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Recent News
Dan Schulman takes Verizon’s helm, but will he commit to tackling untenable wireless contractor pricing?
Commentary Verizon has named Dan Schulman, former PayPal chief and longtime Verizon board member, as CEO, succeeding Hans Vestberg. Vestberg will remain as a special adviser through 2026 to assist with the transition and integration of Frontier. In his...
From the Hill to harness: SBA, NATE & Banner give DC staffers a hands-on view of wireless rollout challenges
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and member companies SBA Communications, an independent provider of critical wireless infrastructure, and contractor firm Banner Enterprise LLC, recently hosted a unique cell tower climbing experience and legislative advocacy event at an SBA...
Cellular coup stopped: What 300,000 rogue SIM cards could do to New York City and other U.S. cities
What was first described last week as a cache of roughly 100,000 SIM cards seized in New York City has now been reassessed as possibly 300,000 after follow-on leads developed since the initial discovery. That escalation isn’t cosmetic; it...
NATE and CCA cheer FCC’s push to speed America’s broadband builds and cut red tape
Two key industry groups, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), applauded the Federal Communications Commission for advancing an item from its September Open Meeting yesterday, aimed at expediting broadband buildouts and removing unlawful state...
Alaska’s BEAD sticker shock: $113,578 per location is 181% higher than New Mexico’s high $40,433 benchmark
Alaska’s preliminary BEAD award slate landed last week with a six-figure outlier that dwarfs even the pricey builds called out elsewhere. When New Mexico’s $40,433-per-location fiber proposal drew scrutiny in August, it became a national reference point for “too...
NATE’s Fifth Annual Women’s Leadership Summit delivers inspiration, connection, and growth
The Women of NATE (WON) lit up Baltimore on Thursday, September 18, 2025, with the Fifth Annual Women’s Leadership Summit—a dynamic celebration of leadership, learning, and connection. With a record-setting 130 passionate attendees and the backing of 24 generous...
T-Mobile’s incoming CEO, Srini Gopalan, brings fiber-first playbook; will towers lose out?
T-Mobile confirmed that Srini Gopalan will succeed Mike Sievert as CEO, effective November 1, 2025. The leadership change comes amid reports that Sievert, whose contract was set to run longer, was rumored to be resigning earlier than expected. He...
AT&T and Verizon flee ‘high rent’ American Tower site: Tillman’s build-to-relocate strategy sparks lawsuit
Tillman Infrastructure has sued Stearns County in Minnesota after the Planning Commission turned down its bid to construct a 325-foot tower in rural Kimball. Tillman says the denial violates the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which requires that local governments’...
RF Industries’ Q3 shows momentum: double-digit growth, fatter margins, and new wins in aerospace and 5G
RF Industries turned in a strong fiscal Q3 2025, notching year-over-year growth, improved profitability, and meaningful traction in newer end-markets. In the quarter ended July 31, net sales climbed to about $19.8 million, up 17.5% from the prior year...
Services set for remembering Toby Cole: Tower tech, family man, and a proud Texan
Services have been announced for Toby Cole, 62, of Harlingen, TX, who passed away September 12 after he fell from a tower he was servicing in Little Rock, AR. Born on July 12, 1963, he is preceded in death by...
NTCH lawsuit against T-Mobile alleges $20 million in lost tower development revenues
NTCH, Inc. and several of its affiliates are pursuing a high-stakes lawsuit against T-Mobile USA, Inc. in King County Superior Court in Washington, accusing the wireless carrier of breaching a contractual commitment that was supposed to provide the tower...
Two sides of the same coin: Why fiber contractors are rallying behind a new petition—and why NATE’s playbook matters
A new petition circulating in the fiber-construction community by PACTEL argues that conditions facing wireline fiber companies mirror the pressures long documented by wireless contractors—thin margins, take-it-or-leave-it MSAs, slow change-order approvals, and payment delays that cascade into layoffs, safety compromises,...
Texas tower tech dies after fall at Little Rock antenna farm; sheriff identifies victim as Toby Cole
A Texas man died Friday after falling from a tower along Two Towers Road west of Little Rock, AR, an area known for its cluster of broadcast and communications structures on Shinall Mountain. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office said...
Tower crews lose work as Boost’s open RAN ambitions as the nation’s fourth carrier collapse
The prospect of Boost Mobile emerging as an actual “fourth national carrier” has collapsed following EchoStar’s multi-billion-dollar spectrum sales to AT&T and SpaceX. Together, the transactions dismantle Dish/EchoStar’s original 5G greenfield buildout and confirm that the U.S. market will...
