
TOP PHOTO: Pictured during the fly-in with U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, third from left, are (L to R) NATE Government Relations Consultant Natham Leamer of Fixed Gear Strategies, NATE President & CEO Todd Schlekeway, NATE Board of Directors member Mike Young, CEO of ANCO; Megan Nelson, Manager of NATE’s Wireless Industry Network; Sarah Young of ANCO; Catherine Drouin, Vice President/Co-founder of Green Mountain Comunications; Victor Drouin, NATE Chairman and President/Co-founder of Green Mountain Communications; and Jim Tracy, former NATE Chairman and President of the Tower Family Foundation.
PICTURED ABOVE with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in the center are 66 of NATE’s members who met with legislators in Washington to advocate for industry policies. Carr’s office was also presented with the successful petition requesting carrier reform. [Enlarge]

Peter Hagstrom of Viking Maintenance presented U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (NE) with the association’s Legislative Champion of the Year Award.
During the meetings, NATE members advocated for the industry’s priorities such as commercial spectrum access/extending the FCC’s auction authority, broadband funding/BEAD program changes, streamlining the permitting process and agency delays to expedite the deployment of communications infrastructure, network security, supply chain issues, workforce development, and other related marketplace issues to foster a more sustainable environment for small business contractor firms.
One of the key presentations during the meetings was educating legislators and federal government agency representatives on the challenges of the wireless contracting marketplace. According to a NATE briefing paper, these challenges, driven by actions from the top wireless carriers, are causing frustration among stakeholders across the wireless and communications infrastructure chain.
The current “take it or leave it” matrix or unit pricing used by wireless carriers is often far below industry standards, and does not reflect the true cost of doing business safely and effectively deploying communication sites, NATE states.
Despite record-setting inflation over the last four years, this matrix pricing cost structure model has had significant pricing reductions in the last versions. As a result, qualified contractors are struggling to maintain profitability. At the same time, the industry sees a rise in lower-tier “fly-by-night” contractors who may compromise network security and workforce safety, according to the association.
To ensure a healthy contractor ecosystem and the security of this critical infrastructure, it is critical that wireless carriers revisit their pricing structures to align with current market realities and be more open to negotiating fair terms with their vendor pool to promote fair competition, NATE informed U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives.

In an X post, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said, “Great to start the morning off with America’s tower industry. Proud to support the hardworking men and women that build our communications networks. Freeing up more spectrum will give these workers, our economy, and America’s national security a big boost.”
During the two-day event, a petition to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that was unveiled at NATE UNITE 2025 in February to assist in securing the future of wireless infrastructure contractors was provided to Chairman Carr’s office. Carr strongly advocates for men and women who build and maintain the nation’s communications networks.
During the fly-in, NATE members heard remarks from Chairman Carr, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (Nebraska), U.S. Representative Mike Ezell (Mississippi), U.S. Representative Tim Walberg (Michigan), U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (North Carolina), U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (South Dakota), U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa), and U.S. Representative Rudy Yakym (Indiana) at the various reception and networking events held in conjunction with the fly-in.
The Association also utilized the fly-in to formally host the first fundraising social event for the newly established NATE Tower Political Action Committee.
“This is a pivotal time for our industry’s voice to be heard, and the NATE fly-in event helped move the needle on the association and industry’s priorities on Capitol Hill,” said NATE President & CEO Todd Schlekeway. “I would like to say a special thank you to our member participants, industry coalition partners, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, and the U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, and Congressional Staff for helping make the fly-in event a success,” Schlekeway added.