Site Acquisition Articles
Biting the Hand That Feeds You
January 17, 2006
THERE IS A NEW KID on the block and he might send a shiver through the cellular telephone industry. Called the Cellular Site Landowners Association (CSLA) , and just as its name says, the group intends to represent land owners with a cell site on their property.
According to its web site, the goal of CSLA is to be “the unified knowledge base for cellular site landowners to gather relevant information, exchange ideas, and maximize wireless revenues.” In other words, they plan to use the information they’ve gathered from within the wireless industry and use it to organize land owners against cellular telephone carriers.
CSLA largely consists of James Polick, a real estate attorney, and Rob Benson, a former employee at Marconi, Motorola, and Sprint PCS. Polick has also worked as an independent consultant for other wireless telecommunications companies.
Taking a close look at their web site I get the impression that CSLA is a company and not an actual association or union of land owners. I can’t seem to find any evidence that the group has a true organizational structure common with these types of associations. They instead advertise their ability to help land owners negotiate deals and help them create leverage if a tower owner wishes to renegotiate a lease or get a signature on an estoppel letter. If they really are a company (and not an association), their choice of company names (e.g. nom de plume) is a bit misleading in my opinion.
CSLA also makes a point to seek land owners who have been approached by land acquisition companies such as Unison Site Management and Wireless Capital Partners (Wireless Capital PartnersWCP), both of which are former clients of Polick. They are also advertising their ability to help land owners who are renegotiating their tower leases as a result of the merger between Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless.
CSLA is really pushing their product on the Internet lately. Not only have they launched their nifty new web site, they are also promoting their services by RSS and advertising online. CSLApromotes a service that allows land owners to sell their leases by online auction (think eBay), which would effectively remove the site acquisition agent and independent contractor entirely from the process.
I also hope their plan works. If not, I don’t believe too many wireless telecommunications companies will hire them back after biting the hands that fed them. ■
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Scare Tactics
January 10, 2006
BARKLEY TOWER CAPITAL, a company that is attempting to purchase ground leases from land owners, has posted the following statement on its web site in an effort to convince land owners to sell their leases: “New technologies could eliminate the need for wireless towers in as little as 5 to 10 years.” While I’ve heard people at zoning meetings utter such nonsense, I don’t recall anyone from within the industry ever doing so.
I wonder what technologies they could mean.
It couldn’t be referring to satellites, could they? I hope not. Satellite telephones are still extremely costly. Their phones are much larger than cellular telephones and their antennas are much longer. In a day when cell phones have become a popular fashion accessory, I don’t see too many teenagers walking down the street with a foot-long antenna hanging out the back of their brick-like cell phone.
Also, latency (the lag time between sending a message and receiving a message) is still a big problem with satellite phones and the current state of satellite technology is too problematic for widespread use. Motorola’s Iridium satellite network was
a dismal failure and for the most part, it is only by military personnel, government contract-
ors, the CIA, off-shore oil employees, and the wealthiest of Americans.
Could they be referring to the blimps Sanswire Networks is proposing for perpetual flight high above America? In my May 20th post I think we covered some of the reasons why this technology doesn’t seem to make much sense. Unless you are on the board of directors for Sanswire Networks, I don’t know too many people who are predicting that these blimps will replace terrestrial based wireless infrastructure.
Maybe Barkley Tower Capital knows something we don’t. On the other hand, it could be a scare tactic. Shame on them if it is. ■
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5 Things I'm Thankful For
December 21, 2005
THE JOB OF SITE ACQUISITION can often be a busy one. But I have found five useful things that can make the job of site acquisition much easier:
HP ScanJet 8290 Scanner -
The HP ScanJet 8290 has quickly become my favorite gadget in the office. It sits just to the left of my computer monitor and has become a force multiplier in my office. I use it to scan exhibits and documents for clients, receipts for reimbursement, reports and photographs. The automatic document feeder, coupled with optical character recognition (OCR) software makes converting large documents into editable text a synch.
The HP ScanJet 8290 has 4800 dpi x 4800 dpi resolution, which is sharper than many other scanners in its class. It also supports larger formats, including legal sized paper (8.5 in x 14 in).
If you don't have ample desk space or place to easily reach it from your office chair, I doubt you will be as enthused about this device as I am. It’s a bit bulky and requires ample desk space, but for me it is well worth it.
Google's Advanced News Search -
While I have not completely abandoned Yahoo! in favor of Google, I do like Google's Advanced News Search. According to Wired News
Every day I use Google's Advanced News Search to find industry news from around the globe. I am able to follow how companies are waging war for new cell sites. I can find out what new hurdles wireless carriers are facing. I can learn what companies are expanding and which ones are closing. I can even use it to see what others are saying about my own company. Google's Advanced News Search is a valuable web site, indeed.
Garmin StreetPilot 2620 -
I spend more than 20,000 miles a year behind the wheel and finding unfamiliar places quickly is important. After using this handy GPS receiver for about three months now I can declare that the Garmin StreetPilot 2620 is the greatest invention since the Gutenberg press.
The Garmin StreetPilot 2620 can help find virtually any location in the U.S. All you have to do is type in an address, coordinates or street intersection and the unit automatically plots a course to the destination. The car adapter has a speaker on it and the unit accurately informs the driver where and when to turn. The on-screen display also calculates your speed, estimated time of arrival, heading and distance to turn.
The small color display and touch screen is much easier to use and read than first expected. I also like how the GPS receiver recalculates routes almost instantly when I do find my self off course. Overall this is was a very nice purchase that is paying for itself very quickly.
Kinko's -
Although I wasn’t happy to hear FedEx bought Kinko's, the acquisition hasn’t changed Kinko's at all. For the road warrior Kinko's is a savior.
Kinko's provides mobile workers with the tools necessary to get many jobs done. I can send files from my office or hotel room by E-mail to my destination city and have them picked up just in time for a meeting. Whether I need 11" x 17" plans or just a place to hook-up my computer, Kinko's has it all (and affordably priced). The recent addition of credit card terminals to each copier station is also a plus, allowing me to get in and out of Kinko's in rapid fashion. Some say FedEx
Milio's Sandwiches -
Formerly called Big Mike's, Milio's Sandwiches is a submarine sandwich shop of the Subway and Cousin's variety, but their sandwiches are much better. Located predominately in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Milio's Sandwiches may have changed their name but not their menu. Their sandwiches are fresh, they taste great, most of their locations have a drive-up window, and they deliver. More importantly, however, they are much easier to eat behind the wheel than either a Subway or Cousin's sandwich.
When working on the road and in a hurry, there aren't many healthy options to choose from.McDonald's, Wendy's and Taco Bell all offer speed and convenience, but they are probably the worst thing a person can eat when working far away from home. And while healthier than fast food, gas station sandwiches have got to be the nastiest form of sustenance known to man. I think I would rather eat some things seen on Fear Factor than many of the gas station sandwiches I've consumed over the years.
The #4 Pilgrim's Pride is my favorite sandwich, which includes thinly sliced turkey, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts. It may not be a New York strip, but it is mighty fine for lunch on the road (and no, I don't steer the car with my knees). ■
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