Contractor ASG sued in federal court over WARN Act violations; execs named in New Jersey complaint
Just one week after broadband infrastructure company Allstate Sales Group, Inc. (ASG) abruptly froze operations and delayed paychecks, leaving an estimated 500 workers jobless, a federal class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the...
AT&T Mexico withholding rent puts $300M a year at risk for American Tower, clouding its cash flow
AT&T Mexico—a legally separate subsidiary from AT&T Mobility (U.S.) with its own master lease—has been withholding tower rent since early 2025, American Tower told investors last Friday in a late afternoon SEC filing. In 2024, AT&T Mexico contributed about...
Infrastructure contractor ASG freezes operations and delays paychecks; roughly 500 workers laid off
UPDATE, Sept. 9, 2025 – A class action WARN Act lawsuit has been filed against Allstate Sales Group and two of its executives. Telecom infrastructure contractor Allstate Sales Group (ASG) has laid off roughly 500 employees who say they...
Tilson’s $22 million sale to ITG Communications underscores the deep discount of a distressed auction
Wireless Estimator’s early presumption that Tilson would ultimately sell at a “fire sale” price following its bankruptcy has proven correct. Despite the company’s July balance sheet superficially showing more than $361 million in assets, Tilson announced in a press...
500-foot broadcast tower toppled, $500K in damage—but sentences seen as too lenient
Two Oklahoma residents received what many consider light sentences after a copper theft that collapsed a 500-foot FM tower and caused more than $500,000 in damage, knocking Payne Media Group’s K95.5 (KITX) off the air in January 2024. Prosecutors...
New Mexico’s $40,433-per-doorstep BEAD fiber should face a tech-neutral sanity check
Commentary: Valley Telephone Cooperative is slated for $40,433 per passing (300 locations), the highest line item in New Mexico’s final BEAD proposal. Oso Internet Solutions isn’t far behind at $39,253 (729 locations). In parts of Valley’s footprint, the typical...
AT&T to buy EchoStar spectrum for $23B, adding 600 MHz and 3.45 GHz licenses across ~400 U.S. markets
AT&T said it will acquire a nationwide bundle of wireless spectrum from EchoStar for about $23 billion in cash, a move the company says will bolster its 5G coverage and capacity and accelerate growth in both wireless and home-internet...
NATE’s Tough Tower video captures skill, safety, speed—and Verità’s win
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association has released a new video that highlights the skill, safety, and teamwork on display at the 2025 Tough Tower Event in North Jackson, Ohio, held in June. The annual competition, built around real-world...
Radio Activo wins order to stop American Tower from tearing down Nevada broadcast site; power shutoff stands for now
A federal judge in Nevada granted Radio Activo Broadcasting LLC a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking American Towers LLC and Insite Towers, LLC from decommissioning, dismantling, or removing the 190-foot self-supporting tower that carries the broadcaster’s signal, but declined...
DigitalBridge-led capital fuels Vantage’s new $25 billion 1.4-GW “Frontier” data center in Texas
Vantage Data Centers, a DigitalBridge Group-backed hyperscale data center portfolio company, has announced its most significant investment to date of over $25 billion to develop a mega-scale 1.4GW data center campus in Shackelford County, Texas. The state-of-the-art campus, “Frontier,”...
Harmoni moves fast to remove 295-foot tower above Alabama highway after foundation failure was discovered
A 295-foot, multi-tenant self-supporting tower perched about 60 feet above an Alabama highway is being dismantled by crane this week after inspectors found it leaning and at risk of collapse in Cullman County late last week. The structure, owned...
‘Tracking device’ ruling: Court upholds $92M fine; T-Mobile and Sprint’s pay-first move ends jury bid
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld $92 million in Federal Communications Commission forfeitures against T-Mobile and Sprint for failing to safeguard customer location data. Writing for a unanimous court, Judge Florence...
Cell tower legal showdown: Developers score wins in two out of three federal siting cases
Three separate rulings in New Hampshire, Virginia, and Florida over the past week have reshaped the legal landscape for wireless infrastructure deployment on the East Coast. From outright victories for developers to partial wins for a local government, the...
