Why Carr Likes Climbing Towers

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr explained to reporters after yesterday’s monthly meeting what he likes about climbing towers. He said he probably got his start around 2017. Back then, there was a rivalry to climb higher between Carr and then-Chair Ajit Pai, Inside Towers reported.

Carr said during that time, the Commission was working on “permitting reform and making it easier for broadband builders to get the job done.” With that, one of the things he found “is that if you cut out the dozen layers of lawyers and lobbyists and get outside the Beltway and meet directly with the women and men that actually climb the towers, that do this work, and you ask them what’s jamming you up? You get really good, interesting ideas.”  

He explained, “So, part of it was hearing directly from them about reforms, but also, America’s tower crews are just the best of the best. They’re the salt of the earth. I think highlighting their work, we always need more jobs in this space. We help [highlight] various apprenticeship programs to draw people into it.”

“It’s also just a lot of fun to get up in the air with a tower crew,” Carr emphasized. “Although I’ve said, maybe last month, every time I climb a tower, I’m older than the last time I climbed the tower. So there may come a point at which I can’t do it anymore, but for now I really enjoy getting out there, getting up in the air and hope to continue to do it.”

Last month, Carr climbed the nearly 2,000-foot WCTI/WYDO television tower in New Bern, NC, Inside Towers reported. Does he plan to go higher? “Unfortunately, 2,000 feet is basically the cap for broadcast towers in this country, so we’ve topped out,” Carr said. “But we’ll see. Maybe we’ll talk to some of the satellite providers and see if we can get a little bit higher.”

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief