Lydia Beyoud of Event-Driven.com posted an article this afternoon that alleges that Sprint and Mobilitie planned and tested a program to bypass some local zoning requirements, 1) to essentially put up some cell sites without first obtaining all required government permits, and 2) without requiring some other site prerequisites such as power and backhaul solutions.
The article cites an alleged internal Sprint engineering memorandum dated April 25, 2017 by Chris Mills, Vice-President, Network Deployment at Sprint. The memo appears to be addressed to senior engineering staff at Sprint, as well as Mobilitie, describing the results of a trial where Sprint allegedly allowed Mobilite “to commence construction [of cell sites] without fully completing regulatory compliance (power design, NEPA, SHPO, etc.)” concluding that “commencing construction prior to all regulatory approvals exposes both Sprint and Mobilitie to reputational risks without enjoying any tangible on-air benefits.”
If the memo is true, it raises important questions as to whether Sprint and Mobilitie, and the contractors who work for them, conspired to violate civil or criminal statutes or regulations.
Determining whether this memo is accurate, and taking action if it is, should be a very high priority for state and local governments, the FCC, the SEC, and various state licensing boards.
Here is a link to the full story:
https://event-driven.com/sprint-approved-trial-for-contractor-mobilitie/
Jonathan