SpaceX blasts Virginia’s $613M broadband plan as wasteful, biased against Starlink
SpaceX has accused the Commonwealth of Virginia of wasting hundreds of millions in federal broadband funds and rigging its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program in favor of high-cost fiber projects at the expense of faster, cheaper, and...
CTIA names Verizon’s Kyle Malady Chairman, succeeding LT Therivel following UScellular’s sale to T-Mobile
CTIA has appointed Kyle Malady, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Business, as Chairman of CTIA’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. He succeeds Laurent “LT” Therivel, who is stepping down following UScellular’s completion of the sale...
DigitalBridge and Crestview to take WOW! private in $1.5 billion deal, offering a 63% premium to shareholders
WideOpenWest, Inc. (WOW!) has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by investment funds affiliated with DigitalBridge Investments, LLC and Crestview Partners for $5.20 per share in cash, valuing the transaction at approximately $1.5 billion. The all-cash deal,...
Array Digital CEO Douglas Chambers joins WIA Board as the new towerco posts strong Q2 results
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today announced the appointment of Douglas W. Chambers to its Board of Directors. Chambers, formerly U.S. Cellular’s CFO, is now serving as Interim President and CEO of Array Digital Infrastructure, the newly spun-off tower...
Fallen communication tower, not cell tower, knocks out power to 25,000 in Carol Stream, Illinois
More than 25,000 ComEd customers lost electricity Friday after a communication tower collapsed onto a high-voltage transmission line in Carol Stream, Illinois, knocking out power across several DuPage County communities. The outage began in the afternoon and affected a...
AT&T chooses a $45/month romance over a long-term relationship with copper at $25K
In a recent FCC filing, AT&T Services, acting on behalf of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (AT&T Texas), requested permission from the FCC to permanently discontinue TDM‑based Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) to a single residential customer in the Forrest...
Deadly consequences: NATE survey seeks to prevent rope-related incidents
Rope failure in the telecommunications industry isn’t just inconvenient — it can be deadly. Despite the critical role ropes play in rigging, fall protection, and rescue operations, the industry continues to see rope-related incidents, some with catastrophic consequences. Now,...
Christian Hillabrant named CEO of Crown Castle, promising visionary leadership and driving growth
Crown Castle Inc. has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Christian Hillabrant, 59, as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 15, 2025. Hillabrant is also expected to join the Company’s Board at that time. P. Robert Bartolo, Chair of...
Issa Asad, Q Link founder, sentenced to five years for largest criminal FCC fraud in U.S. history
In a stunning fall from grace, Issa Asad, the 51-year-old founder and CEO of Q Link Wireless, was sentenced this week to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to orchestrating one of the largest fraud schemes ever...
Rural South Dakota 275-foot SBA Communications tower crumples under force of derecho-like storm
Winds exceeding 90 miles per hour swept through Lincoln County, South Dakota, on Monday night, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The intense storm, described by emergency officials as containing straight-line winds potentially stronger than some tornadoes,...
Brattle report: Big 3 carriers’ monopsony power squeezes U.S. wireless infrastructure sector’s contractors
A new economic report by The Brattle Group warns of “market failure” in the U.S. wireless infrastructure services industry, citing the outsized buying power of the nation’s three largest wireless carriers. Commissioned by NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association,...
Gigapower faces $200 Million lawsuit from Tilson over breach of fiber build deal in Arizona and Nevada
Tilson Technology Management, a national network development and telecom infrastructure services firm, has filed a lawsuit against Gigapower, the AT&T–BlackRock-backed fiber joint venture, seeking over $200 million in damages tied to a large-scale broadband buildout in Nevada and Arizona....
Former contractor accused of burglarizing 35+ cell sites in Arizona; Police, eBay, T-Mobile investigating
A Buckeye, Arizona man with a history of criminal charges has been arrested in connection with a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cell tower equipment from multiple carriers across Arizona. According to...
Calvin Sellars, 46, killed in tower fall in Trinity County, Texas; Trace Wireless named in OSHA probe
According to the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, a tower technician died on July 14, 2025, when he fell from an internet tower at the Whispering Pines golf course near Sebastopol, Texas. In a statement, Sheriff Woody Wallace said that...
Bernard Borghei departs Symphony amid irreconcilable differences, leaves behind a legacy of philanthropy
Bernard Borghei, one of the wireless infrastructure industry’s more visible and well-regarded executives, announced last week that he has stepped down from his role as CEO of Symphony Towers Infrastructure, citing “irreconcilable differences” with the company’s financial sponsor. His...
