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Recent News
Dehydrated tower tech pulled from 275-foot level of Rockford, IL broadcast tower after three-hour rescue
A tower tech was rescued Monday afternoon from a broadcast tower at WTVO-TV/WQRF-TV in Rockford, Illinois, after suffering what officials believe was a dehydration-related medical emergency 275 feet above ground, according to WTVO. Rockford Fire and the Northwest Fire...
SpaceX’s terrestrial network has a timing problem: Nobody’s buying new phones
SpaceX’s plan to compete with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon runs into a market reality that has nothing to do with satellites, spectrum, or rooftop small cells: people are holding onto their phones longer than they have in years, at...
Trump nominates FCC’s Thumann, NATE’s 2026 Regulatory Champion, to fill commission vacancy
President Trump nominated Danielle Thumann Severs, currently senior counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, to fill one of two open seats on the five-member commission, the White House announced Friday. For an industry that spends considerable time navigating FCC...
GAO audit flags BEAD fraud risk, but the program’s own track record undercuts the headline
A new Government Accountability Office report has BEAD sitting in some uncomfortable company: the $16.9 billion broadband grant program made GAO’s list of federal initiatives most structurally exposed to fraud, alongside Medicaid, SNAP, and disaster assistance funding. The report,...
FCC adds foreign-made robots, power inverters to covered list over national security risk
The FCC has updated its Covered List to add two new categories of foreign-produced equipment: advanced robotic devices — defined as mobile robots including humanoids and quadrupeds — and connected power inverters. The action follows determinations by a White...
SpaceX wants to be a fourth major network, but it’s building around towers, not on them
SpaceX used its first earnings call as a public company this week to say out loud what the industry had been speculating about for months: it intends to build a terrestrial mobile network and go head-to-head with AT&T, T-Mobile,...
24 hours to take down a cell site? EHT’s fundraising “investigation” doesn’t survive its own timeline
The Christian Post ran two stories on a Maryland Lutheran church’s rooftop cell site, an industry media outlet picked up the coverage, and then Environmental Health Trust published a triumphant press release on July 14 crediting its own “investigatory”...
Alleged Iran-linked Minnesota water hack should be a wake-up call for mobile networks, too
Iranian hackers likely breached dozens of municipal water systems in Minnesota this week, according to U.S. and state officials cited by The New York Times, temporarily knocking at least one city’s well and treatment plant offline and forcing other...
Tower Family Foundation appoints PerfectVision’s Ryan Hutchcroft to the Endowment Committee
The Tower Family Foundation announced today that Ryan Hutchcroft, Director of Sales – North Region for PerfectVision, has been appointed to serve on the Foundation’s Endowment Committee. The Endowment Committee plays a vital role in ensuring the long-term sustainability...
Massachusetts’ top court: Local health boards can’t shut down cell towers over RF fears
Four years ago, Wireless Estimator reported that some members of Pittsfield’s Board of Health privately doubted their own cease-and-desist order against a Verizon cell tower would survive a legal fight — even as the board voted to spend $84,000...
31-year-old tower foreman killed in Minnesota cable strike; first industry fatality of 2026
A 31-year-old tower foreman died on July 15 after being struck by a transmission line his crew was removing from a 300-foot self-supporting tower in Castle Danger, Minnesota, ending what had been the safest year on record for the...
Carlton Structural’s owner faced four felony drug arrests while OSHA investigated a fatal NJ gin pole failure
A tower technician died on December 4, 2025, when a gin pole failed while crew members lowered an abandoned FM pylon from atop a 347-foot self-supporting tower at 1825 Murray Ave in Atlantic City, New Jersey, fatally striking the...
NATE applauds FCC Chairman Carr’s plan for big auction of prime mid-band spectrum
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today applauded FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s and the Commission for voting at its July 22 Open Meeting on a draft order to auction 160 megahertz of prime, mid-band spectrum in the Upper C-Band...
Judge ends EchoStar’s obligation to build its own mobile network — but the real fight with tower companies continues elsewhere
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has released EchoStar from its longstanding legal requirement to build and run its own nationwide cell network, closing out one of the key conditions the government placed on the 2020 T-Mobile/Sprint merger. But...
