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From the field to the front office: NWSA survey aims to reflect real-world needs

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 will help shape future developments and ensure the organization continues to meet the evolving needs of technicians, employers, and industry stakeholders. …

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Tower industry positioned for a potential windfall as BEAD map contracts and fixed wireless gains ground

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 locations declines and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) shifts to a cost-first grant model, states are expected to increasingly …

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$509M ‘PAID’ stamp buys DISH’s parent, EchoStar, one more month of survival as its stock soars

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 8-K filed June 27, 2025, EchoStar disclosed that it made interest payments for its 10.75% senior spectrum notes due 2029, and …

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Supreme Court upholds the FCC’s Universal Service Fund, securing rural connectivity and other assistance

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 Court rejected claims that Congress had improperly delegated tax-setting authority to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and allowed a private nonprofit, …

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Monster, CareerBuilder file bankruptcy while Wireless Estimator’s telecom job board remains strong

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 Estimator job board has quietly, consistently, and effectively served the wireless infrastructure community for over two decades, and it remains a …

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T-Mobile to launch T-Satellite: First U.S. satellite-to-phone service with SpaceX’s Starlink

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 new system will allow users to send and receive messages from more than 500,000 square miles of U.S. territory that previously …

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Tilson aims to sell its business at a bankruptcy fire sale auction, leaving creditors on the hook

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 all of its assets, marking a stark contrast to the optimistic outlook shared in its May 29, 2025, announcement that the …

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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr selects VIKOR headquarters in Sioux Falls to kick off “Build America” campaign

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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. CT. This event marks the kickoff of the FCC’s renewed focus on accelerating deployment of critical communications infrastructure across the country, …

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FCC warns China Mobile USA over failure to comply with U.S. security probe with high daily fines proposed

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 its U.S. operations The FCC’s enforcement action, detailed in document DA 25‑512, stems from a probing inquiry launched in November 2022. Since …

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Trusty’s FCC confirmation signals pro-deployment shift for wireless infrastructure contractors

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 former Chair Jessica Rosenworcel’s term, ending June 30. Trusty was nominated for both the short-term appointment and the full term by …

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NWSA and NATE announce strategic transfer of practical exam program to support workforce development

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 TTT Practical Exam Program was a key component of NWSA’s certification process, designed to assess the hands-on competencies of tower technicians. …

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A crisis unresolved: Man takes his life after jumping from American University’s tower in Washington, D.C.

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 investigation and ruled the incident a suicide. D.C. police first received reports around 3 p.m. Tuesday of an individual scaling the …

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Microburst, not tornado, toppled KTXS 199-foot broadcast tower in Texas, NWS Confirms

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 weather event. According to the official NWS damage survey released Wednesday, the microburst struck northern Abilene at approximately 11:09 p.m. on …

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NWSA catches cheaters using impostors for coveted TTT-1 tower technician certification exams

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 exams as proxies for undeserving candidates, according to the National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA). One such promoter, Eliza Akhmedova of Boca …

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‘Tough Tower’ climbers shine in 2025 Ohio showdown with Verità Telecommunications capturing the crown

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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, skills, and careers in the telecommunications industry. Preliminary challenges took place on June 5, with semifinal and final rounds on June …

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American Tower Florida site might have been targeted in suspected bomb plot over employment fallout

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said the situation began when a deputy responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle parked near …

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Tech-neutral in name only? Fiber retains structural edge under NTIA’s new BEAD policy

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 has changed, the outcome is likely to remain fiber-centric. The notice formally eliminates the Biden-era “fiber preference” and other regulatory requirements …

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Senator Cruz’s spectrum auction revival push aims to inject up to $88 billion into the U.S. economy

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 the U.S. spectrum pipeline. His proposal, included in the recently released budget reconciliation text, is now gaining powerful industry backing. Sen. …

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Commissioner Simington pulls the plug, FCC is left without power

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 the FCC, as Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks also plans to step down this Friday. In a statement, Simington expressed gratitude for …

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Charlie Ergen’s high-stakes bluff: EchoStar’s $326 Million poker game with the FCC

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator

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 by an aggressive FCC review of its 5G spectrum licenses, casting a dark shadow over wireless contractor workflows. This rare move …