Crown Castle’s Missouri cell tower outage tied to theft, not terrorism
Two individuals accused of damaging a Kansas City, Missouri cell tower on Monday have been charged with targeting critical infrastructure — but court documents suggest the alleged theft from a 110-foot monopole site on Prospect Ave., owned by Crown Castle, was...
Deepening the digital divide: Pew says cities will gain as rural towns lose in broken broadband rollout
Despite historic federal investments in broadband infrastructure, a new report by The Pew Charitable Trusts warns that the United States may fall short of its universal connectivity goals—not because of insufficient funding, but due to inconsistent, outdated, and incomplete...
PPE carabiner or rigging connector? New video shows why not understanding the difference could be fatal
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today released a video shining a spotlight on the industry’s utilization of carabiners and quick rigging connectors. The video, the fourth to Debut in Volume 8 of the Association’s popular #ClimberConnection series, was...
Massachusetts cell tower objectors’ 80% chance turns 100% wrong as Greenfield monopole gets green light
After months of heated debate, the Greenfield, MA Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) has approved the construction of a 170-foot cell tower by Viridi Wireless on Fairview Street, acting on behalf of AT&T. The decision follows a prolonged review...
Building dreams: Tower Family Foundation supports 40 scholars for 2025–2026
The Tower Family Foundation has announced the recipients of the non-profit organization’s merit-based scholarship program for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Tower Family Foundation scholarship program provides a limited number of merit-based scholarships to employees of NATE member companies...
Domestic terrorism label used as attacks on Charter’s Missouri fiber disrupt 911, hospitals
A disturbing surge in deliberate attacks on the nation’s communications infrastructure is being likened to acts of domestic terrorism, with potentially life-threatening consequences. Charter Communications reported on Monday that its Spectrum network in Missouri has experienced a 200% year-over-year...
Media spotlighted DEI rollback—but buried T-Mobile’s contractor rescue deal brokered by the FCC and NATE
As the FCC greenlit T-Mobile’s acquisitions of U.S. Cellular and Metronet on Friday, most headlines centered on T-Mobile’s abrupt halting of DEI programs—a move widely viewed as a strategic concession to win regulatory favor. However, buried beneath the coverage...
Wisconsin delivers a win to carrier and towerco owners with a tower tax exemption
In a breakthrough shift for the wireless infrastructure industry, Wisconsin has officially enacted legislation that fully exempts telecommunications towers from property taxation, aiming to modernize the state’s tax code in response to an evolving communications landscape. Signed into law...
T-Mobile–NATE landmark agreement targets 1099 abuse, matrix pricing and subcontractor reform
A new agreement between NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and T-Mobile, signed on July 8, promises significant improvements for wireless contractors who have been struggling to maintain a semblance of profitability with current take-it-or-leave-it matrix pricing. Under the...
FCC Chair Carr: Real tower work deserves real wages, not 1099 exploitation by unvetted and foreign crews
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr returned to familiar ground last week in Sioux Falls, South Dakota—both literally and politically—to unveil what he’s calling the “Build America Agenda,” a sweeping deregulatory policy initiative aimed at accelerating infrastructure deployment, restoring U.S. leadership...
From the field to the front office: NWSA survey aims to reflect real-world needs
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) is pleased to announce the launch of its 2025 Customer Experience Survey, inviting professionals from across the telecommunications and tower industry to share their feedback on NWSA’s certification process and related services. Responses...
Tower industry positioned for a potential windfall as BEAD map contracts and fixed wireless gains ground
A new analysis by researchers at New York Law School suggests a significant shift in the federal government’s $42.45 billion broadband deployment program, which could substantially benefit companies that build and maintain communications towers. As the number of BEAD-eligible...
$509M ‘PAID’ stamp buys DISH’s parent, EchoStar, one more month of survival as its stock soars
EchoStar Corporation and its affiliates narrowly avoided triggering a major default by making overdue interest payments just in time—but amid escalating regulatory scrutiny, the company now faces mounting challenges that may lead to a deeper crisis. In a Form...
Supreme Court upholds the FCC’s Universal Service Fund, securing rural connectivity and other assistance
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 to uphold the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund (USF)—a multibillion-dollar initiative that subsidizes internet and phone access for rural communities, schools, libraries, low-income households, tribal lands, and rural healthcare providers. The...