AT&T loses bid to pause California’s copper service rules while lawsuit proceeds
A federal judge in California has rejected AT&T’s attempt to temporarily halt state rules requiring the company to keep providing basic telephone service, dealing the carrier a setback in its broader campaign to exit copper infrastructure nationwide. U.S. District...
TIF and NATE release deep-dive training video on proper monopole collar ring mount installation
The Telecommunications Industry Foundation (TIF) and NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association have released a new training video providing contractors with a detailed look at the proper installation of collar ring mounts on monopoles—one of the most critical steps...
From crisis support to college funding: Tower Family Foundation awards 40 scholarships and supports 29 returning recipients
The Tower Family Foundation, which supports the wireless construction industry’s men and women and their families in their time of greatest need following fatalities or serious injuries, has announced the recipients of its merit-based scholarship program for the 2026-2027...
WIA report and independent analysis agree: Satellites can’t replace cell towers as BEAD pulls back satellite funding
The timing lines up in a way that’s hard to ignore. Just as a new report commissioned by the Wireless Infrastructure Association — alongside a separate, independent analysis reaching similar conclusions — argues that satellite direct-to-device service can’t replace...
American Tower’s rights to Detroit cell site upheld a second time, case heads back to appeals court
Adamo Construction, LLC has filed a new appeal with the Michigan Court of Appeals challenging a Wayne County Business Court ruling that, for the second time, rejected the company’s bid to unwind American Tower’s rights to a cell tower...
AT&T, Ericsson show cell towers can spot drones — interception is still somebody else’s job
AT&T and Ericsson demonstrated something with real security implications outside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on Friday, July 10: standard 5G cell towers, already blanketing American cities, can detect and continuously track multiple drones in real time using nothing...
America’s 5G was built to download videos; AI needs it to upload instead. U.S. has real work to do to catch up.
For two decades, the mobile industry has marketed one number above all others: peak download speed. A new report from Ookla, the company behind Speedtest, argues that number no longer tells you whether a network is any good —...
AT&T to FCC: We won’t fix 600 copper outages — Here’s where they all happened, city by city
AT&T filed a 606-page application with the FCC on July 6, seeking emergency authorization to permanently suspend voice service at 600 locations across 16 states, rather than repair the copper facilities damaged at each site. Wireless Estimator reviewed the...
CITCA expands Midwest training reach with new regional safety training facility in North Jackson, Ohio
CITCA – Construction Industry Training and Certification Academy, headquartered in Bradley, Illinois, announced the addition of a new regional safety training facility in North Jackson, Ohio, through a partnership with Tri-County Tower LLC. This new location gives CITCA customers...
Carrier capex says the money’s still there. Help wanted postings say the legitimate companies aren’t.
Across the wireless construction industry, a complaint has become too common to dismiss as isolated grumbling: legitimate wireless communications contractors say they can no longer compete with illegal 1099 crews and foreign nationals working outside U.S. labor law, who...
WIA lands $29.9 million to grow registered apprenticeships for telecom workforce
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today announced it has been selected as one of five organizations nationwide to receive funding through a $29.9 million US. Department of Labor (DOL) cooperative agreement designed to help employers establish and maintain registered...
Maybe-faux marriage proposal atop Empire State Building ends in eight charges and supervised release
Two people climbed to the top of the Empire State Building’s broadcast antenna Wednesday afternoon, unfurled a banner, and got engaged in front of millions of social media viewers and a wave of well-wishers already dreaming up a wedding...
DISH bankruptcy filing puts numbers on who gets paid and who doesn’t — And a $2.4B fund only covers some of it
DISH DBS Corporation, DISH Wireless L.L.C. and 16 affiliates filed prepackaged Chapter 11 petitions June 30 in Houston, formalizing the wind-down of DISH Wireless’s facilities-based 5G network following EchoStar’s spectrum sales to AT&T and SpaceX. DISH Network, Sling TV,...
Verizon’s move on Carolina West Wireless gives FCC Chairman Carr a clear leverage point on contractor commitments
Carolina West Wireless, a 35-year-old rural carrier serving 11 counties in western North Carolina, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to transition its wireless network to Verizon and will discontinue wireless services effective September 30, 2026....
