January 21, 2022

NATE Submits Public Comments on OSHA’s Proposed Excessive Heat Standard

OSHA announced a proposed “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings” rule. OSHA is seeking public comment on the nature and extent of hazardous heat in the workplace and interventions and controls to prevent heat-related injury and illness.

According to the proposed rule, OSHA will “enhance measures” to protect workers exposed to heat for extended times. The administration will do so through an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards, and developing a National Emphasis Program on heat inspections.

NATE is concerned about a heat standard based on an arbitrary ground temperature. This would lead to confusion for tower climbers who experience different temperatures while working at height than on the ground. The rule could also require tower techs to stop work on a tower, which may mean climbing down the tower and leading to more climbs throughout the day.

Read NATE’s public comments here. You can also read more in Wireless Estimator.

ICYMI: NATE and ENERTECH Holdings Host Congressman Dan Crenshaw and Commissioner Carr for Texas Tower Climb

In Huffman, Texas, Congressman Crenshaw (R-TX), a retired Navy SEAL, and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr climbed a 250 ft. self-support Crown Castle tower.

Congressman Crenshaw is a member of the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he has championed important communications and workforce development legislation. While on the climb, ENERTECH Holdings highlighted the role that telecommunications technicians and wireless infrastructure are playing in the country’s efforts to provide broadband coverage to rural, unserved and underserved communities.

After the climb, Congressman Crenshaw said, “It is clear that America’s tower climbers and technicians have been working on the front lines of broadband deployment and I am proud to have visited with them and learned more about this critical industry.” 

Check out some drone footage of the climb here.

Congressional Leaders Pushing for Oversight of Broadband Programs

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent letters to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking questions about steps these agencies are taking to close the digital divide.  

In the past two years, Congress has provided hundreds of billions of dollars for broadband programs and there is concern about overbuilding broadband in some areas rather than directing funding toward unserved areas.

Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers (who visited a tower last summer) is also pushing for an oversight hearing with Alan Davidson, who was recently sworn in as the new Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator. NATE supported Assistant Secretary Davidson’s confirmation and looks forward to working with him.

We will continue to monitor this and support actions by Congress and federal entities that ensure broadband is being delivered to rural, unserved, and underserved areas.

Speaking of Overbuilding Broadband – Commissioner Carr Targets Department of the Treasury

On January 14, 2022, Commissioner Carr issued a statement raising concerns about the Treasury Department’s rules regarding $350 billion in American Rescue Plan funding for broadband.

Commissioner Carr stated, “Rather than directing those dollars to the rural and other communities without any Internet infrastructure today, the Administration gives the green light for recipients to spend those funds on overbuilding existing, high-speed networks in communities that already have multiple broadband providers. This would only deepen the digital divide in this country.”

Read his full statement here.

5G and Aviation Fights Continue

The past two weeks have been full of news regarding fights between the FCC, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines and pilots, and carriers including AT&T and Verizon. This week, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. agreed to again delay deployment of 5G networks on C-Band spectrum near some airports in a bid to ease concerns about aviation safety.

Since November, NATE and our industry partners have been supporting the launch of 5G, but officials at the FAA, Department of Transportation and the White House have failed to uphold the agreement that was brokered by the White House.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel issued a statement saying that a last minute – January 18, 2022 - agreement on this issue was good for the industry. She also stated that it is now time that the FAA “complete this process with both care and speed” to ensure we can deploy 5G.

FCC Commissioner Carr panned a last minute announcement from the White House – “The Biden Administration’s botched handling of C-Band 5G offerings highlights a failure of competent leadership. The White House walked back a Biden-brokered infrastructure agreement after just two weeks.”

Watch Commissioner Carr speak about these issues on CNBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIh-U1kMsoU.

Tax Guidelines: Property Depreciation

The IRS published some tips and guidelines regarding property depreciation and tax deductions. Depreciation is an annual tax deduction that allows small businesses to recover the cost or other basis of certain property over the time they use the property. It is an allowance for the wear and tear, deterioration or obsolescence of the property.

Review this one pager for some tips that you might find helpful.

Inflation Impacts OSHA - OSHA Adjusts Fines Due to Inflation

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced adjustments to Occupational Safety and Health Administration civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2022. The Final Rule is effective January 15, 2022, and the increased penalty levels apply to any penalties assessed after January 15, 2022.

Please visit the Press Release, the memorandum, and the OSHA Penalties page for more information.

Recommended Reading

Here’s a great document highlighting some of the major federal actions that took place in Congress and the Biden Administration in 2021 and what’s coming up in 2022. It also highlights some of the more significant statewide elections across the country.

We also like the 2022 look-ahead included which highlights many of the issues that NATE has to follow in Washington, D.C. and across the country.

Thank you to National Journal for providing this great resource!