Monster, CareerBuilder file bankruptcy while Wireless Estimator’s telecom job board remains strong
In a world where the once-mighty Monster and CareerBuilder are being sold off for parts like rusted-out Buicks in a bankruptcy junkyard, there’s one job board that not only survived a highly competitive marketplace but also outperformed it. The Wireless...
T-Mobile to launch T-Satellite: First U.S. satellite-to-phone service with SpaceX’s Starlink
T-Mobile will officially launch its T-Satellite service on July 23, marking a significant shift in how mobile carriers deliver connectivity to remote areas that were previously unreachable by terrestrial towers. Built in partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, the...
Tilson aims to sell its business at a bankruptcy fire sale auction, leaving creditors on the hook
Tilson Technology Management, once confident in its ability to emerge stronger from its recent financial struggles, has made a dramatic shift in course. After announcing a restructuring bankruptcy plan just weeks ago, the company has now decided to sell...
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr selects VIKOR headquarters in Sioux Falls to kick off “Build America” campaign
VIKOR, a national leader in wireless and broadband infrastructure services, is proud to announce that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr will launch his nationwide “Build America” infrastructure campaign live at VIKOR’s Headquarters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Wednesday, July 2, at 11:30 a.m....
FCC warns China Mobile USA over failure to comply with U.S. security probe with high daily fines proposed
In a significant escalation of regulatory pressure, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a Citation and Order to China Mobile International (USA) Inc., signaling potential fines if the telecom giant does not comply with a long-running investigation into...
Trusty’s FCC confirmation signals pro-deployment shift for wireless infrastructure contractors
UPDATE – The U.S. Senate confirmed Olivia Trusty for a full five-year term as commissioner of the FCC this afternoon in a 53–45 vote. The tally matched the Senate’s vote the night before, which approved Trusty to serve the remaining days of...
NWSA and NATE announce strategic transfer of practical exam program to support workforce development
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) and NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association jointly announced today the strategic transfer of the NWSA Telecommunications Tower Technician (TTT) Practical Exam Program to NATE. Originally developed by industry subject matter experts, the...
A crisis unresolved: Man takes his life after jumping from American University’s tower in Washington, D.C.
A harrowing three-day standoff at American University’s campus ended in tragedy this morning when an unidentified man experiencing a mental health crisis jumped from the 321-foot WAMU-FM radio tower in Washington, D.C., police say. Authorities have opened a death...
Microburst, not tornado, toppled KTXS 199-foot broadcast tower in Texas, NWS Confirms
The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that the dramatic collapse of KTXS-TV’s 199-foot broadcast tower during storms on June 8 in Abilene, TX, was caused by a microburst, not a tornado, putting to rest speculation surrounding the severe...
NWSA catches cheaters using impostors for coveted TTT-1 tower technician certification exams
Several small but damaging black market schemes that exploit language barriers and circumvent certification requirements in the wireless infrastructure industry have been exposed. These schemes include producing fake safety training certificates and involve imposter test-takers attempting to take NWSA...
‘Tough Tower’ climbers shine in 2025 Ohio showdown with Verità Telecommunications capturing the crown
The 2025 Tough Tower competition brought together seven teams of elite tower climbers from across the country last weekend in North Jackson, OH, each aiming to take the top spot—and a significant cash prize—in an event focused on safety,...
American Tower Florida site might have been targeted in suspected bomb plot over employment fallout
Brevard County, Florida, authorities are investigating a suspected pipe bomb discovered during a search of a suspicious vehicle on Friday near a communications tower in Mims. The incident prompted a road closure and a large response from local agencies....
Tech-neutral in name only? Fiber retains structural edge under NTIA’s new BEAD policy
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) June 6, 2025, BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice reframes the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program with a stated goal of “technology neutrality.” But a close read reveals that while the language...
Senator Cruz’s spectrum auction revival push aims to inject up to $88 billion into the U.S. economy
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) authority to conduct spectrum auctions—central to deploying next-generation wireless networks—has expired. But a significant move by Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has energized efforts to reauthorize that authority and reinvigorate...
Commissioner Simington pulls the plug, FCC is left without power
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Nathan Simington announced today that he will resign on Friday, concluding a tenure that began with his appointment by President Donald Trump in December 2020. Simington’s departure comes amid a period of significant transition within...