Westlake, Texas refuses to surrender: Town appeals fed’s order to grant cell tower permit to Vertical Bridge
The Town of Westlake, Texas — the wealthiest municipality in the Lone Star State — took another step this month in its ongoing fight against a federally ordered cell tower permit, filing its record excerpts with the United States...
NATE cuts the ribbon on new South Dakota headquarters, marking a milestone three decades in the making
One year after breaking ground on a new home for one of the wireless infrastructure industry’s most important trade associations, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association officially opened the doors of its new headquarters last week, welcoming members, partners,...
Jim Tracy, a wireless industry icon steps into a global spotlight he was perhaps always meant to occupy
When Jim Tracy was building cell towers across North America, Alaska, Hawaii, the Pacific Rim, and Antarctica, there were no podcasts, no social media platforms, no YouTube channels, and no global speaking circuits hungry for authentic voices on personal...
Two men, one competition, and a redemption story: FordCom Wireless claims Tough Tower crown
Their victory was a year in the making. After earning a bronze finish in last year’s competition, tower technicians Chris Smith and Frankie Newman of FordCom Wireless in East Palestine, Ohio, returned to Tough Tower with unfinished business. The...
AT&T reports 90% drop in louisville copper theft, but Eastern Kentucky remains under siege
Copper wire theft in Louisville, Kentucky, has plummeted by 90% over the past year, according to AT&T — a dramatic turnaround the carrier credits to a sustained partnership between the city, law enforcement, and the telecom industry. But even...
Pennsylvania is moving forward. Verizon’s union workers got a 17.62% raise. Non-union broadband contractors got the shaft.
Pennsylvania’s $711 million in BEAD funding is finally moving. Contracts will be signed. Fiber will be laid. Rural communities that have waited years for reliable internet will, in theory, get connected within four years. On the surface, it looks...
Broadband providers press Congress to unlock railroad rights-of-way, citing AI safety benefits
A growing coalition of high-speed network providers and telecommunications industry groups is pressing Congress to advance bipartisan legislation that would dramatically simplify the process of deploying broadband infrastructure along the nation’s freight railroad corridors — and they’re leaning on...
Mayors and local governments draw a line in the sand against FCC permit shot clocks
The battle over who controls the clock on broadband infrastructure permitting has moved squarely to the FCC’s doorstep, and America’s mayors are not going quietly. A coalition of the nation’s most influential local government organizations has formally pushed back...
FCC warns communications infrastructure attacks are escalating into a national security crisis
The theft and deliberate destruction of America’s communications infrastructure is no longer a regional nuisance or a simple property crime — it has become a national security emergency, and it is getting worse. That was the urgent message delivered...
Supreme Court rules 8-1: The FCC has constitutional authority to fine telecommunications companies
The U.S. Supreme Court today handed the Federal Communications Commission a significant enforcement victory, ruling 8-1 that the agency has the constitutional authority to impose financial penalties on telecommunications companies through its in-house adjudication process — without first providing...
Investigative website documents alleged widespread labor violations across tower construction supply chain
Editor’s Note: This article has been revised to reflect additional information received after publication. An investigative website that surfaced publicly this week has put the tower construction industry, its carriers, prime contractors, and tower owners on notice — and...
Contractor evidence and Verizon internal communications make the case that the FCC can no longer ignore
When Wireless Estimator first reported that Verizon was failing to honor its commitments under the NATE framework agreement brokered by the FCC as a condition of its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications, the story gained immediate traction —...
STG accelerates in the industry, acquires Blue Jay Communications to expand its U.S. footprint
The STG Family of Companies is proud to announce the acquisition of Blue Jay Communications, a respected fiber installation contractor with offices near Cleveland, Youngstown, and Toledo, Ohio. Since 2001, Blue Jay Communications has built a strong reputation for...
Underground infrastructure may accelerate 5G deployment in dense urban environments
Editorial Contribution by Victor Medieros
Verizon has become the anti-construction carrier — and broadband workers are paying the price
Commentary — There is a pattern to how Verizon treats the construction workforce, and it is worth naming plainly. In tower construction, maintenance, and modifications, Verizon has been among the carriers most aggressively pushing matrix pricing — the carrier-imposed...
FCC proposes $14,000 fine against Stealth Communications for blocking supply chain inspections
The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau has proposed a $14,000 fine against Stealth Communications Services, LLC, a New York-based fiber broadband provider, for allegedly blocking two compliance inspections related to its participation in the federal “Rip and Replace” program,...
Peppertree and Goldman Sachs affiliate win a sweeping New York court contempt ruling in tower dispute
Affiliates of private equity firm Peppertree Capital Management and a Goldman Sachs affiliate have moved a long-running Latin American telecommunications tower dispute closer to a forced sale after a federal judge again held Terra Towers Corp., Telecom Business Solution...
America’s Big Three carriers unite to kill wireless dead zones — but is this about coverage, or SpaceX?
In a move that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have announced that they have reached an agreement in principle to form a joint venture to eliminate wireless dead zones across the...
Tower Family Foundation continues its mission with more than $3.5 Million in giving to workers and families
The Tower Family Foundation announced that it has surpassed a significant milestone in total giving. Since its inception in 2014, the Tower Family Foundation has awarded $3,502,988 in direct financial assistance and scholarships to eligible tower workers and their...
FCC’s $2.4 Billion EchoStar escrow: Industry celebrates, but deliverance may be the devil in the details
The wireless infrastructure industry scored what many are calling a landmark victory Tuesday when the Federal Communications Commission approved EchoStar’s $42.6 billion spectrum sale to SpaceX and AT&T — attaching a condition that EchoStar establish a $2.4 billion escrow...
The unsung players behind every bar of signal at Connect (X): What soccer taught WIA’s Patrick Halley
Ask Patrick Halley about the future of wireless, and he will, almost certainly, start talking about soccer. Not as a metaphor borrowed for the occasion—as a genuine, deeply felt lens through which he sees the world. At the opening...
Tower Technician Appreciation Day 2026: Honoring the skilled workers behind every call, stream, and connection made at Connect (X)
As thousands of wireless infrastructure professionals gathered in Fort Lauderdale this week for Connect (X) 2026 to debate the future of AI, spectrum, and next-generation networks, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association offered a timely reminder of who makes...
Families win $18.2 Million verdict in tower deaths, but bankrupt Nexius and Myndco may leave them with pennies on the dollar
A Delaware jury has awarded $18.2 million to the families of two brothers killed when an articulated boom lift toppled onto power lines at a Bethany Beach cell tower site in November 2020. The verdict against general contractor Nexius...
Tower industry champion Craig Snyder named to esteemed 2026 Wireless Hall of Fame
The Wireless History Foundation has announced its 2026 Wireless Hall of Fame inductees, and for those in the infrastructure and contracting community, one name stands front and center: Craig Snyder. Snyder, founder and Chairman of VIKOR, will be inducted...
Crown Castle completes $8.5 billion sale of fiber and small cell assets, emerges as pure-play tower company
Crown Castle has officially closed the books on one of the most significant strategic transformations in U.S. telecommunications history, completing its $8.5 billion sale of fiber and small cell businesses on May 1, 2026, receiving aggregate cash proceeds of...
AT&T’s $1.35 Billion Plano headquarters takes shape with its most visible feature a 280-foot corporate icon cell tower
When AT&T builds its new global headquarters in Plano, Texas, the first thing visible from miles away will not be a building. It will be a tower — an illuminated, AT&T-branded structure rising approximately 280 feet above the 54-acre...
Connect [X] heads to Fort Lauderdale as new Ookla data pinpoints Miami’s most strained cell site
As the wireless industry prepares to gather for WIA ConnectX—opening on Monday in Fort Lauderdale—new research is putting a spotlight on 30 miles south in Miami, where network demand is already testing the limits of existing infrastructure. A new...
Towercos show underlying growth, but DISH disruption still clouds contractor outlook
First-quarter results from the nation’s three publicly traded tower companies—American Tower, Crown Castle, and SBA Communications—delivered a consistent message to investors: demand for wireless infrastructure remains intact. But that message doesn’t fully translate to the field. American Tower and...
$7.5M sewage spill, coverage fight, and contractor collapse expose fiber drilling risk as BEAD work surges
A Florida sewage spill tied to an AT&T fiber project is now at the center of two lawsuits—one seeking damages, the other seeking to avoid paying them—highlighting how a single underground strike can trigger a chain reaction of liability,...
