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 the Crown Castle Board of Directors, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Chris as Crown Castle’s next CEO. Chris is a …
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 prosecuted involving a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program. The Florida-based telecom executive, whose company built its business under the FCC’s Lifeline …
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, uprooted trees, flattened barns, tore the roofs off buildings, and toppled a 275-foot cell tower located off of 29140 County Highway …
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, the report finds that Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile – which collectively control roughly 97% of the wireless market – wield monopsony …
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. The complaint, filed this week, alleges that Gigapower breached its contract with Tilson and refused to pay for work already completed. …
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 Buckeye police, 38-year-old Jeremiah Elijah Ramage is accused of breaking into more than 35 T-Mobile cell tower equipment sites in cities …
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 Calvin Wayne Sellars, 46, was working on the tower when he fell to the ground from approximately 50 feet up. Wallace …
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 resignation, which took effect Friday, ends a 15-month tenure marked by rapid consolidation and aggressive growth. In a candid LinkedIn post, …
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 driven by theft rather than terrorism. Missouri state law identifies communications networks and facilities as critical infrastructure and includes enhanced penalties …
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 federal data that fails to capture where broadband is needed most and how well it works. Pew’s July 8, 2025 assessment, “To …
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 filmed as part of the NATE Safety Equipment Manufacturers’ Committee (SEMC) annual testing event at the University of Dayton Research Institute …
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 process involving multiple hearings, technical disputes, and community opposition. The approval grants two key requests from the applicant: A variance for …
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 and their eligible dependents. The following recipients were selected based on academic achievement, degree program potential, and essay responses: Scholarship Recipient …
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 increase in felony attacks through July 2025. These disruptions sever vital connectivity for homes, businesses, and critical emergency services. “These felony, …
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 is a much more urgent issue: the survival of wireless contractors, who have been crippled by years of aggressive matrix pricing …
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 by Governor Tony Evers as part of 2025 Wisconsin Act 15, the legislation removes both real and personal property taxes on …
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 framework, T-Mobile will implement site-specific and regionally adjusted pricing, introduce a transparent “Scope to Quote” tool by September 1, and raise …
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 in wireless and space, and reforming the labor environment for America’s telecom workforce. Carr delivered the speech at VIKOR’s tower climber …
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 will help shape future developments and ensure the organization continues to meet the evolving needs of technicians, employers, and industry stakeholders. …
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 locations declines and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) shifts to a cost-first grant model, states are expected to increasingly …