Charlie Ergen’s high-stakes bluff: EchoStar’s $326 Million poker game with the FCC
EchoStar’s latest turmoil has all the markings of a high-stakes poker game – and Charlie Ergen is betting big. The satellite mogul’s company stunned markets by skipping a $326 million interest payment due on May 30, 2025, citing “uncertainty” caused...
Top tower broker Tom Engel leaves behind decades of deals—and deep respect from a grateful industry
Well-known and highly respected communications tower broker Tom Engel, 80, of Puyallup, WA, passed away on May 28, 2025, leaving behind his loving wife Shana, and their son, Derrick, and years of fond memories from his co-founder partner Jody...
EchoStar’s missed $326 million payment casts a dark shadow over wireless contractor workflows
EchoStar Corporation’s recent decision to skip a $326 million interest payment on its 10.75% senior spectrum-secured notes due 2029 has introduced significant uncertainty into its 5G cell tower buildout program. This move, triggered by an ongoing Federal Communications Commission...
Bankruptcy and back pay: Tilson Chapter 11 sparks WARN Act class action lawsuit
Two former employees of Tilson Technology Management, Inc. filed a class‐action adversary complaint in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, accusing the debtor of willfully violating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The complaint...
Network builder Tilson Technology hits Delaware court for Chapter 11 bankruptcy shield after revenue collapse
Tilson Technology Management, Inc. and its affiliates — Tilson Middle Street Holdings, LLC and Boundless Broadband, LLC — have voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The move comes...
Starting July 1, no more rogue 1099 crews on Verizon sites—NATE reporting agreement takes effect
On July 1, 2025, a landmark agreement between Verizon and NATE, the Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, will provide contractors with an opportunity to report to Verizon those who may be performing construction services for the carrier without their knowledge...
Cyber onslaught hits Cellcom: 75,000 subscribers lose voice, text services across Northeast Wisconsin
Last weekend, Wisconsin’s regional carrier, Cellcom, whose parent company is Nsight, confirmed that a sophisticated cyberattack brought down its voice and SMS networks, leaving thousands of customers unable to make calls or send texts. The incident, first detected late...
Tower tech who put in a dishonest day’s work might spend 4,000 days in jail following cell-site cable thefts
A former tower technician, Scott Anthony Frederich, and his alleged partner-in-crime are facing felony charges in St. Louis and Jefferson Counties, MO, for stealing transmission line cable from two cell tower sites. Kelly Marie Pfeiffer and Frederich, both of...
A huge win for contractors is seen in AT&T acquiring Lumen’s mass markets fiber business for $5.75 billion
When AT&T’s $5.75 billion deal to buy Lumen’s Mass Markets fiber business, announced yesterday, closes in the first half of 2026, it won’t just turbocharge AT&T’s network footprint—it will also give tower crews a powerful new lever. Because the...
Verizon answers NATE’s call: Turfing phased out, matrix pricing and other requirements will be overhauled
After NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association issued an urgent open letter warning that the contracting industry would implode without meaningful carrier reform, Verizon sprang into action, reaching out immediately to tackle contractors’ top concerns. Together, they forged a...
Verizon-Frontier deal gets FCC clearance in addition to Verizon’s matrix pricing overhaul and workforce protections
The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau today cleared Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition of Frontier, transferring all necessary licenses and authorizations—and making contractor stability a cornerstone of its approval. Chairman Brendan Carr framed the decision as a win for...
DigitalBridge stock jumps 37% on acquisition buzz as tower REITs slip
In a surprising turn, 26North Partners—a specialist in alternative investments—is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire DigitalBridge Group Inc. (DBRG), the digital-infrastructure fund manager, also the parent company of Vertical Bridge. Energy trader Mercuria is said to be joining...
CMC Pro issues urgent inspection notice for CMC CLUTCH™ by Harken
CMC Pro, a rope and fall-protection hardware leader, has issued an immediate Product Inspection Notice for its CMC CLUTCH™ by Harken™ units. A single 11 mm CLUTCH with a loose rivet pin was discovered in the field, prompting CMC and...
Connect(X) panel rebrands—and so do the charts: Tower stocks dive amid market rally
One of the marquee moments at WIA’s Connect(X) conference has always been the “View from the Top” panel, where tower-owner executives share upbeat forecasts for the year ahead. Since PCIA (now WIA: The Wireless Infrastructure Association) first mounted a...