Tower owner co-defendant in $2.2 million lead paint settlement raises hard questions about contractor liability
A $2.2 million civil settlement announced by the Maryland Attorney General on April 9, 2026, resolved one of the more consequential environmental enforcement actions in the tower industry in recent years — and it did so by naming not...
Motive still unknown after Mississippi communications tower attack ends in gunman’s death
Days after he tried to blow up a communications tower in Pascagoula, MS, investigators remain no closer to determining what drove a 59-year-old North Carolina man to target critical emergency infrastructure in a brazen, daylight attack that ended in...
Federal broadband permitting bill could be a game-changer for telecom siting and contracting
A bill working its way through Congress could be one of the most significant boosts the tower and telecom siting and contracting industry has seen in years — and it may be one step closer to becoming law by...
Verizon’s promise of transparency for contractors is a fiction — and the FCC should take notice
Commentary — Verizon made a promise. It made that promise not in a private email or an offhand remark at a trade show, but in a formal framework agreement — one that its own representatives negotiated with NATE: The...
Carr tops out at 2,000 feet: FCC Chairman climbs NC broadcast tower, shines spotlight on tower crews
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr went 2,000 feet above ground on April 9, 2026, ascending one of the tallest broadcast towers in the United States in New Bern, North Carolina—an effort aimed at highlighting the work of America’s telecommunications workforce....
Federal fraud suit exposes deeper concerns over contractor vetting in South Dakota tribal broadband project
As Wireless Estimator recently reported, calls are growing to eliminate or consolidate federal broadband programs over concerns of duplication and oversight—but a newly filed fraud case tied to a tribal broadband project in South Dakota shows the problem may...
Calls grow to eliminate USDA broadband programs as critics cite duplication and delays
A mix of fiscal watchdog groups, former regulators, and some policymakers are calling for the elimination or consolidation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s broadband programs, arguing they’ve become redundant, inefficient, and out of step with today’s funding landscape....
AT&T points to organized crime behind copper theft surge as losses top $80 million
AT&T is no longer describing copper theft as a nuisance; it’s calling it something far more coordinated. In a recent corporate blog post, the carrier said it is seeing “clear evidence of organized crime” behind a growing wave of...
Is SBA Communications in play? Report says Boca Raton tower giant is exploring a sale after takeover interest
SBA Communications, the Boca Raton, FL-based tower owner that has long stood as one of the industry’s “Big Three” REIT landlords, is reportedly exploring strategic options, including a potential sale, after receiving preliminary takeover interest. Bloomberg News, reported Thursday...
AT&T’s capex surge coupled with FirstNet signals where the real infrastructure build is in 2026
For wireless infrastructure contractors who have spent the past three years watching carrier capex decline and work slow, this week’s FirstNet announcement deserves a close read. AT&T and the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a $2 billion agreement in...
Starlink’s rise is putting fixed wireless providers on notice
For years, fixed wireless providers have filled a critical gap in rural broadband, building networks where fiber doesn’t pencil out and carriers won’t invest. Now, that model is facing a new kind of competition—one that doesn’t rely on towers,...
Mike Rowe quits PureTalk after learning its network is built on the backs of underpaid tower crews
Mike Rowe, the nation’s most recognizable champion of skilled trades and PureTalk’s lead spokesperson, has abruptly terminated his relationship with the mobile carrier after a Reddit post and a chance encounter with a tower crew exposed what he described...
Kiss Cam love story ends the moment Verizon’s terms were unveiled last night
For approximately 12 seconds yesterday, the telecom contractors industry achieved something remarkable: everyone looked happy. AT&T and Verizon executives had invited NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association’s directors and administrators to a Washington Nationals game, a gesture of appreciation...
Verizon’s new sourcing model promises scale—but no guarantees; contractors call it a financial trap
Verizon’s latest push to consolidate its network construction and maintenance work into a handful of “preferred suppliers” is being pitched as a pathway to stability and scale. But contractors reviewing RFPs say the reality is far different: a system...
$13M lawsuit threatens rural broadband network as American Tower seeks equipment removal
UPDATE: May 12, 2026 — American Tower and AtLink Services agreed to dismiss the lawsuit, without prejudice. Each party shall bear its respective attorneys’ fees and costs. A federal lawsuit filed in January, winding its way through court filings,...
