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 just the painting contractor responsible for the damage, but the owner of the tower itself. That detail is worth examining carefully …
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 a fatal shootout with deputies. Authorities say David Ray Wyrick of Eden, N.C., drove a truck through a secured fence behind …
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 tonight. H.R. 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act, introduced by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), is a sweeping federal bill designed to …
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 Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and, by extension, with the Federal Communications Commission. The promise was straightforward: fair pricing reviews, regional flexibility, …
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. The climb took place on the 1,999-foot WCTI/WYDO tower, owned by Sinclair Broadcasting and serving WCTI-TV and co-located WYDO. A crew …
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 run deeper than program structure alone. The complaint centers on a broadband project on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation—about 150 miles southwest …
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. The roots of that debate go back more than a decade. From stimulus solution to structural problem In 2009, Jonathan Adelstein, …
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 copper theft incidents impacting its network infrastructure across the United States. The shift in language signals that what was once viewed …
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 that SBA is working with advisers as it evaluates that interest. If the process advances beyond the “exploring options” stage, it …
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 principle to expand and upgrade FirstNet, America’s dedicated nationwide public safety broadband network, though only $1 billion represents new money from …
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, permits, or backhaul at all. A competitor that bypasses the tower model entirely Starlink is changing the equation by bypassing terrestrial …
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 as “two uncomfortable truths I can’t unknow” — one about the company he represented, and one about the industry that makes …
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 following the much-discussed framework agreement among the carriers, NATE, and the FCC. Under the stadium lights, it looked like progress had …