NATE’s Washington fly-in takes on ‘fly-by-night’ contractors and carriers’ take-it-or-leave-it rates
Nearly 90 representatives from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association member companies converged in Washington, D.C. last week to participate in the Association’s 2025 Member Congressional Fly-In event on Capitol Hill, where members demonstrated their grassroots prowess by participating...
Inside WIA’s 2024 numbers: $63 Billion and 368,750 jobs are powering 5G
For the third year, the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) Wireless Infrastructure by the Numbers Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. wireless infrastructure sector, covering purpose-built cellular towers, indoor and outdoor small cells, macrocell sites, annual infrastructure investments, and the...
Tower techs take center stage today: Honoring the Backbone of Network Connectivity
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today unveiled a commemoration declaring, May 7, 2025 as Tower Technician Appreciation Day. For the 8th consecutive year, a day has been set aside by NATE and the industry to pay tribute to the vital...
Boston pirate radio enforcement returns as FCC targets unlicensed 107.5 FM station
The Federal Communications Commission has returned to Boston’s airwaves enforcement beat, this time zeroing in on an unlicensed FM broadcaster operating on 107.5 MHz from a Jamaica Plain–Mattapan, Massachusetts, property. In a warning letter made public Tuesday, the FCC’s...
NATE showcases TIRAP career pathways supported by WIA in a new video on National Apprenticeship Day
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today released a video highlighting the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) as part of National Apprenticeship Day, being celebrated today. The video features an informative conversation between host Sean Gilhooley, Deb Bennett from WIA: The...
From COO to CEO: George Davis to lead TowerCom into its next decade with new executive team
TowerCom, a leading developer of cell towers in the US for over 30 years, has announced key leadership changes to drive its continued growth and success. The company has promoted George Davis to Chief Executive Officer, Matt Richard to Chief...
Wireless Estimator’s matrix pricing exposé shatters LinkedIn norms—Hits top 0.1% with 164K Impressions
This month, coverage of carrier matrix pricing, which has proven unsustainable for contractors, has achieved tens of thousands of views on Wireless Estimator and has exploded on LinkedIn, driven by three back-to-back industry articles that have garnered attention at...
Medical emergency at 100 feet: Massachusetts tech rescues himself with coworker aid
A tower tech suffered a medical emergency while working inside the Sandy Pond water tower yesterday afternoon in West Yarmouth, MA, but ultimately regained consciousness and descended safely under his own power with the assistance of a coworker and...
Animated outrage: NATE unmasks carriers’ unfair pricing and 1099 labor tactics in a whiteboard video
] During their May 6–7 Congressional Fly-In event in Washington, D.C., NATE members will showcase a whiteboard animation presented today, highlighting the critical issues that are forcing many contractors out of business. They will personally deliver a petition for...
No Profit at $60 an hour: Telecom contractors exit as plumbers earn nearly double
In recent weeks, three mid-sized wireless infrastructure contractors have informed Wireless Estimator of their decision to exit the industry, citing an inability to turn a profit over the past two years. These closures underscore a growing crisis within the...
White paper sounds alarm on collapse of tower services industry: “We’re ready to be your partners again”
A searing and thoroughly sourced white paper from an anonymous industry insider warns that the nation’s tower and wireless infrastructure sectors are on the verge of collapse, hollowed out by unchecked consolidation, one-sided contracting practices, and the commoditization of...
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TOWER SERVICES INDUSTRY?
(And How Do We Fix It?) By: An Anonymous Contributor First, Some History – Cellular started in the 1980s with two carriers. An A and a B block FCC license holder in various regions throughout the country. The A block was...
Golden State, gilded rates: Fixed high cell tower property lease outlays challenge industry norms
The City of Fullerton, California, has signed a significant lease agreement with Phoenix Tower International to construct a monopine cellular tower at 2470 West Pioneer Avenue. The deal, valued at approximately $893,000 over the initial ten-year period, will generate...
Canada mourns loss of tower tech in New Brunswick—but remains a global leader in elevated work safety
Canada’s telecom industry is mourning the loss of a 25-year-old tower technician who tragically died while working on a cellular tower in Riverview, New Brunswick, on Monday. Despite the heartbreaking incident, safety records show that Canada remains one of...
Both defendants plead guilty in Oklahoma tower sabotage that caused $500K in damage
Two Choctaw County, OK residents who toppled a 500-foot broadcast tower in Hugo, OK in a brazen copper theft scheme last year have pleaded guilty in federal court, nearly 15 months after the incident cut off a local radio...