NATE’s carrier contracting framework: Where things stand and what’s coming
After more than a year of hard-fought negotiations, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association has secured landmark framework agreements with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile — all three filed with the FCC. The association has released an updated infographic (March...
Shared infrastructure is reshaping stadium wireless—and redefining who gets the work
The Small Cell Forum is positioning its new stadium connectivity guide as a playbook for better fan experiences. But the substance points somewhere else entirely: shared infrastructure, neutral host control, and dense deployments are redefining who builds—and controls—modern wireless...
Missed permits, not merit, sink Verizon’s proposed Pennsylvania monopole
A Pennsylvania appellate court has sided with a local municipality in a zoning dispute that will prevent Verizon from constructing a proposed 100-foot monopole in Pleasant Hills, ruling that the borough acted within its authority when it revoked prior...
Veteran tower tech rescued after water tower medical emergency; officials credit rapid technical response
A 63-year-old tower technician is expected to be okay after suffering a medical emergency while working 80 to 100 feet above ground on a water tower-mounted cell site in Florence Township, NJ on Wednesday. The worker, who was on...
A defining moment for the nation’s contractors: Protecting the backbone of the industry
By Gershwyn Fortune, CEO & COO, Ritel Incorporated When I stood before industry leaders at NATE UNITE 2026, my intention was not to deliver a ceremonial address. It was to speak plainly, candidly, and urgently about what many of...
Blakeslee named President as Tower Family Foundation sets 2026 leadership team
The Tower Family Foundation has announced that Board of Directors’ members Kenny Blakeslee, Patrick Murphy, and Mark Muzzana were appointed by their peers to serve on the non-profit organization’s Executive Committee for the 2026 term. Kenny Blakeslee, Founder and...
Turnkey telecom TriStruX shuts down — subcontractors and vendors owed substantial sums
Multiple vendors at last month’s NATE UNITE 2026 gathering said the same thing: TriStruX’s wireless division was behind on substantial payments and running out of runway. With mounting debt owed to subcontractors and suppliers nationwide, many expected the Clifton,...
Nearly $65B, 158,500 towers, and a shrinking workforce: What WIA’s 2025 ‘By the Numbers’ reveals
The Wireless Infrastructure Association’s fourth annual By the Numbers report documents a sector investing heavily in 5G, AI, and fixed wireless — but with a workforce that contracted by more than 26,000 jobs in a single year, raising serious...
The sustainability question facing wireless infrastructure
The wireless infrastructure industry has accomplished something remarkable. In just a few decades, an ecosystem of carriers, tower owners, engineers, manufacturers, and contractors has built one of the most important physical networks in modern society. These networks power communication,...
Pay the towercos, crews and vendors first: Think tank tells FCC to hold EchoStar’s $40 billion until everyone is paid
The Bull Moose Project has filed with the FCC, arguing that approving EchoStar’s spectrum sales without an escrow to pay unpaid contractors, vendors and tower companies would betray American workers, and poison every future wireless buildout. The conservative think...
The DISH default crisis: How EchoStar’s spectrum exit could endanger the wireless tower ecosystem
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) commissioned The Brattle Group to assess the economic fallout from DISH’s contract defaults — and the findings warn of rent hikes up to 10.7%, slower 5G and 6G deployment, and destabilized smaller tower companies,...
Tower Family Foundation recognizes Craig Lekutis with the Guardian Award for his years of dedication
Craig Lekutis, Publisher of Wireless Estimator, and former Tower Family Foundation Board of Directors member, was recognized as the 2026 Guardian Award recipient presented by the Foundation at the NATE UNITE 2026 Awards Luncheon in Las Vegas, Nevada. The...
The lion, the pig, and the 80,000-pound liability T-Mobile doesn’t want to talk about
Commentary — A driver arrives at a contractor’s staging warehouse to deliver a T-Mobile generator. The big rig driver steps out with the bill of lading. There is an immediate problem. He doesn’t speak English. Rather than attempt to...
