing attachers, new attachers, and contractors. No later than February 2019, companies must begin...
Topics: Broadband Deployment
The stage has been set for major advances in technology, and that means big changes for the joint use community.
In August, the Federal Communications Commission issued the One Touch Make Ready (OTMR) order, a set of rules designed to speed up...
Topics: Broadband Deployment
Installing fiber optic cable can be an expensive and lengthy process. Often, it requires an extended period of right-of-way negotiations and acquisitions before a company starts to dig. Plus, there’s a costly and disruptive construction process...
Topics: Broadband Deployment
There are big changes on the horizon for joint use professionals. With the race to attach and deploy services, the next few years will be a busy time for joint use professionals.
Topics: Broadband Deployment
Consumers are eagerly awaiting the next step in broadband technology: 5G. With an explosion of small cell and fiber deployment, internet is the fastest it’s been to date. Users can download and stream data better than ever before. We’ve been...
Topics: Broadband Deployment
Fiber optic broadband is sweeping the nation. Fiber's advantages over copper include faster speeds, durability, and efficiency. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are going the extra mile and converting their extended networks to fiber, as more...
Topics: Broadband Deployment
The first Monday in September is dedicated to celebrating the American worker. Labor Day supports the goals of our Founding Fathers—to live in prosperity and economic accomplishment.
We interviewed Dianne Costello, Product Manager of Managed Services and Client Training, at Alden. We asked what small cell attachers should know about utility poles, street lights, traffic lights, and other assets.
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Independence Day is characterized by fireworks, barbecues, and quality time with friends or family. It is a day to reflect on our country’s heritage—and the freedom that America gained by signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776....
Utility poles offer the necessary power and connectivity that is vital for small cell deployment. Providers will likely continue to increase permitting requests for small cell attachments, and pole owners may struggle to handle the number of...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Cell phone signals have become much more reliable in the last few years. Making calls from your office, home, or school typically presents few problems. However, try to upload a video or stream music while out and about, and your mobile...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
Nationwide, utilities and other asset owners are seeing an influx of inquiries and permitting applications for small cell. Today, there are nearly 2.8 million small cell units deployed globally. By 2025, that number is predicted to reach 70.2...
Topics: Small Cell Technology
With numerous cybersecurity threats discussed in the four previous posts, it is no wonder some leaders in the joint use space are questioning centralized, online systems.
Keeping up with evolving cyber threats is a struggle, but it is possible to...
Topics: Joint Use Asset Management
In the early days of cable service, providers encountered attackers who tried to steal service, customer data, and video content. As service offerings expanded to include broadband Internet, attacks have grown to be even more extensive, more...
Communications companies possess extensive consumer data, including financial and behavioral information. Customers subscribe to services that range from home and mobile phone service, cable, Internet, and more.
The U.S. electric grid consists of more than 7,000 power plants, 55,000 substations, 160,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and millions of miles of lower-voltage distribution lines. The system is interconnected with a series of...
Topics: Infrastructure Asset Management
As the joint use industry inches closer to a technology-based future, cybersecurity is an everyday concern. In the last few years, there have been incredible innovations in technology: the Internet of Things, Machine-to-Machine communications,...
Topics: Infrastructure Asset Management
Distributed antenna systems (DAS) were the original small cells. First used more than 30 years ago, DAS began as a solution to provide wireless coverage in areas where there was none. Today’s DAS networks help fill in holes where wireless...
The Internet of Things (IoT) is ushering in a new era of connected homes, smart appliances, and other developments beyond our imagination. Technology companies and government organizations are working to enable the necessary infrastructure for...
New players in the joint use arena are racing to deploy services. Utility poles once stood tall under the weight of power and telephone lines alone, but today’s joint use infrastructure now must also support dozens of competing broadband...
Topics: Joint Use Asset Management
Topics: Joint Use Asset Management
Many joint use asset owners and attachers/renters use homegrown, legacy applications to manage their assets. Some use Excel spreadsheets, or use a combination of applications such as Sharepoint, Maximo, and others. As needs change, systems must...
Topics: Joint Use Asset Management
In our 3-part blog series, we are inspecting common pole conditions that can be costly for asset owners, as well as attachers.
Topics: Utility Pole Inspection
In our 3-part blog series, we are investigating common pole conditions that interrupt service deployment and increase asset owners’ risk. In part 1, we looked at dangerous conditions on utility poles.
This article will look at the multitude of...
Topics: Utility Pole Inspection
In this 3-part blog series, we are addressing common pole conditions that halt service deployment and can be costly to asset owners. It is our experience that asset owners often do not know the current statue or condition of all assets in the...
Topics: Utility Pole Inspection
In our four-part educational series, we have explored three important issues that manhole and handhole owners are currently facing: trespass, damage, and violations. All three can work against each other, creating inaccessible vaults and...
Topics: Conduit Inventory & Inspection
In this four-part series, we are uncovering manhole and handhole conditions. In our experience, asset owners are often surprised at the amount of damage, trespass, and violations found in underground spaces without regular inventories. The first...
Topics: Conduit Inventory & Inspection
Successful joint use management of underground infrastructure begins with knowing which assets are in underground spaces and tracing actions to each one.
Topics: Conduit Inventory & Inspection
Successful business decisions for asset owners and occupants of underground infrastructure begins with knowing which assets are underground and tracking activities of each.
Topics: Conduit Inventory & Inspection
Our first article, “Getting Ahead in 2018: Pole Inspections (Part 1 of 3)” looked at the proactive strengths of resolutions to start and maintain regular pole audits. Our second post, “Getting Ahead in 2018: Inspections (Part 2 of 3),”...
Topics: Utility Pole Inspection, Conduit Inventory & Inspection
In this post, we suggest ways to get ahead in 2018 by reviewing vital tools for strengthening joint use operations and management. The first article in this series, “Getting Ahead in 2018: Pole Inspections (Part 1 of 3)” discusses utility pole...
Topics: Conduit Inventory & Inspection
Over the next three articles, we will discuss the tools needed to strengthen joint use partnerships. We will focus on the ways that inspections and inventories, paired with a centralized asset management system, are critical to managing an...
Topics: Utility Pole Inspection
This week, we wanted to reflect on our gratitude. We work together daily with incredible people who provide us with electricity, entertainment, and the ability to communicate and connect with our world. In honor of these hard-working companies...
Topics: Asset Data Management
To close our underground series, we look at the crucial principles of an underground inventory. Underground inspections are necessary for asset owners, who must know the current conditions of their facilities. Although underground systems can...
Topics: Infrastructure Asset Management
Topics: Infrastructure Asset Management
A few weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey gushed into the streets of Houston and surrounding areas. It flooded businesses, homes, and schools. But it didn’t stop there. Water leaked from the streets into the manholes and handholes of underground...
Topics: Infrastructure Asset Management
Foreign to our everyday lives above ground, the underground world can be quite mysterious. What lies beneath is unknown and unfamiliar. Twenty-first century urban explorers have begun to uncover findings of underground communities, secret maps,...
Topics: Infrastructure Asset Management
The future of communications is rapidly progressing. With high-speed broadband becoming a basic requirement in daily life, extensive changes are being made to regulations and federal deployment plans. Initiatives such as the Connect America Fund...
Topics: Infrastructure Asset Management
From utility pole placement requests to calling for faster Internet speeds, consumers are a powerful influence in driving growth within the utility and communications industries. As consumers’ needs expand and change, these industries must...
Topics: Utility Asset Management