FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Visits Broadcast Tower Site in the Great Plains
For Immediate Release:
October 15, 2018
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Visits Broadcast Tower Site in the Great Plains
Commissioner Receives Update on Broadcast Repack Transition, Meets with Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Local NATE Member Company Representatives and Broadcasters
(Sioux Falls, SD) – FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Friday conducted a site visit to a KDLT TV broadcast tower located near Rowena, South Dakota. The visit was focused on providing an update on the progress of the broadcast repack transition that the Association’s broadcast contractors are involved in.
During his site visit, Commissioner Carr, accompanied by experienced technicians from Sioux Falls Tower & Communications, was fitted with the appropriate fall protection equipment and ascended near the top of the tower utilizing the structure’s elevator. While on the tower, Commissioner Carr received valuable information on the type of repack working that is currently taking place on tall towers around the country.
Prior to the broadcast tower site visit, Carr and his Chief of Staff Jamie Susskind joined South Dakota Congresswoman Kristi Noem (R-SD) at a lunch meeting with South Dakota-based NATE member companies and broadcast industry stakeholders.
“Broadcast TV stations and NATE share a great relationship committed to providing local news, weather, sports and emergency weather information to millions of Americans every day,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon H. Smith. “NAB appreciates the efforts of NATE to educate the FCC about the challenges faced by tower crews and broadcasters to uphold this commitment. We thank Commissioner Carr for visiting a broadcast tower site and experiencing first-hand the work of NATE and local broadcasters to complete the incentive auction repack safely, under budget and on schedule,” added Smith.
“The FCC’s historic and successful 600 MHZ Incentive Auction has led to an active broadcast repack transition, currently resulting in enormous amounts of tower construction and modification work on tall broadcast structures,” said Executive Director Todd Schlekeway. “It was great to collaborate with some of our member companies and friends at NAB to host this event. During today’s meeting and site visit, Commissioner Carr was able to witness our member companies’ resolute commitment to providing the resources necessary to ensure this broadcast repack transition work is conducted safely and efficiently.”
To view a collection of photos from Commissioner Carr’s broadcast tower site tour, visit NATE’s Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook pages. For more information on the Federal Communications Commission, visit www.fcc.gov. For more information on NATE, visit www.natehome.com.
###
About NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association is a non-profit trade association in the wireless infrastructure industry providing a unified voice for tower erection, service and maintenance companies. Today the Association boasts over 755 member companies located throughout the United States, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Guam, Jamaica, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Trinidad and the United Kingdom. For additional information on NATE, please visit www.natehome.com.