Teltronic Towers leaders join tech CEOs at White House AI summit on reducing power costs
Jeff Tinio and Ray Williams of NATE member company Teltronic Towers were invited to attend President Donald Trump’s Data Center and Artificial Intelligence event at the White House last week, highlighting the growing role communications infrastructure companies play in...
A 6,000 macro tower build could kick off the next U.S. rural infrastructure cycle
Building roughly 6,000 new macro towers—about 1,200 per year—would equal five to six years of typical U.S. tower construction and could extend 5G coverage to roughly 99% of Americans, according to T-Mobile CTO John Saw. The buildout would close...
OSHA waits until the eleventh hour to cite Trace Wireless after a 50‑foot fall killed their tower tech
Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement records recently published show the agency cited internet service provider Trace Wireless, LLC, with three “Serious” safety violations connected to the July 14, 2025, tower fatality that killed 46‑year‑old Calvin Wayne Sellars...
Industry leaders recognized at NATE awards ceremony; Cliff Barbieri receives top service honor
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association honored a distinguished group of leaders for their contributions to the organization and industry. The following honorees were presented their awards at the NATE UNITE 2026 Awards Recognition Luncheon in Las Vegas, Nevada:...
Texas balloon strike on Vertical Bridge 1,100-foot broadcast tower triggers high-angle rescue
UPDATE (March 5, 2026) – The hot air balloon that became entangled on a broadcast tower north of Longview, TX, was safely removed by Tower King technicians Marshall Salsman and his nephew Adrian Salsman, who used specialized rigging and...
The abuse has been hiding in plain sight. Now wireless infrastructure contractors have a number to call.
Due to NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association’s advocacy, carriers have established reporting hotlines for unsafe and uncertified crews and companies, but using them comes with risks, and not all hotlines are created equal. It would be foolish to...
Carriers made promises to the FCC, but contractors are still waiting to be made whole
For the first time in recent memory, contractors working on America’s wireless infrastructure have commitments from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. These agreements address pricing, payment terms, audit practices, and the use of unlicensed crews that industry leaders say have...
Industry leader Dave Mayo joins Ontivity’s Board at a time of accelerated expansion of 250 crews
Ontivity, a leading national provider of digital infrastructure services, with more than 700 professionals and 250 field crews, today announced the appointment of Dave Mayo to its Board of Directors. The company said his appointment comes at an exciting...
From gold medal grit to Iron Cowboy guts: NATE’s keynote speaker momentum builds
NATE is once again betting that powerful stories of grit and perseverance resonate with the tower workforce — and if last year’s hockey hero set the tone, this year’s keynote speaker is prepared to push the concept of endurance...
Meet many of the NATE volunteer committee members who power the association from the inside
Most attendees at NATE UNITE 2026 this week will see the education sessions, the packed exhibit hall, and the high-profile speakers. What many don’t see are the men and women working quietly behind the scenes all year long. They...
At NATE UNITE 2026, one Las Vegas climber’s calling embodies the industry’s enduring spirit
When the doors open this morning at NATE UNITE 2026 in Las Vegas, the crowd will span generations — from first-time 18-year-old tower technicians eager to soak up safety training and new ideas, to seasoned executives guiding the nation’s...
From contractor grumblings to “Rumble on the Tower,” NATE UNITE 2026 packs a full agenda
From addressing contractor grumblings over workforce, compliance, and pricing pressures to a new event, “Rumble on the Tower,” NATE UNITE 2026 this week is delivering one of its most wide-ranging programs in recent memory, blending hard-edge operational education with...
NATE locks in 2026 executive team, re-upping Drouin, Scott and Young
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today announced that Board of Directors members Victor Drouin, Randy Scott, and Mike Young have been selected by their peers to serve on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The announcement...
Beyond wall thickness: What ANDREW will explain at NATE UNITE 2026 for optimal performance
One of the more technical discussions scheduled for NATE UNITE 2026 will focus on a structural detail that is often simplified in telecom construction: the relationship between wall thickness, material grade, and real-world performance. During the session “Beyond the...
NATE UNITE 2026 promises innovation and networking for the nation’s infrastructure companies
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association will host its annual NATE UNITE show in Las Vegas from February 23 to 26, bringing together communications infrastructure contractors, climbers, and suppliers for what organizers promise will be the event’s biggest year...